by Goffee-Jones | Leadership
The discussion of a universal need for “simple rules” produces waves of irritation and complaint—a kind of collective nausea.
People are frustrated by what they experience as a quagmire of rules that limit their creativity and, more fundamentally, their ability to do their jobs properly. Very significantly, this frustration is shared by people outside of organizations who regularly interact with them—customers, consumers, and citizens.
An abiding characteristic of modern societies is that, as individuals, we are forced to deal with increasingly faceless organizations bound by rule systems that are stunningly apathetic to our needs. This is true of people’s interactions with energy companies, transport networks, telecom businesses, and the many state agencies with which we are obliged to do business.
As organizations and the leaders in them face these challenges, they need to ask themselves where they are in the growth cycle:
- Are they exciting, vibrant but small start-ups who as yet can get by with minimal rule systems?
- Are they growth businesses just beginning to come to terms with internationalizing and the increasing demand to structure more predictably their organizations? Or,
- Are they giant global corporations who have gradually allowed rule accretion to make them increasingly sclerotic?
Each of these contexts provide different challenges. It’s vital to know where you’re starting from.
Leaders concerned with how organizations are structured to get things done—and the rules associated with that process—must think about how to structure labor and organizational design, which always comes down to two fundamental issues: division and integration. How do you divide things up, and how do you join them together?
Note that there is never simply a “right” structure for organizations—they are either appropriate or inappropriate, depending on elements such as the nature of the task, the technology, the environment, and regulation. These contingencies dictate the degree of complexity in the organization, with the goal being a company that is only as complex as it needs to be and no more.
The authentic organization keeps things simple—as far as possible. It develops rules that allow systematization without bureaucratization.
“The authentic organization keeps things simple. ~Rob Goffee & Gareth Jones”
Our distinction between these two phenomena is clear. When organizations systematize, people know what the rules are for; when they bureaucratize, the rules seems to have no function. These rules, in effect, become the conditions for freedom. They protect what is good in the organization rather than undermine it.
6 steps to simplify the rules
1) When things go wrong, resist the temptation to invent another rule.
Where you can, try trust first, and accept that this may not always produce what you want. Rules may look like a quick fix, but they can inspire a “low trust” downward spiral that typically creates more problems.
2) Don’t ask others to do things that you wouldn’t do yourself.
You are unlikely to engender respect for the rules—or for yourself—if you repeatedly create exceptions for yourself or for others. If you have rules, believe in them!
3) Check how the rules affect all stakeholders.
Rules affect not just employees and regulators, but also customers and the wider society. Next time you introduce a new rule, be sure to examine the impact it might have on customers, consumers, suppliers, and other stakeholders.
4) Organizations should be as complex as they need to be—but not more.
Some businesses, like innovative pharmaceutical companies, are intrinsically complex. The people who get to the top of organizations often get there because they are good at complexity. But paradoxically, once they get there, they must strive for simplicity.
5) Explain the purpose of the requirements.
People are much more likely to follow them when they understand their raison d’être.
6) Be prepared to reexamine your underlying business processes.
By looking carefully at the details that constitute every way your organization does business, you can eliminate unnecessary complexity.
Characteristics of rules that people can value
So what kind of rules do people like?
Or to put it another way, what rules would be regarded as sensible rather than stupid – enabling, rather than constraining? The overwhelming evidence is that people value rules with the following characteristics.
- Fairness – the rules are applied equally to everyone.
- Clarity – the rules are as simple and clear as possible.
- Discretion – the rules allow for appropriate exercise of discretion.
- Agreement – the rules are widely shared and their purpose is clear.
- Workability – the rules can be followed and enforced.
- Authority – the rules are based on the legitimate exercise of authority.
