Implementing your strategy - Quicker

Implementing your strategy - Quicker

"I can’t possibly ask my boss that!”
Do you encourage or discourage a learning and critical culture? 2

In the last newsletter we took a look at a situation where the culture of an organisation discouraged learning, criticism and questioning.  We explored examples where people are discouraged from asking questions about what is happening in the organisation.
In a way, these people are like those in the television advert where they take off their heads before they go to work, only to put them on again when they get home:  A dreadful situation, I am sure you will agree.
We asked the question, “What causes these people to stop asking questions?”
There is an interesting dynamic here:  An unproductive, defensive routine.  It says, “To protect myself, I will not ask questions or question what is going on.”  And, “To protect myself, I will discourage questioning and explanation of my reasoning.”
Now, this can occur for a number of reasons, but three situations that encourage this are where management teams:

• Define goals unilaterally and seek to achieve them, unilaterally.
• Maximise winning and minimise losing.
• Minimise expressing or generating negative feelings.

These tend to occur when managers:

• Design, manage, and plan unilaterally, without consultation or involvement (“We must be right, so just get on with it”)
• Own and control the task (“so, just do as you are told”).
• Unilaterally protect self and others (discourage criticism and avoid loss of face or being wrong).

Interestingly, another characteristic often appears at the same time. This is where people express opinions in ways that do not encourage testing the validity of the evaluation. An example of this is, “I am right”, with out an explanation or evidence of why that is being said.
So, what happens is that dictates come down from above as “gospel” and no-one has the right or opportunity to question them, (or feels they have the right).
Now contrast this with a situation where managers seek to:

• Encourage participation, explanation and involvement.
• Maximise valid information. Make sure as much information is available as possible.
• Have free and informed choice for all concerned.
• Have high internal commitment to the choice and constant monitoring of its implementation.

In these circumstances managers will tend to create and design situations where people can originate actions and ideas.  They will be encouraged to make an effort and will build up experiences and evidence that what they say actually has an effect.  Also there is joint control of tasks. So, people have a choice about how best to implement things, within reason.
Also a really important distinction is where there is protection of people, as a whole group, yet being open to criticism. This is not just the “constructive criticism” approach, but where people accept that they do not, necessarily, have all the answers.  People can voice opinions and be heard. Most importantly when such questions are asked it is not a win/lose situation. The questions are treated as win/win: The more they are asked, the better we will all be.
Another useful characteristic is where mangers are actively creating situations where they openly illustrate how they reached their evaluations or conclusions. They will explicitly design situations to encourage questioning and testing by others.
Just ask yourself where you would prefer to work. An organisation that discouraged you questioning and understanding what was required, why and just told you how? Or an organisation that encouraged you to use your brain, ask questions, understand the situation and try and improve it?

But here is the big dilemma.
Lets go back to the organisation where that lady was extremely reluctant to ask her boss those “tough” questions (questions she needed to ask to do her job properly and help her boss). If we had gone to any member of the management team and asked them whether they encouraged questioning, you would get the answer, “Of course we want our people to think, ask questions and try and make things better?”
So, what they say they want, and what they have encouraged, the climate they have created, are two completely different things: Ones that needed tackling and exposing.
Interesting isn’t it?
More soon,
Phil Jones

Excitant Ltd
www.excitant.co.uk