LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP
REDEFINING CHANGE , MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP IN THE 21ST CENTURY
By Dr . Kellen Kiambati
Organizations do not change - people do . Anyone who pulls the organization in new directions must look inward as well as outward . Building self-understanding and then translating it into an organizational context is easier said than done , and getting started is often the hardest part .
Many companies move quickly from setting their performance objectives to implementing a suite of change initiatives .
Be it a new growth strategy or business-unit structure , the integration of a recent acquisition or the rollout of a new operational-improvement effort , such organizations focus on altering systems and structures and on creating new policies and processes .
To achieve collective change over time , particular actions are necessary but seldom sufficient . A new strategy will fall short of its potential if it fails to address the underlying mind-sets and capabilities of the people who will execute it . An organization as well as the leader must look both inward and outward . Companies that only look outward in the process of organizational change - marginalizing individual learning and adaptation - tend to make two common mistakes .
The first is to focus solely on business outcomes . That means these companies direct their attention to the “ technical ” aspects of a new solution , while failing to appreciate what they
‘‘ To achieve collective change over time , particular actions are necessary but seldom sufficient . A new strategy will fall short of its potential if it fails to address the underlying mind-sets and capabilities of the people who will execute it .” call “ the adaptive work ” people must do to implement it .
The second common mistake , made even by companies that recognize the need for new learning , is to focus too much on developing skills . Training that only emphasizes new behavior rarely translates into profoundly different performance outside the classroom .
The best way to achieve an organization ’ s aspirations is to combine efforts that look outward with those that look inward . Linking strategic and systemic intervention to genuine self-discovery and selfdevelopment by leaders is a far better path to embracing the vision of the organization and to realizing its business goals .
Looking Inward
What is looking inward ? Looking inward is a way to examine your own modes of operating to learn what makes you tick . Individuals have their own inner lives , populated by their beliefs , priorities , aspirations , values , and fears . These interior elements vary from one person to the next , directing
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