Management & Leadership in the modern complex organisation

The way we manage today calls on us to be more focused on our people, respond quicker to business problems, and deal with an increasing number of different type of issues. 

One of the reflections that we can take from the multitude of attempts at creating change in organisations, is that change is less about a change initiative, and more about how we work together. Rather than change being a project that we do from one date to the end, we are recognising that the workplace is more and more becoming a place where change is constant. What I mean by this is that we seem to be changing so frequently that maybe our normal state is to both change and to maintain continue operations?
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This is an interesting point, because there is a strong metaphor that says; we are either in a balanced and stable state, or we are trying to change something. When we are stable we work one way; procedures instruct us, measures guide us, and people do the things they have on their job description.

And when we ‘do change’ we work another way. We plan, decide, develop a programme, and implement. We move from one state to the next.
But increasingly we see that perhaps we should accept that both seem to be constants at the  same time. And trying to jump between one and the other seems to be unstable, difficult, stressful, and often contradictory. Staff cannot keep up, and managers are trying to deal with too many issues at the same time.
The clash between the two states points to a tension, that if it remains, becomes increasingly uncomfortable. And the more we try and control each down, the more confusion it seems to create.

The Flexibility we Actually Need

Looking at how progressive organisations deal with being agile to deal with the modern world. We can observe that those working in them have different characteristics. It is not that they are different, it is simply that they are working in a way that creates and allows for an ongoing balance between change and normal operations. Those leaders are able to develop the working environment required for both states to exist at the same time.
I write at length about these two different ways of working, but here I wish to describe leadership and management; there is a key characteristic that defines the traditional from the progressive

Traditional Management and Leadership

This focuses on clear departments, with employees working in their roles as described in the job descriptions. The work is standardised as much as it can be and described by procedures that we know work well. Managers ensure that this works well, by the practices of measurement, targets, and dealing with the variation that they find. Periodic audits are carried out to ensure this is constant.

We measure Customers Satisfaction, and we change aspects of operations when we have to, if we come across problems.

Leaders use high level measures, and they develop plans to move forwards across the organisation. These plans and visions are communicated to the rest of the organisation in important top down communications, where it is up to mid level managers to ensure that they are implemented.
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This approach appears to work well, except for the fact that when you actually delve into these organisations, it does not really work that well. The culture often becomes one of ‘managers tell’ and ‘workers do’. Innovation has to be done in a room with bean bags, separate from the workplace. And HR have to come up with ways to motivate employees. We look and feel like a corporation, that thinks itself important because it is so large.
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Progressive Management and Leadership

Imagine an organisation that works according to the way that individual customers want us to. Where front line staff can deal with customers, and decide what they need to do and how they should do it. They decide within the boundaries of an agreed framework, and can easily pull for support from their managers or experts when they need to

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‘Management is learning and supporting'

In this alternative working environment, the real change is in what leaders and managers do and how they behave. They are less glued to their measurement screens and writing reports, they are out and about learning what is happening in the workplace. They are engaged with customers and see first hand the impact their staff have on customers and the operations. 
 
They witness the teamwork across the organisation. They engage horizontally across the workflow,  and vertically with senior managers.
Mangers observe and allow operations to occur when things go well, and learn and support when they dont. They have the ability to stand back, and make sense of the various levels and dynamics that synthesise into a whole service. They pinpoint where they need to act and how to do that, that allows for the causes of problems to be dissolved, never to occur again.

The role of Managing and Leading is learning and acting with the staff to ensure that the organisation can learn and adapt

Engaging in horizontal and vertical learning cycles

This is the synthesis of stability and change; allowing for complexity to occur, but under some sort of control.  With the understanding of how to deal with that complexity of a real organisation within its dynamic business environment. It is a rapid learning cycle;

horizontal learning cycle

vertical learning cycle

In summary

The reason why we often find this a difficult thing to do, is because we often fail to recognise that this change needs a change in the ways we behave and act as managers and leaders. If we try and be flexible, whilst still applying our traditional behaviours and methods of management, this will not work

This workshop helps to take this approach, and help you to learn and practice in your work
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systemic design workshop