A provocation, what level of thinking is your organisation at?
David Willans
20yrs+ Advising on sustainability communications, strategy and transformation
This idea was too long to be a little post on LinkedIn, but please treat it like one, an idea to be debated and discussed.
Organisations need to move faster. Many are only thinking about the problem in front of them, adding things in to solve it. They’re thinking like beginners.
They’re thinking about adding things in. Investing in internal tech solutions, innovation hours and start-up incubators.
They’re thinking about supporting people to be more engaged and effective, and getting different types of people in to bring new perspectives. Well-being initiatives, flexible working, internal networks, D&I programmes and blind recruitment.
But, this is beginner thinking, solving the problem in front of you, one move ahead on the chess board.
The smart ones are thinking a step ahead, creating the conditions for the organisation to be able to continually change.
These organisations are working on the cultural environment.
Doing that means creating the conditions for people to try new things without fear of criticism. It means managers being in tune enough to assess their people’s capabilities, supporting and coaching them to go beyond their comfort zone and helping them learn when it doesn’t work.
It means moving away from lots of management oversight, constant checking-in, where the conversation inevitably turns to details, or micro management. These things remove responsibility, stunt growth and deepen dependency.
But very few are thinking three steps ahead, which I think is helping their people develop the core skills to be able to change.
So now you’ve got an environment, a system and a culture that enables people to change. This environment only works if people themselves are capable of adapting to change, of working in uncertainty, of communicating well, of taking responsibility, of self-regulating and monitoring to make sure they’re focused on the right things.
This type of organisation is about helping people be better people.
What do you think?
Leading Beyond Hierarchy & Becoming Regenerative | Coach, Consultant & Facilitator
6 年This is a great post David and I quite agree with what you are pointing to here. What's interesting about cultivating an environment where people are better able to adapt to change is that it cannot be forced. The very personal nature of learning to work in uncertainty, taking deep level responsibility and self-regulating is such that for each individual it will only happen at a time that is right for them. The most important thing that leaders who are aware of this shift can do is self-cultivate their own pathway and new experiences. This in turn will forge a path for others. What I find fascinating about self-management as a model for organisations is that it?creates the conditions for the organisation to be able to continually change as well as providing an invitation for individuals to step into a deeper level of understanding of themselves and how to interact with the world. Important stuff indeed.