Building better workplaces is not an alternative to, but rather a means for, responding to the new challenges of capitalism, for building productivity, unleashing creativity, and winning. Leaders and organizations must manage the tensions and trade-offs involved building dreams. In building and clarifying, organizations exhibit six leadership attributes:
- Difference – let people be themselves
- Radical honesty – communicate what’s really going on
- Extra value – magnify people’s strengths
- Authenticity – stand for something real
- Meaning – create satisfying work
- Simple Rules – reduce the clutter and make things clear
“Good rules protect what is good in the organization rather than undermine it. ~Goffee & Jones”
Where will you start in building dreams and simplifying the rules?
Adapted from Why Should Anyone Work Here? What It Takes to Create an Authentic Organization (Harvard Business Review Press, November 2015) by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones. Book cover courtesy of the authors.
LeadBIG is excited to have professors Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones sharing their insights on simplifying the rules with our readers today. Rob Goffee is Emeritus Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School. Gareth Jones is a Fellow of the Centre for Management Development at London Business School. Goffee and Jones consult to the boards of several global companies and are coauthors of Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?, Clever, and Why Should Anyone Work Here, all published by Harvard Business Review Press.
by Shawn Murphy | Leadership
When it comes to work these days, we’re all expected to do more with less–but is this nose-to-the-grindstone philosophy the best way to run a business? Alarmingly low employee engagement numbers indicate otherwise.
So, if pushing everyone harder isn’t the path to productivity, what is?
I believe that our best work is the product of a positive environment. How it feels to work within an organization is a critical workforce development issue.
We need more leaders who are willing to choose to set a positive tone for their teams despite what senior management isn’t doing.
Destructive management is like a disease, draining people and infecting the whole workplace.
I’ve identified six core symptoms of destructive management—leadership practices that crush workplace optimism.
6 symptoms of destructive management
Symptom 1: Blind Impact.
A leader who is unaware of how her actions, attitude, and words impact others damages any opportunity for workplace optimism. She consistently underestimates people’s value and often fails to connect the dots between their work and organizational direction.
Symptom 2: Antisocial Leadership.
An antisocial leader lacks the ability to encourage, build, and evolve a community of people united by a shared purpose. Autocratic and even distrustful of people, he often dictates what workers should do and rarely praises or even credits them for their good work. Creating a void of connectedness, this symptom tends to leave people feeling used.
Symptom 3: Chronic Change Resistance.
What’s destructive about this symptom is the leader’s unwillingness to initiate change to help her team and organization remain relevant. If change is adopted, it’s usually late in the adoption curve. With this leader in charge, only incremental change is possible.
Symptom 4: Profit Myopia.
Leaders with profit myopia cling to the outdated belief that profit is the only success measure. Their teams chase solutions that satisfy shareholders and/or short-term goals, alienating customers and employees. Taking a chink out of the optimistic workplace is this leader’s narrow focus on his or her own personal income and rewards.
Symptom 5: Constipated Inspiration.
When a leader is too focused on her own needs and insecurities, she gives little attention to what her employees experience at work. As a result, she doesn’t see what inspires or demotivates them. This symptom stems from ignorance to personal values. When a leader knows what she stands for, she has greater capacity for learning about the people on her team.
Symptom 6: Silo Syndrome.
A leader afflicted with silo syndrome cannot see beyond his immediate responsibilities or see how work affects employees’ family lives. Also common is seeing people merely as a role—for example, people in sales know nothing about marketing. This mental shortcut makes it easy for a leader to devalue, disrespect, or ignore employees, which makes it impossible for optimism to thrive.
Overcoming resistance, deepening personal interest, motivation, commitment and loyalty—all of these things are possible when you deliberately and strategically focus real effort and make employee optimism a real and measurable metric. You can position employees to believe that work is a bright spot in their life.
You can position employees to believe that work is a bright spot in their life. ~Shawn Murphy
I recommend that managers learn and deploy these critical strategies:
- Understand the team is more important than any individual.
