How to Make An Organization Fly
A great article in Strategy+Business, “A Blueprint for Strategic Leadership”, concentrates on how to lead innovation. In it the authors emphasize that the best leaders pay a great deal of attention to the design of the elements around them. Seemingly basic, but powerful, things to do are:
1. Articulate purpose,
2. Create effective teams,
3. Prioritize and sequence initiatives, and
4. Redesign the organization to make execution easier.
Apart from revealing the importance of doing the right projects, the article is full of fascinating examples of the deployment of these principles by the best executives; two from the experiences of A.G. Lafley, chief executive of Procter and Gamble, stood out:
1. Moved the divisional presidents’ offices nearer their staffs, converting the old executive space into an employee learning center. This is not only practical but sends a message that they are serious about creating an environment for innovation.
2. Plans careers of top 500 people by reviewing assignments, capabilities, and how he can help them grow. This goes beyond periodic performance reviews to showing a genuine interest in how the organization can help develop the careers of people.
You don’t have to be a CEO to pay attention to the design of the elements around you. How can you incorporate the four “things to do” into your management style?
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