Knowing yourself, your limitations, weaknesses and strengths provides an advantage when considering the ability to share and use information effectively. The same is true with an organization made up of people. Knowing the culture of the organization is an indicator of corporate personality. Collectively, the organization's personality dictates how it will adapt to a change in its environment. Once determined, the correct change management path can be prescribed and information sharing can propel the business value of uncovered knowledge beyond expectations. The synergy experienced by a free flow of relevant information has great impact on your organization's ability to leverage its information assets.
An organization's culture environment is comprised of several dimensions. Some of this dimensionality will have a more direct influence than the others on any substantive change. These dimensions are Organizational Integration, Learning Culture and Organization Temperament. When taken into account along with the demographics of an organization, an effective change management plan and messaging can be developed that will assist in an organization in moving forward with change, rather than being stuck in the chaos of miscommunication and uncertainty. We will examine Organizational Integration and look at the others in future posts.
Three dimensions reflect the level of integration within organization. These dimensions are 1. Level of interaction with others. The term ‘others’ refers to both other organizations and groups within Organization as well as co-workers. 2. Level of process awareness. This dimension examines the level of understanding each respondent believes to have regarding other work areas functions, processes, objectives, goals and whether these items are discussed freely and regularly. 3. Management Involvement. This dimension refers to the interaction and effectiveness of those employees who hold a management position at the organization.
Level of interaction with others
Overall, the majority of the respondents believed that they understand which other functional areas are involved in their processes. This dimension examines whether co-workers know the other functional areas involved in their work processes; whether they only understand the work goals and objectives of other functional areas. More importantly do these cohorts understand to a very strong degree the problems and difficulties of co-workers and visa verse. This dimension allow explores work processes inhibited by "siloed" functional areas and organizational hierarchies.
Level of process awareness
Overall, do co-workers or those employed in the same organization, but in different groups have an awareness of other's business processes and of the interactions with their own processes. Can they communicate with co-workers in other groups about process issues that affect both parties? Also, do other co-workers understand each other's functional area’s goals and objectives. Within their own departments, can action and work plans can be discussed freely and openly to a large degree and can they change a work process that is not working effectively.
Management Involvement
Overall, is management involvement supportive of the work efforts? Lack of management communication inhibits work processes. The organization must carefully communicate its vision, core capabilities and key success factors to the employee population. Leadership priorities can inhibited work success when pet projects and other initiatives run counter to the objectives of the organization. Management's responsibility is to set the vision, guide the organization and ensure qualified resources are available to achieve the mission.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Managing Change in a Changing World
"That is the way we do things around here." Have you ever heard that phrase when trying to affect positive change in your organization? It really doesn't matter how far-reaching the scope of your change. It doesn't matter if it is a technology implementation, a deferral from the tried-and-true market strategy or simply a change in a scheduled meeting. The ability of your organization to share knowledge and information is predicated on the cultural temperament of your organization and its pace of change. New technology and the ability to analyze complex sets of information for the purpose of decision support have introduced constant change into the business environment. If the culture of an organization is not taken into consideration, changing the manner in which information is exchanged is an uphill climb.
What Really Comprises an Organizational Culture?
Culture is a multidimensional enigma that envelops the organization. Every member of the organization contributes to the culture in some manner. The history, style of leadership, structural stability, level of work-force empowerment and the ability to adapt to a changing environment all contribute to the culture of an organization. Shaping the culture to face changes in the marketplace and environment depends in part on the ability for the organization's leadership to implement the guiding vision and mission. Every action taken must align with these vision and mission statements that express why the organization exists and how it will corporately conduct itself.
History and Background of Organization
An organization’s history and background are the foundation that can be built upon or a barrier to overcome. Some of the attributes to consider are:
The age of your organization. Many well-established companies are slow to change. If they have lasted for more than 50 years, then why do things differently? Conversely, newer organizations tend to sway in the winds of change and haven’t established roots deep enough to know how to react to new situations.
The origins of your organization. Is your firm a conglomeration of many other smaller entities or a single-site manufacturing firm? There are considerations attached to either scenario. It is important that the history of your organization is known. When the pressure of a change situation is applied, old social norms can pop up. Understanding the origins assists in devising change management strategies.
