That concludes my presentation on our 5-year strategy. Now we have 5 mins for Q&A...err...I mean collaboration!
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Helen Keller
A common business case study is Kodak, the camera company. Vince Barabba, former Kodak Executive, wrote a book in 2011 called The Decision Loom. In it he looks at the interaction between information providers and those that make the decisions. Back in 1975, Steve Sasson, a Kodak engineer, invented the first digital camera. He told management but they shunned the idea, not seeing it as a disruptive technology. Barabba was instrumental in producing an assessment for the Kodak Board on the future of digital imagery and advised that there was about a 10-year timeframe to prepare for transition. Through Sasson, Kodak effectively created the technological breakthrough and had a significant amount of time to organise their business around it, yet they failed to act.
Other well-known examples include:
- General Motors recall of over 3 million cars due to ignition problems – something employees had warned management about
- BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 could have been prevented, employees warned. Executives were told that there would be increased risk of leaks if the well was expanded and that the process needed to change
- Cadbury takeover by Kraft was something that angered customers, with employees expressing concern that the cultural differences were too great for an effective merger
- Samsung’s exploding phones resulted in a massive recall – employees had tried to warn management that the design was risky for cramming too much into the design
Yet it’s highly likely that all these organisations have engagement surveys, town-hall meetings, listening groups, 121’s, project focus groups, hackathon style events, and more. What stops certain information from passing into the heart of decision making? Is it all just an illusion of control? Should we point all fingers at the HiPPO (highest paid persons opinion) again?
We’ve experienced the ‘involvement’ groups ourselves, being passionate and excited at being able to shape the future but finding that the decision had already been pre-determined. Examples being the location of the new head office, or a people change on how job roles are graded (impacting T&C’s). Most of us can probably recall such an experience of fake collaboration and false empowerment.
It is cultural. Values such as ‘togetherness’, ‘listening’, ‘respect’, will line the walls of corporate offices but to what extent does it translate to what is seen, heard, and felt across the organisation? How deep does it go?
It’s important to look at the feedback loop and recognise how communication flows through, and is used by, all parts of the organisation. At a basic and top line level, we’ve shown countless times through engagement survey data where there are ‘blockers’ – the managers that fall short in creating the environment where everyone’s opinion counts.
An interesting analogy of the employee at the front line would be the canary in the cage that miners took underground. If poisonous gases existed, the canary’s unfortunate demise was the first warning of impending danger. It was a clear signal for the miners to change course. Employees are often the first to see the issue or even sense a challenge ahead yet the mechanism to help that information flow through the organisation is lacking or worse, ignored. The sad reality for many is, like the Kodak example, the canary proverbially dies and it’s ‘carry on miners’. No wonder it results in lack of trust and not feeling safe.
An org design specialist friend of ours shared a video of Paul Tolchinsky on ‘arthritic organisations’. He articulates well (in the first 5 mins) what organisations can do to help break the rigidity and allow messages to permeate up, down, and across.
So, what does this mean practically?
Look for opportunities to involve others. The context you operate in may require starting small, team by team. What decisions can you outsource to your team now? It could be tackling the food waste in the staff canteen, planning the next social event, or setting the agenda for the next team meeting. The more you do this, the more comfortable people will feel in sharing their thoughts and feelings. Our approach using LEGO® bricks is often a good catalyst to set a team on this path.
Always act on feedback. If you ask for opinions and encourage people to make decisions, then support them! In Tolchinsky’s video, about 15 mins in, he talks about a time where hundreds of employees were waiting for the boss to give an opinion before they committed. The employee retort of “the boss is paid the big bucks to make the decisions”, in our opinion is rubbish and more like a convenient excuse for management to justify taking over. The leadership carry the risk associated with all decisions but not every decision must be made based on the hierarchy within an organisation. When seeking views from others, demonstrate it was worth their time and effort in giving you it in the first place! Do this by debriefing, explaining the ‘why’ surrounding what can (or can not) be done. Actively communicate to the masses surrounding what has happened and where decisions have originated from. If people can truly say “I helped create/shape that”, it will lead to greater commitment, motivation and more stickability.
Consider L&D when it comes to involvement. We have introduced employee forums to organisations and part of this has always involved learning and development for the representatives. The fake collaboration comes where topics are facilitated in such a way to gain consensus aligned to what the management think! We’ve seen it happen and, not proud to say, been part of it. Therefore, help individuals and teams build the skills to effectively question, challenge, give feedback, form a plan etc. Equally, set them up for success by giving them all the information that management have sight of, explaining what it means.
Engaging in these things will not only drive trust and better relationships, but people will feel a greater sense of belonging and loyalty. And shock horror, you will no doubt get better results as many of the best solutions have come from people who are closest to the problem.
We design and facilitate transformational workshops and meetings, creating an environment where all feel safe to learn, contribute, and challenge. This often includes our LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® sessions that are full of metaphor and storytelling. In our conversations with facilitators and leaders we talk about the Ideation Igloo™ - a metaphor whereby if you are willing to commit to building an ‘igloo’, you will experience better outcomes.
- an igloo is built when the snow is suitable [the organisation is ready to engage];
- it’s designed to serve a distinct purpose [an organisation’s true intention is to hear, and act, on what others think/feel];
- it creates a safe space from the harsh, hostile, and volatile environment [the organisation/team feels psychologically safe to help address challenges/opportunities];
- it’s paradoxical in that it can be -45 degrees on the outside and up to +16 degrees on the inside [by stopping and investing in hearing every voice, an organisation can move forward faster];
- igloos become shorter over time as the snow compacts and melts as one [relationships within teams and organisations become stronger and closer the more time is invested in collaborative efforts];
Ask yourself the following questions of your organisation:
- are leaders committed and ready to release control?
- are you willing to draw out conflict and underlying issues?
- will you act on the feedback?
The answers to these questions may encourage you to build your igloo. The way in which you use it, the activities you engage in, and the intentional collaborations you embrace, can be transformational, with each intervention impacting the system as a whole (see our previous article on this).
Visit www.prometheanplay.co.uk to find out more.
Promethean Play Ltd | Company registration no. 13687926 | VAT no. 437 3419 89
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