It’s a fact of neuroscience: our brains are wired to think about the thoughts, feelings, and goals of other people. Working as a team to achieve desired outcomes makes people feel good about work. For optimism to be strong, a cohesive team is vital. Managers and leaders need to avoid relying on the usual suspects, the same few superstars, to handle high-profile projects.
- Know there’s value to experiencing joy at work.
Joy can open brains to better see connections and various options to solve work problems. In a joyful workplace, people are more likely to contribute their best. Expressing joy is simple. Give a proud smile when a team member does great work. Celebrate reaching key project milestones or momentous occasions in an employee’s life—buying a new house or having a baby, for example.
- Recognize that doing good is good for business.
It’s not just about philanthropy. When leaders adopt business practices that contribute to improving employees’ lives, business prospers. Do something crazy—have an anti-workaholic policy. When team members have time to pursue personal interests, they are more productive and satisfied at work. Implement a policy banning team members from emailing other about business on weekends.
- Make your relationships with employees richer.
Relationships are central to cooperation, collaboration, and successful outcomes. Take, for instance, the remarkable 2014 events at Market Basket, a 73-store grocery chain based in Massachusetts. When the board of directors ousted the company’s CEO and steward, Arthur T. Demoulas, in favor of his bottom-line driven cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas, employees responded by orchestrating a massive boycott. Strong relationships between employees, suppliers, and customers resulted in a collaborative effort that restored a beloved CEO and saved a company.
- Make work align with purpose and meaning.
Why does work matter to your team members? For workplace optimism to thrive, organizational leaders must strive to find the answer to that question and then continually invest in making sure that work remains meaningful. A focus on financial motivators blinds leaders from helping employees do work that matters.
- Have leaders actualize human potential.
Luck Companies, an aggregate business headquartered just outside of Richmond, Virginia, believes, to quote CEO Charlie Luck, that “all human beings have extraordinary potential to make a positive difference in the world.” For Luck, this belief shapes how its leaders treat one another, develop their associates, and spread the message globally.
Actualizing human potential puts the spirit into workplace optimism, which in turn inspires business leaders to put this belief into action.
How have you created more optimism in your workplace?
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Today’s guest contributor is Shawn Murphy, CEO and founder of Switch & Shift, an organization dedicated to the advancement of human-centered organizational practices and leadership. His book, The Optimistic Workplace, has just been released. When not consulting, Shawn can often be found in the classroom teaching, speaking to audiences, or interviewing top thought leaders on his Work That Matters podcast.
Image credit before quote added: MorgueFile
by Rob-Jan de Jong | Leadership
Whether it’s a presidential candidate, a corporate executive or an NFL coach, people admire a leader with vision.
They like someone with a clear idea of where he or she is headed, and who knows how to motivate others to accomplish the goal.
But as much as people might like to say someone is a “born visionary,” in truth, vision is something we develop, not something we arrive in the world with.
One thing visionaries have in common is that they have the ability to notice things early. They recognize that significant change is happening and make use of the opportunities it presents.
Simply identifying that major change is afoot isn’t enough, though.
The visionary leader needs to connect the dots into a coherent picture, one that takes into account future developments—something easier said than done. However, leaders can develop this ability provided they are willing to work on it.
Vision and 4 leadership models
Growing a one’s visionary side boils down to sharpening both the ability to notice things early and the ability to create coherence. In combination, the abilities suggest four archetypes of leaders.
This is someone who is neither good at noticing things early, nor skilled at creating and communicating a coherent story from insights about what the future might bring. The follower may be an excellent manager, but don’t expect this person to inspire others or drive innovation.
Being a follower isn’t a bad thing. These people are often careful about their decisions and good at critical thinking, and in the short term that can work well. But their preoccupation with today keeps them from anticipating what comes next.
On the upside, a trend hopper has a well-developed ability to see things early and is willing to embrace changing realities. These are people who are quick to adopt new technology and be among the first to fantasize about how things can be different—even radically different—real soon.
