presentation on speed and agility in the new order of organizations january 2012

Building speed, innovation and learning agility

in the new organization order

Hubert Saint-Onge

Council of HR ExecutiveConference Board of Canada

June 9, 2011 Kelowna, BC

Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

… by re-kindling the sense of community in organizations

the questions we will explore in this session…

1. What is the rationale for re-kindling the sense of community in today`s organization?

2. When does an organization feel more like a community?

3. What undermines the sense of community in an organization?

4. How can we build the sense of community in an organization?

5. What is the best way to introduce this theme to senior management?

2Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

the emerging new order of organizations…

• Many tasks that could be effectively handled by individual in earlier times now exceed the scope of a single person.

• Instead, in our ever more interconnected, complex and unpredictable environment, effective performance depends on mobilizing and melding diverse sources of knowledge, insights and energy.

• In such environments, effective performance depends on integrating diverse skills, expertise and perspectives.

A fundamental change is

happening to the nature of

work in organizations


organisational and hierarchical

barriers

business processesand project-specific

barriers

+

disparategeographicdistribution

+

Organizational islands

=

How do we overcome this syndrome?


the “fragmentation” of today’s organizations…

Strategy

Performance

Capabilities

Learning

Innovation

Learning

Innovation

“capabilities” as the link between performance and strategy

Mar

ket

Op

por

tun

ity

Time to realization

Hig

hLo

w developmentdelay

‘fast follower’ curvecompetitive advantage of the capability

‘first mover’ curveS

trat

egic

Pos

itio

n

the accelerated development of capability as a strategic advantage

the emerging new order of organizations…

• the challenges most organizations face are so complex that they require a set of capabilities too broad to be possessed by any one individual, one function or one discipline

• innovation comes from the ability to collaborate across diverse knowledge domains and expertise

• advances in collaborative technologies enhance the potential reach of and support for collective effort , collaborative creation, and coordinated action at unprecedented speed with low friction costs.

Creating a sense of

community in organization is

both increasingly

necessary and feasible.


the benefits of a strong sense of community…

1. higher level of trust

2. engagement and ownership for the success of the organization as a whole

3. effective collaboration and management of interdependence

4. greater exchange of knowledge and innovation

5. fluidity of capability distribution increases speed

6. development and retention of talent base


what is a community in an organizational context?

• members care for one another and their collective success

• they are energized by a shared purpose they find worthwhile

• they espouse shared values that represent the social glue that binds the organization

• the organization values and respects them

An organization develops a sense of

community when people

feel that…


what it means for people…

12

“We are social animals who cannot function effectively without a social system that is larger than ourselves. This is what is meant by “community” —the social glue that binds us together for the greater good. Community means caring about our work, our colleagues, and our place in the world… and in turn being inspired by this caring.”

Henry Mintzberg, Rebuilding Companies as CommunitiesHBR, July-August 2009


what it means for people…

• To be part of something we value

• To find a deeper purpose in all we do

• To exchange in a context of interconnectedness

What does it mean to

people in a community

organization?


“Pixar is a community in the true sense of the word. We think that lasting relationships matter, and we share some basic beliefs:• Talent is rare. • Management’s job is not to

prevent risk but to build the capability to recover when failures occur.

• It must be safe to tell the truth.• We must constantly challenge

all of our assumptions and search for the flaws that could destroy our culture.”

Ed Catmull, President, Pixar

The organization as a community: an example


what it means for the organization…

This is all done to create organizations that move faster, in a more innovative way to

achieve higher sustainable levels of performance.


why has this sense of community been eroded?

• a short term view prevails and people are a fungible commodity based on the quarterly results

• people that can be dropped without regard for their contribution

• the trust reservoir is depleted by change for which they see no business rationale

• the “leadership” stands apart from them

This sense of community is undermined

when…


from…

Individualist/independence Collaboration/interdependence

Distrust/isolation Trust/connectedness

Competition Building on one another’s capability

Heroic leadership High integrity, quiet leadership

Blame/fear Engagement/sense of ownership

to…

Feeling devalued Finding meaning

1 10

What is the level of change required to make the shift to a community organization?


How to build the organization as a community?

I. Build a context of high-integrity leadership

IV. Encourage interdependence

VI. Create a learning environment

III. Instill an atmosphere that promotes trust.

V. Evolve a cohesive culture

VII. Develop collaborative networks

II. Clarify the “noble cause”

vision

service

courage

systemic view

targetsself

interest“silo”view

safety



vision

service

courage

systemic view leadership

integrity



The traditional model the “boss”

individual responsibilities

The team leadership model shared team leadership responsibilities

1st among equal with full accountability

individual accountabilities


• Everyone at Google knows that its mission is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

• The “noble cause” is often ignored in organization but it is fundamental to creating identity, commitment and a sense of community

26



• treat people as human beings - not objects or “human resources”

• engage people in change • place the change in the context of a

readily understood business rationale• respect people’s past dedication and

contribution• do not tolerate leadership behaviours that

contradict organizational values

28



…the swamp

…levels of leadership integrity

Honesty … I mean what I say

… I do what I sayReliability

Coherence … I stand for what I believe

Vision …I lead to make it happen


from…

entitlement self-initiation my security resides in being part

of an organization my security resides in my

capabilities following the traditional contract:

I do what I have to in order to get to stay

following the new contract: I dedicate myself to creating value in exchange for an opportunity to develop my capabilities

I work for the organization… I am fundamentally self-driven…

by virtue of working here, I am entitled to…

I want to be recognized for my contribution…

success comes from sticking around long enough

success comes from commitment

to…

1 10


Items Processing

Sales force Management

Financial Engineering

… the benefits of interdependence and collaboration flow from combining

different sets of capabilities

SeamlessReferrals

Client relationships

Items Processing

Sales force Management

Financial Engineering

area ofproductive collaboration

RiskManagement

Solutions Development



HighLow IndependenceNegative

Positive

Trust

+

_

Interdependence

Counter-dependence


…interdependence will be a function ofthe trust level we can engender across the firm.


