THE PAINLESS WAY TO MAKE CHANGE

Organisations are held in place by stories and structures. Most attempts at change focus on changing constraining structures (technical structures, organisation structure, cultural structures etc). When we try to change the structures (restructuring, downsizing, reorganising) we nearly always run into resistance and destroy value. A far easier and more productive way to change an organisation is by changing its stories. When one has a new story in one’s head, it’s almost impossible to continue to do the things that seemed to make sense under the old story.

MOST MANAGERS BELIEVE IN ORGANISATIONAL TREES

When the story you tell is of managing an organisational tree, it makes sense to be on top, hierarchical and dominating. However when the story you tell is of networks you manage in a completely different way, based on network science and the laws of networks. You know your success will depend largely on how well you understand and manage networks and strategic partnerships both inside and outside the organisation.

http://www.virtual.co.nz/index.php?n=Products.Networks

WHY SILOS ARE DANGEROUS

WHY SILOS ARE DANGEROUS

The story most managers believe is that we are separate individuals. This is why we structure organisations into jobs and have individual objectives and performance reviews.

Imagine if our managers knew the story that physicists have known for 50 years. That physical materials like solids, liquids and gases are interesting but not nearly as useful as the study of how things are organised and relate to each other.

An organisation, whether a company, a Department, or a Ministry, is a system and for it to work in an emergent type way it needs to be a system. It can’t be split up into segments or reorganised into silos and still be expected to behave like the original system because it won’t; it’s no longer that system. The individual parts (Marketing, Production, Policy, Corporate Services) might in some ways work like a system, but they will tend to work towards emergent behaviour that is favourable to itself rather than to the whole organisation, each going off in their own direction. 

This is the key reason why silos are so dangerous. They don’t allow systems to be systems and because they’re not systems they can’t possibly emerge like systems.

Most managers are way behind physicists because they spend lots of time and money selecting good people into the organisation without thinking much about the system these people are going to work in. 

There is no doubt that people behave according to the system they are placed in; therefore, it would be more advantageous if the organisation spent more time and money designing the system into which the people are placed.

TAP THE INSPIRATION

Inspirational leaders have a deep appreciation for what makes people unique. They believe people are created equal and different and that each person has a special contribution to make.

They tap into the passion of others, talk to them about what they love to do. Identify their unique talents, and let them excel in that space.

HAS THE PUBLIC SECTOR TAKEN A WRONG TRACK?

I think the reforms of the 1980s fell short in two ways:
They reduced our ability to solve important (wicked) problems The efficiency improvements may not have been as high as claimed after hidden costs are taken into account.

Ironically we were closer to the right track before the reforms of the 1980s that attempted to make the public sector more efficient but reduced its capacity to solve ‘wicked problems’. Let me explain:

http://www.virtual.co.nz/index.php?n=StrategicSnippets.HasThePublicSectorTakenAWrongTrack

WHICH IS MORE SUCCESSFUL: COMPETITION OR COLLABORATION?

Imagine if our managers knew the story biologists know: human beings evolved as small weak animals. To overcome this weakness we had the choice of two evolutionary tracks: either to grow bigger, or to multiple our size by collaborating with others. We chose the second track. It’s no wonder we are born to collaborate, it’s built into our DNA!

At the organisational level, many large mature workplaces suffer from cutthroat competition from within their organisation; knives in the back; dogs eating dogs; but, new research is showing that stepping on people isn't the best way to get ahead.

Because of our competition story, today we seem to sublimate much of our human nature in the workplace. What I find is power, ego, separation and fear dominating over care, love and cooperation. We need to listen, love, care and support each other. Today’s problems both in organisations and in the world are seldom technical, they are nearly all based on poor human relationships. It’s caused because our story is of competition whereas it should be collaboration.

The best story for competition is told when you are trying to improve yourself, not beat others.

IS IT BETTER TO IMPROVE YOUR WEAKNESSES OR GROW YOUR STRENGTHS?

Of all the business stories I’ve tried to change over the years this is the one that’s probably received the most “ahas.” It usually comes up when I’m introducing clients to Herrmann’s Brain Dominance Index. Our current story is really pervasive and quite stupid as I hoped the following story will show.

Steve Williams is talking to Tiger Woods: “Tiger I’m really pleased with the progress you’re making in your golf but your tennis is fairly weak. I want you to give up practicing golf for six months and concentrate on your tennis!”

http://www.virtual.co.nz/index.php?n=Products.HerrmannsThinkingPreferences