On the downside, trend hoppers aren’t adept at turning their early insights into a coherent story that justifies an active, strategic pursuit. After seeing them chase several flavor-of-the-month ideas, other people begin to tune them out.
These leaders are adept at connecting the dots and spinning a story that makes sense. They cite patterns, facts and figures and make everything that’s happened so far look coherent and intentional. When you listen to them, it all makes sense. However, they have their eyes trained on the factually true past—not the imaginative uncertain future.
It’s valuable to have some historical perspective, but you can’t let history cripple your ability to engage the future. Historians also often are cynics, ready to explain why things are the way they are and why your unconventional idea won’t work.
This is the model to strive to be. A visionary isn’t quick to hop on every fad; however, they aren’t naysayers about how things might be done differently. The visionary takes a mindful, future-oriented perspective, balancing the need for a compelling future with the awareness of the dangers of becoming dogmatic and overly optimistic. Visionaries are able to explain an imagined future in a way that fills people with energy and engages their imagination.
A powerful vision isn’t just nice to have. It’s the most important tool in the transformational leader’s toolbox. A leader’s personal imagination, inspiration and dedication are what will ignite the excitement in the people they lead.
Your view
What’s your take on the role of vision in being an effective leader? Which of the four models best describes your style?
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Today’s guest contributor is Rob-Jan de Jong, speaker, writer, strategy and leadership consultant, and author of Anticipate: The Art of Leading By Looking Ahead. He serves as an expert lecturer at various leading business schools such as the Wharton Business School (USA), Thunderbird School of Global Management (USA), Nyenrode Business University (The Netherlands), and Sabanci Business University (Turkey).
Image credit: Dreamstime
by Jane Perdue | Leadership
I was working in another state and traveling in an area unfamiliar to me. At the end of the day, I asked a member of the management team if there was a route I could take back to my hotel that would bypass the rush hour traffic.
“Of course there is. I’ll show you,” replied one of the women present.
“Terrific,” I replied. “What streets do I take?” My expectation was that she would provide directions.
That’s not what she meant when she said she would show me.
She was literally going to show me the way—she wanted me to follow her vehicle as she led me back to the hotel!
She had worked a long day and would have to drive out of her way, so I protested. She wasn’t having any of it. She wanted to make sure I arrived safely at my destination.
Her generosity and willingness to go above and beyond overwhelmed me.
Her smile and warm words when I thanked her out front of my hotel let me know that she had enjoyed helping me and didn’t see it as a burden in the slightest.
That act happened over a week ago, and it still makes me smile every time I think of it.
Smiling again at the memory prompted me to wonder if I’ve done things for others that still make them smile. I hope so and plan to make sure I perform more of those acts going forward.
Research from BlessingWhite notes that only 31% of the worldwide workforce is engaged and that nearly 17% are actually disengaged and are working against their company. Yikes. Those stats make going above and beyond even more important for leaders.
3 ways for leaders to go above and beyond
1) Care about your employees, colleagues, etc. and be fearless in showing it.
A Catalyst study found, “Employees who perceived altruistic behavior from their managers also reported being more innovative, suggesting new product ideas and ways of doing work better. Moreover, they were more likely to report engaging in team citizenship behavior, going beyond the call of duty, picking up the slack for an absent colleague–all indirect effects of feeling more included in their workgroups.”
2) Model the values and behaviors you want to see practiced.
Sometimes doing what’s right isn’t expedient. Effective leaders recognize this reality and don’t permit it being a barrier. Getting things right requires an investment in time. By taking the time to literally show me the way around traffic, this woman modelled a number of impressive leadership behaviors: commitment, kindness, building relationships, civility, and initiative. Throughout the workshops that day, she had spoken about how important results and relationships were to her. Her deeds that night were in complete alignment with her words.
3) Teach and coach with an eye on building capability and compassion.
