In this, the second in a three part blog on current trends or perspectives in change, I explore some of the views expressed in social media about change and organisational culture
Peace, love and harmony, man
If you take a look at some of the online discussion channels that are around and look at the responses to questions that look a little like ‘What are the key attributes of a change leader’ or ‘how do you create change in an organisation?’ and inevitably ‘Trust your employees’ will raise its head in some shape or form.
I wasn’t a child of the flower power generation, nor am I old enough to have been part of that movement, but the ‘all you need is love’ period of the sixties didn’t pass me by, as many of my school teachers were of that era. It doesn’t seem to have passed change by either as we still have many who believe that the workplace would be so much better if we ‘just trust everyone to do their job’ , that structure is just shackles in disguise and that managers and management are unnecessary at best and a form of modern day slave traders at worst
I’ve worked on culture change and structure change alike and believe that they go hand in hand but can’t be confused for each other. I’ve met my share of those who should never have been given responsibility for other people whether it be that they haven’t got a people bone in their body or that they care so much they can’t take hard decisions or hard actions. And I’ve met wonderful talented, self directed, self motivated people who need little management as much as I’ve met those who were a danger to themselves and others (one operator that as they explained their most recent injury actually started to do it again to show me). And all that has shown me is that trust is a flexible term that needs repeatedly earned as much as its given, that everyone is different to the point that some need structure to function whilst others need freedom to create, and that the skills of manager and leader rest in their ability to read and meet the different needs of their team members and adjust accordingly.
Yes the workplace needs trust. Yes a harmonious atmosphere helps production and Yes if people could appreciate each other’s differences and talents (the appropriate form of ‘Love’ in the workplace I believe) then human interactions would be easier. But a global ‘let the people go’ won’t work however good the vision and well articulated the direction of the business is. People just see things so differently that you can’t assume that they will all align themselves to the vision, direction and strategy perfectly every day.
Organisations need structures, processes, policies, leadership and management that help people to use their skills and talents effectively. Most change is about getting the balancing act of that mix right for the organisation to deliver its vision and strategy. Too much or too little can get in the way of people performing. So trust is an enabler of a culture but on its own it delivers as much as a bunch of 1960s hippies at a music festival.
