Lately, I've been writing at Weekly Leader on the 7 Virtues of the 21st Century Organization. Check here, here and here.
In this post, I'd like to place this perspective of the future of organizations within the context of the Circle of Impact, which is my perspective on the three dimensions of life and work that leaders need to address in a systemic, coordinated, aligned way.
Here's a little guide to show how the 7 Virtues are not just a collection of ideas, but a system of values that can be used to improve the functioning of an organization.
The 7 Virtues
1. Collaboratively-led: This idea all encompasses the other six virtues into a singular perspective that defines what it means to be collaborative. It means, therefore, that a collaboratively leader will focus on aligning the three dimension and the three connecting ideas so that the people who are apart of the social and organization structures may have relationships that enable them to fulfill their shared vision for impact. This is what a collaborative leader does.
2. Decentralized, local control: This is a function of the structure of the organization is created by policy governance and design which creates appropriate lines of a communication and accountability.
3. Long tail internal operational structures: This is a function of the alignment of structure with relationships. This means that the people who are bound to one another by a clear purpose and set of values have the freedom and may take the initiative to organize how they work together.
4. Purpose-driven organic adaptability: This is also a function of the alignment of structure and relationships. In this context, the group or team adapts freely and with great agility to changing circumstances in order to keep their purpose foremost in their relationships.
5. Relational-asset based: It may seem that this is a function of the relationships, and at one level it is, but the importance to treating the group or company's network of relationships as a relational asset is that these connections bring value that does not exist when the people of an organization are viewed as human resources. Relational resources are the assets to come from having large, diverse, and widely dispersed network of relationships that feed information, insight, talent and business to the organization. From a structural point of view this is a fourth classification of resources, along side the financial, material, and human. The higher level of collaboration that takes place through these relational assets, the great value they bring to the company.
6. Values that are operational: This a function of the alignment of the Ideas and Relationships dimensions with the Structural. Values, which inform an organization's purpose, is the core strength of a business. It is the only thing that is unchangeable. An organization's purpose can change as circumstances change. The structure can change to remained aligned with a vision that is constantly adapting to the current context of business. But the values of a company remain constant, though not necessarily acknowledged or practice. This virtue, therefore, focuses on applying the company's values operationally. This done by asking the question how are our values represented in this decision or this policy? The greater alignment between values and practice, the greater integrity, confidence and impact from the collaborative work of the people of the company.
7. Ownership culture of giving: This virtue is a function of the whole community of the company, but it is a product of the company's leadership to form a culture of giving. The aim is to encourage the people of the company create an ownership culture of giving through their own initiative and expression of gratitude. It is this kind of culture that is represented in the Five Actions of Gratitude (Say Thanks Every Day).
The complaint that I've heard over the years about a more relationally oriented business structure is that these are soft skills, not the hard skills of finance. True they aren't the same, but they are also not contradictory either. Create a culture of the 7 Virtues, and you'll see not only a transformed workforce, but a transformed business environment. And if you do it sooner than later, you'll be ahead of the curve, and recognize for leading rather than following.
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