Too often we find ourselves in a system that is flawed by organizational road blocks. Set in their ways, managers insist that , “it’s my way or the highway.” The inefficiencies in the system are a failure of management to see how today’s problems are a product of yesterday’s solutions. Typically system failures are often ignored, employees become frustrated and often leave, feedback is undervalued and little or no change occurs. Often we are told and encouraged to think creativity, except when it comes to challenging the system. To speak out puts a target on your back and could possibly be grounds for dismissal no matter how valuable you maybe to the organization. For some it is simply easier to go through the motions than to put the time and energy into creating a learning organization. Where is our leader?
While completing my MBA in 2010 from the University of Nevada, I had the pleasure of reading Peter Senge’s book The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization. It elaborated on the 5 disciplines’: system thinking, achieving personal mastery, shifting mental modes, building shared vision, and team learning. Senge is hopeful these 5 disciplines’ will create waves of experimentation, advancement, and hopefully “learning organizations” in which “people continually expand their capacity to create results they truly desire.” That being said, leaders need to continue to challenge the status quo and look at ways to improve the system. Singe concludes, “the systems viewpoint is generally oriented toward the long-term view. That’s why delays and feedback loops are so important. In the short term, you can often ignore them; they’re inconsequential. They only come back to haunt you in the long term.” Don’t wait for someone else, take a proactive approach and help find resolve now rather than later.
In the post Don’t Miss Your Big Picture, Bret Simmons discusses how “seeing the big picture” is the ability to understand how to take actions today that will produce significant and lasting results now and in the future. He firmly believes that anyone who masters the discipline of systems thinking will be a much better leader than someone who only sees their situations as snapshots. I cannot agree more with this previous sentence. Becoming a greater systems thinker, you will become a better leader and others will begin to see your value.
So, why do we continue to quietly mutter among ourselves instead of being proactive? Are we afraid of the ramifications for speaking out? If we stand united, determined to find resolve, we can ultimately fix the problem. This is not easy, especially in egotistical corporate structure where everyone is vying for more control and power. One way to stimulate change is to simply ask questions in a non-threatening manner. Another way is to gain a consensus among fellow employees by kicking around ideas how to make the system better. Too often companies fail to bring the appropriate voices into a committee but rather create subsystems that perpetuate the actual problems. I would like to hear your input and how you have navigated these rocky waters to improve your system.
CRUX: Continually challenge the status quo by questioning your current system. By being and thinking outside the box, we will continue to help the organization excel. Discovering which approach works best and timing your suggestions will help you continue to change your system from a non-threatening leadership role.
“Every human has four endowments- self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.” -Stephen Covey
Matthew Dent
