Tip #57 - The Hero Organization - You don't need a hero to move a team from chaos to order. Developing and following key Simple Rules can help everyone.

This manager and I were taking time out to reflect on the challenge his larger organization was having with bringing order to chaos.  This mega organization was created from the merger of many, and chaos reigned supreme.  Fast-forward several years to the present day, he is scratching his head in frustration: the chaos of old continues to reign for mysterious reasons that were anyone’s guess.  This manager’s function is to support culture change and change management. His strategies and plans are faultless, based on the very best practices.  And yet, there was little appetite for these with senior leaders.

Change management gurus speak at length about the need for an active, visible leadership, staff engagement strategies, a sound transition plan, and small wins to create sustainability. These exemplary strategies, and then some, were put in place.  So why was success still eluding this organization? Could it be that, in the words of Peter Drucker:  “Culture was eating strategy for breakfast”?
 
We put our finger on it over coffee that afternoon. The prevailing culture was that of the Hero: one gutsy individual, or a band of brothers and/or sisters, working tirelessly to save the day. Extreme doers are attracted to impossible odds and love shaping raw material left floating after the Big Bang.  But after a few years of non-stop chaos, the heroes were at a loss and morale was plummeting.

Every leader wanted to do it his or her way. Collaboration is a foreign language in the land of warriors. What motivates heroes are obstacles to be conquered, and life or death situations.  The good thing about them is that they’re extraordinarily dedicated to the cause and will lead, charge after charge, against the windmills of bureaucratic inertia, reluctant stakeholders, bewildered customers and even market corrections and recessions.  Unfortunately, they have no patience in peacetime.

Many were now leaving the organization to look for other dragons to slay. The ones left behind were still creating havoc. Was it possible to build a sustainable organization without destroying pride in the impossible feats already accomplished?

The manager and I objectively looked at the traits of the Hero: fearless courage, creativity, innovation and cunning. We then looked at how to pair these traits with those of the opposite archetype, the Settler, who is great at planning methodically and sustaining efforts towards longer-term outcomes.  Combining the best of both worlds may very well mean the way out of chaos.
 

We realized that our next step was to facilitate conversations between these polar opposites and help odd couples collaborate towards a common goal. This is an exciting work in progress.  We’re using a concept called Simple Rules* to support a transformation towards a more balanced organization.

Unlike a rule book of complex plans for millions of contingencies few have time or energy to remember, Simple Rules define and describe, as a team, a small number of key desired organizational behaviours that cut across any changes, any chaos, and any fluctuations.   In other words, the list is short, sweet, and goes straight the heart of the matter.

Here are examples of organizational Simple Rules:

- Make expectations explicit
- Build on what works
- Minimize changes for the sake of change
- Inquire and seek to understand - don't blame
- Lead by example

Very uncomplicated indeed! And don’t you hear yourself exhaling when you read this list? 

I’m excited to facilitate this work, making workplace relationships genuine and clear across multiple work styles. 

To be continued!
 
~ Dominique
www.dominiquedennery.com
 
* Reference
R. Hollyday, M.Ed.; Simple Rules: Organizational DNA; Human Systems Dynamics Institute