HighLowIndependence

Negative

Positive

Trust

+

_

Interdependence

Counter-dependence

• build the mutual accountability that will bring us to excel individually

• serve to build the cohesiveness of the firm and of our teams

• contribute to leverage our resources more effectively

• partner more effectively with our customers because we partner better internally


A strong sense of interdependence will…


“By designing corporate systems that employ values which drive positive emotions and environment, managers can significantly increase employee motivation, satisfaction, resilience to setbacks/failure, and willingness to engage and reach out of their comfort zones; in practice, these factors mean the difference between a corporation recognizing and exploiting an opportunity, and missing it altogether.”

Making Decisions on Values, Not Biasesby Jonathan Doochin Harvard Business Review, May 28th 2010



What are your personal values?

1. honesty

2. accountability

3. balance (home/work)

4. commitment

5. continuous learning

6. responsibility

7. positive attitude

8. humour/fun

9. family

10. adaptability

1. cost reduction

2. profit

3. organizational growth

4. teamwork

5. customer satisfaction

6. results orientation

7. bureaucracy (L)

8. achievement

9. goals orientation

10. financial stability

1. customer satisfaction

2. accountability

3. continuous improvement

4. teamwork

5. balance (home/work)

6. innovation

7. information sharing

8. coaching/mentoring

9. open communication

10. employee recognition

What are the values currently characterizing

the organization?

What should ideally be the values of the

organization?


actual results of a values survey…


Collaborationinformation sharing, openness and trust

Accountabilitycommitment, responsibility achievement and sense of mission

Customer satisfaction

focusing on the customer,knowledge of the customer

Innovation and Growth


The development of organizational values in congruence with individual values…

1. Build constructive dialogue as part of getting work done: don’t always challenge; welcome another’s thoughts and opinions

2. As leaders, create meaning by constantly renewing the context: involve people collectively in your thinking

3. Experiment constantly. Regularly stop to reflect as a team and repeat the process

4. Release the need to be right: it’s OK to make mistakes as long as you learn from them

5. Constantly challenge people with assignments at the edge of what they can do and give them the network/support they need.



6. Manage through the team instead of through individuals; form cross-generational teams

7. Take every opportunity to collaborate on the horizontal axis to enhance coherence and innovation.

8. Encourage people to form networks that can support people both internally and externally

9. Explore new technology to leverage it for greater levels of collaboration



We shape our tools.And afterwards

Our tools shape us.

Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964)


the networked organization

the hierarchical structure


from… to…


Yesterday

ExpertLocator Expert

Locator

ExpertLocator

The systematic application of collaboration tools and processes in the organization has the effect of connecting people to people;

connecting people to information and knowledge…making the shift…

Today/Tomorrow

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��s�rT�e��Ter��s�rT�e��Ter

ExpertLocator

��s�rT�e��Ter

ExpertLocator

ExpertLocator

from… to…



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…mapping out the possibilities for collaboration across time and space

virtual

face to face

synchronous asynchronous

traditionalmeeting

tele-conferencing

voice mail/e-mail/

collaborative spaces

• Collaborative networks need to leverage all three available dimensions



CollaborativeNetworks

Virtual Teams

Communities of Practice

Expert Networks



Sporadic emergence of collaborative networks

Systematic building of collaborative networks to distribute capability

Collaborative networks become an inherent part of how work and learning takes place in the organization

A highly effective balance is achieved between the formal accountability structure and collaborative networks

Culture

learning and collaborating

low

high

Technologyenterprise-wide

interactivitylow high


what’s needed to re-kindle a sense of community…

• create context with a shared understanding and commitment to the business strategy

• model high integrity leadership• base the evolution of the culture on

shared values• take a learning approach to lead change

and purposefully build capability• engage people at the organization-wide

level through dialogue and exchange –give them a sense of ownership

• work horizontally and bring cross-functional teams together

• leverage collaborative networks including virtual project teams

• …

How do you re-kindle a

sense of community in

an organization?


a comment on this presentation…

“These have been difficult times for many, in which the sense of dispensability is pervasive,

belongingness is hard to come by, and missions are on hold.

Guidance you offer toward an infusion of wisdom, trust, energy and inspiration is an

antidote! “



What is the best way to introduce this theme to senior management?


www.saintongealliance.com

[email protected]

56

presentation on speed and agility in the new order of organizations january 2012

Leadership & Management

strong sense of community

saintonge alliance

bc copyright

organizations face

effective performance

discipline innovation

learning agility

diverse knowledge domains