It’s a bit of a conundrum. If we get rid of hierarchy, we place too much burden on people who need to get things done, but if we subject them to the traditional bureaucracies that dominate modern management, we take away their speed and agility. There is, however, a middle path out of this mess: create hierarchies that are more fluid…. Read More»
One of the central tenets of traditional management philosophy is that information should be controlled. Secret formulas and key strategic moves, for example, are obviously not to be shared with competitors. Even internally, to avoid the risk of leaks or misinterpretation, information has been traditionally been doled out only on a “need to know” basis.
Unfortunately, this approach does not work well in today’s fast-paced, innovation-focused environment…. Read More»
Traditional management is clearly and measurably in decline, although up until now it has been changing at a somewhat glacial pace. The social media revolution has moved much more quickly and has seeped into every aspect of organizational life, but by itself it is never going to fully revolutionize management. It needs a catalyst—like the Millennials…. Read More»
In organizations, there is the truth of what is happening, and then there are the stories we tell ourselves (and each other) about what is happening. In powerful organizations, the truth and the stories are closely aligned. In weaker ones, there is a disconnect, or a gap. And yes—you guessed it—having your employees making up stuff, rather than you telling them, is a sure-fire way to expand that gap.
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It’s hard to be opposed to the idea of corporate values. What could be wrong with a company doing a quick off-site to develop a lofty and admirable values statement that can be distributed on posters and cute little wallet-sized laminated cards? There’s a lot wrong with it, actually. These word-smithed values statements are pretty, […] Read more… Read More»
I spent the last few days at a National Association of Corporate Directors leadership conference. I had the great privilege of sharing the “innovation stage” in their Social Media Lab with none other than our very own Ted Coiné, as each of us gave a 20 minute talk about how social media is deeply changing […] Read more… Read More»
One reason organizational culture does not make many leaders’ priority list is that it is hard to define. It’s squishy. It’s complex. Sometimes it’s even contradictory. Different employees will experience your culture differently, and even describe it differently. With all the other challenges your business faces, I can see why culture takes a back seat. […] Read more… Read More»
Part of me wants to wrestle the term “diversity” away from all the diversity practitioners in organizations.
Don’t get me wrong—I think diversity practitioners are great. I’m one of them, in fact. We’re doing good work, for really good reasons, and we’re getting results. But over the years we’ve ended up enmeshed in HR, and training, and compliance, and protecting people from lawsuits…to the point where sometimes I think we might have lost sight of what diversity is all about…
I have been arguing for several years now that the real value of social media goes way beyond marketing and communications: it is teaching us a new way to lead and manage our organizations. Thus I have been encouraged by the recent conversations I’m hearing around “social business.” While I think it has the makings […] Read more… Read More»
Jamie Notter takes us down an important reality that seems to be unfolding in our understanding with each passing year: the power and influence of networks of people. Jamie explores this important social trend and its influence on businesses and employee engagement. It’s another great installment in our month long blog series – Winning Employees […] Read more… Read More»
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