In preparation for Santa, I suggest we aim at a package of shifts in the organizational life: a 10 point manifesto, the Remarkable Organization Manifesto (AKA about time we move in these new directions. Here it is (Santa is listening)
- From a multitude of ‘methods’ for a multitude of initiatives that solve problems more or less but left no legacy behind, to a single Mobilizing Platform with rules of the game that builds constant capacity. No apologies, for us this is Viral Change™
- From ‘culture’ as project, to the shaping and curating of an internal social movement (tip, don’t look in the MBA books)
- From prima donna push systems (communications), to both push and pull systems (communications + behavioural) that work in tandem
- From obsession with processes to leading through behaviours
- From top down organising and dictating to bottom up grass-roots organising
- From predominant hierarchical influence to the wide use and orchestration of peer to peer influence and networks
- From a primary formal organization with its overgrown structures of teams, committees and task forces, to a healthy and leading informal organization
- From overwhelming top down narrative systems (missions, visions and the rest) to organic bottom up storytelling
- From top down leadership domination to top down working with a powerful distributed leadership system and supporting it ‘backstage’
- From ‘change’ and change management to ability to change and creation of a permanent state of readiness.
We will unpack this list. But, for now, consider it in your Santa plans.
We are in serious needs of those shifts. The music has been there for a while, but I have not seen the orchestra so I suspect there is an organizational development conspiracy in the form of a massive MP3 of some sort.