Leadership Style
How the executives and senior management interact with the rest of the organization sets the tone of an organization’s culture. Granted, these leaders cannot single handedly change the culture. (Unless they fire everyone and start from scratch, not a likely scenario.) However, their leadership style dictates how they interact with their direct reports and the general employee population. These interactions send messages that have an impact on information sharing. Is the CEO sharing information? Does the average employee know the financial health of the company or the markets to be focused upon? Leadership style typically breaks down into two main categories:
Command and Control – Task orientation tends to be the marquee of the command and control leadership style. Micromanaging the direct reports by telling them what to do, how to do it, when it should be done, by whom and where it should take place exemplifies high task-related behavior. There is only one-way communication with the exception of clarifying questions to make sure the objective is understood completely.
Delegating/Empowering – Relationship orientation tends to be more facilitative and communicative. This leadership style depends on the synergy of the group to determine the best course of action. The behaviors exhibited included facilitation, listening, supporting and mentoring the other employees so that the best possible course of action can be created together. Employee buy-in is of great importance to this leadership style.
Know Yourself
Knowing yourself, your limitations, weaknesses and strengths provides an advantage when considering the ability to share and use information effectively. The same is true with an organization made up of people. Knowing the culture of the organization is an indicator of corporate personality. Collectively, the organization's personality dictates how it will adapt to a change in its environment. Once determined, the correct change management path can be prescribed and information sharing can propel the business value of uncovered knowledge beyond expectations. The synergy experienced by a free flow of relevant information has great impact on your organization's ability to leverage its information assets.
We will be reviewing the dimensions of an organization's culture over the next few posts to continue to understand how to manage change in our ever rapidly changing world.
What Really Comprises an Organizational Culture?
Culture is a multidimensional enigma that envelops the organization. Every member of the organization contributes to the culture in some manner. The history, style of leadership, structural stability, level of work-force empowerment and the ability to adapt to a changing environment all contribute to the culture of an organization. Shaping the culture to face changes in the marketplace and environment depends in part on the ability for the organization's leadership to implement the guiding vision and mission. Every action taken must align with these vision and mission statements that express why the organization exists and how it will corporately conduct itself.
History and Background of Organization
An organization’s history and background are the foundation that can be built upon or a barrier to overcome. Some of the attributes to consider are:
The age of your organization. Many well-established companies are slow to change. If they have lasted for more than 50 years, then why do things differently? Conversely, newer organizations tend to sway in the winds of change and haven’t established roots deep enough to know how to react to new situations.
The origins of your organization. Is your firm a conglomeration of many other smaller entities or a single-site manufacturing firm? There are considerations attached to either scenario. It is important that the history of your organization is known. When the pressure of a change situation is applied, old social norms can pop up. Understanding the origins assists in devising change management strategies.
Leadership Style
How the executives and senior management interact with the rest of the organization sets the tone of an organization’s culture. Granted, these leaders cannot single handedly change the culture. (Unless they fire everyone and start from scratch, not a likely scenario.) However, their leadership style dictates how they interact with their direct reports and the general employee population. These interactions send messages that have an impact on information sharing. Is the CEO sharing information? Does the average employee know the financial health of the company or the markets to be focused upon? Leadership style typically breaks down into two main categories:
Command and Control – Task orientation tends to be the marquee of the command and control leadership style. Micromanaging the direct reports by telling them what to do, how to do it, when it should be done, by whom and where it should take place exemplifies high task-related behavior. There is only one-way communication with the exception of clarifying questions to make sure the objective is understood completely.
Delegating/Empowering – Relationship orientation tends to be more facilitative and communicative. This leadership style depends on the synergy of the group to determine the best course of action. The behaviors exhibited included facilitation, listening, supporting and mentoring the other employees so that the best possible course of action can be created together. Employee buy-in is of great importance to this leadership style.
Know Yourself
Knowing yourself, your limitations, weaknesses and strengths provides an advantage when considering the ability to share and use information effectively. The same is true with an organization made up of people. Knowing the culture of the organization is an indicator of corporate personality. Collectively, the organization's personality dictates how it will adapt to a change in its environment. Once determined, the correct change management path can be prescribed and information sharing can propel the business value of uncovered knowledge beyond expectations. The synergy experienced by a free flow of relevant information has great impact on your organization's ability to leverage its information assets.
We will be reviewing the dimensions of an organization's culture over the next few posts to continue to understand how to manage change in our ever rapidly changing world.
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