Another individual, who was present when I made my directions request, suggested dropping my hotel address into Google maps and asking it to avoid highways. That method would have worked, too; but I wouldn’t have been privy to such a marvelous example of teaching. A couple of driving shortcuts known to locals were involved in bypassing the traffic congestion. Might my GPS have taken me on that path? Perhaps. But this woman’s dedication prompted me to re-assess what I do every day. My GPS wouldn’t have done that. Invaluable!
I was there that week to educate and inspire, and I’m grateful for the serendipitous opportunity to learn and be inspired myself. What a good week!
How about you?
How have you gone above and beyond?
Have you been inspired by someone else who went above and beyond?
What are you teaching your employees about going above and beyond?
Image credit before quote: Pixabay
by Jane Perdue | Leadership
Welcome to the July 2015 Leadership Development Carnival!
This month brings a treat of 22 leadership posts to savor and share. Topics range from moral character to leadership lessons from World War II to stepping out of comfort zones.
Ready to dive in? (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Leadership
“You are my follower.”
Both his tone and inflection caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected such vehemence. Or that kind of mindset.
In my mind, we had simply “connected” via social media.
Yes, I had clicked a button labeled “follow” on his page several months earlier. In doing so, I committed to learning more about him, and to sharing info, too.
But in my mind, I hadn’t committed to being his follower, “an adherent or devotee of a particular person, cause, or activity.”
As he was traveling and was in my corner of the world, we’d agreed to meet over coffee and add a face-to-face element to our connection. Hence, this exchange.
“That’s an interesting perspective. Could it also be said that you’re my follower? Something reciprocal?”
“No, I connected with you first. I took the lead, you followed.”
Given my fascination with power and stereotypes, I found his comment insightful…off-putting and outdated.
Leadership is so much more than a dominant leader and a subordinate follower. The rank, authority, and blind obedience thing is so one-way, so ego-based.
It’s an outlook that’s also out of step with the reality of today’s flatter, more technologically driven workplaces. As Carnegie Mellon professor Robert Kelley notes,
“…most of us are more often followers than leaders. Even when we have subordinates, we still have bosses…so followership dominates our lives and organizations, but not our thinking, because our preoccupation with leadership keeps us from considering the nature and the importance of the follower.”
Deciding to be a follower is a conscious choice, one rooted in managing from the mind and leading from the heart. And, even if a boss/employee relationship does exist, taking orders and direction doesn’t automatically make someone a follower.
Kelley goes on to describe effective followers as being competent, courageous, honest, credible, self-directed, self-motivated, and risk-takers.
Aren’t leaders all those things, too?
Leadership and followership are the two sides of the same coin. One can’t exist without the other, and one isn’t better than the other.
Both are intentional attitudes that require us to be self-aware and to self-regulate. Both roles have many things in common.
12 things leadership and followership have in common
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- Both require us to stand up for what we believe and stand up to those who would hold us back.
- Neither is a status to be entered into blindly, passively, or indifferently.
- Neither condition is a job title. They’re roles we willingly choose to fill.
- Both come fully loaded with negative stereotypes and connotations to be overcome and changed
- In either leading or following, we can expect days where our best efforts won’t be enough and will be under-appreciated and under-valued.
- Both require fluidity of thought and a willingness to practice reciprocity as we shift between filling both roles.
- Both require equal paradoxical focus on results and relationships, structure and consideration, and individual and team.
- The best of both practitioners intuitively understand that the less ego that’s involved the better.
- Both roles recognize the value of moral courage.
- Neither status is hung up on labels or categories of who should or shouldn’t take the initiative to make things so. They just do it.
- Both practice critical thinking as well as active participation and engagement.
- Leading and following are both an art and a science in which we use our heads to manage and our hearts to lead.
In effective leadership and followership, there’s no keeping score about who went first.
“Increasingly, followers think of themselves as free agents, not as dependent underlings.” ~Barbara Kellerman, James MacGregor Burns Lecturer in Public Leadership at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government
What’s your take on the similarities between being a leader and a follower?
Image source before quote: morgueFile.com
