
|
Three
Major Stages of Organizational
Evolution1 |
-
Bureaucratic:
strategy is not emphasized; hierarchical structures; linear focus;
dehumanized
-
Complex: quantitative strategy;
laterally complex structures; bifurcated, conflicting focus;
limitations of workforce performance
-
Adaptive: visionary,
human strategy, simpler in context structure; work/family
integration systems; capability and efficacy of workforce
|
|
Common Characteristics of Complex
Evolving Systems1 |
|
Five operational characteristics
-
Self-organization
– enables different possible combinations of ideas and relationships
to emerge from the "co-incidences" that happen during informal
interactions.
-
Creativity – emerges from the interaction of the components of
a network; at the human level, the collaboration of a group and
cross-pollination of ideas produces outcomes that are not
possible to predict by simply summing up the behavior of the
individuals involved
-
Non-linearity – small causes produce large effects in human
systems
-
Memory – distributed throughout the system; this history is
critical to the behavior of the whole system
-
Adaptability – can reorganize their internal structure without
the intervention of, or in response to the intervention of, an
external agent; it is a result of unconscious learning (tacit
knowledge) that may enable the system to have a higher
probability of survival under changing conditions in its
ecosystem
and
environment.
Four human relationships and
organizations' characteristics
-
Being
– the in which people, who have authentic presence and needs,
experience themselves in an organization can enable or constrain the
potential of what an organization can become.
-
Identity – is a function of interaction of persons' being and
their relationships; is a strong driver of the organization's
outcomes. Innovation, for example, is possible only in a
collaborative environment that creates the conditions for creative
thinking.
-
Conscious learning – whether
knowledge
is created and shared in an organization will depend on the quality,
number and types of relationships within an organization, and
between the organization and its
ecosystem.
-
Coherence – requires an alignment of context, viewpoint,
purpose and action that enables further action.2
The extent to which organization operates as a network of
relationships enables individuals to make sense of their work and
their world, and will strongly influence the
coherence
of the organization and its sense of purpose.
|
|
Balanced Organization:
5 Basic Elements
Leadership
(Fire):
Finding the Right Balance Between
Structure and
Chaos
Chaos is
paradoxical; you need a certain amount of chaos to be creative but not to
the point that you feel overwhelmed by its amount. Too much uncertainty discourages people from mobilizing their best effort.
Direction and purpose and a certain amount of structure create freedom.
People feel liberated by goals and guidelines.
Successful organizations
must
balance
structure and bureaucratic processes at one extreme with the
fluid
creative chaos of relationships,
interests and transactions, which enable it to be
innovative
and alive, at the other...
More
Corporate Culture
In six words,
corporate culture is "How we do
things around here."
Corporate culture is the collective behavior of
people using common
corporate vision,
goals,
shared values,
beliefs,
habits, working language, systems, and symbols. It is interwoven with
processes, technologies, learning and
significant events. In addition,
different individuals bring to the workplace their own uniqueness,
knowledge, and
ethnic culture. So corporate culture
encompasses moral, social, and behavioral norms of your organization based
on the values, beliefs, attitudes, and priorities of its members...
More
Inspiring Culture
Do you want to encourage extraordinary
performance from your people? Do you want them to do great things? If yes, then you must create an
inspiring
corporate culture
to
inspire and
energize them...
More

Systems Thinking
Systems thinking is your
ability to things as a whole (or holistically) including the many different
types of relationships between the many elements in a complex system. "Systems
thinking is a sensibility – for the subtle interconnectedness that gives
living systems their unique character."11...
More
Role of the
Business Architect
Today's companies need
business architects
who can take a
systems view of a business and build
synergies.
Business
architect is a person who
initiates new business ventures
or leads
business innovation, designs a
winning
business model, and builds a
sustainable
balanced business system for a
lasting success...
More

9 Signs of a Losing Organization
-
High Bureaucracy:
bureaucratic
organizational structures with too many layers;
high boundaries between management layers; slow
decision making;
too close monitoring of things and
subordinates; too many tools and documents discouraging
creative thinking;
bureaucracy is tolerated...
More
Eliminating Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy makes work and creates climate in which the
customer
comes third
– well after the management and the company's other employees.
How much of your energy is expended on purely internal
activities? if you spend less than 20% of your energy on external customers,
than bureaucracy has taken hold...
More

|