The Appreciative Leader and Appreciative Change Processes
The Appreciative Leader and Appreciative Change Processes
Gervase R. Bushe Ph.D.
What do those managers who bring out the best in
others do that makes them so successful at managing people?
In traditional organizations many managers see themselves as “problem-solvers”.
Authority to act on problems rests in the hands of the few, while the many are
there to gather information, make suggestions and execute the “solutions”
arrived at by the few. The best problem-solvers are promoted up the hierarchy
and in many organizations “management” is synonymous with “problem-solving”.
Management schools have been, I think, justly criticized for training MBAs
mainly in how to apply problem-solving formulas. There are a number of
deficiencies with the “manager as problem-solver” model that is contributing to
the demise of command and control forms of organizing. One is that such
organizations make sub-optimal use of their biggest operating expense, their
payroll. Instead of using the minds of everyone to achieve and sustain
competitive performance, most people are used as the hands and feet of the
organization while only a comparative few are used for
their brains. This separation of problem-solvers from solution implementers
creates a number of other problems. One is increased resistance to
implementation from those who have had no say in the “solutions”. “Those who
plan the battle don’t battle the plan” as the saying goes. Another is that the
“problem solvers” tend to be a few steps removed from the actual problems they
are solving. Research has shown that solutions tend to be more efficient and
more effective the more “variance is controlled at source” – that is, the more
people close to problems are the ones solving the problems. Finally the
separation of those who report problems and then execute solutions from those
who actually solve the problems considerably slows down processes of adaptation
and innovation. In today’s rapidly changing business environment this
traditional form of leadership takes too long to find the right solutions and
get them implemented.
These are some of the very reasons that new, “empowered” organizations are
being created. These organizations “flatten the hierarchy” precisely so those
solving problems and making decisions are close to where the problems are. In
theory, everyone is a problem-solver and local adaptations to local problems
occur rapidly. In practice, however, these new organizational designs are still
often managed with traditional leadership styles so the results are far below
what they are when people are using the skills of Clear Leadership.1
These managers do a lot less problem-solving than traditional managers. They
rely on the people doing the work to solve problems. Instead of focusing on
problems, they focus on solutions. They are continually looking for instances
where things are going right; where quality is increasing, where customers are
being satisfied, where internal processes are being managed seamlessly and
where wealth is being created. They get clear about where things are working
well and when they find it they work to “amplify it”. By that, I mean that they
work at increasing what is already working well. Instead of trying to
compensate for weakness, they build on strength. Instead of criticizing and
punishing people for their failures, they praise and reward people for their
successes. Instead of worrying about what to do with the processes or people
that aren’t working well, taking what is working well (and the bulk of the
workforce) for granted, they wonder about what to do with the
processes and people that are working well. By managing people through
appreciative processes, they use less energy to have a much greater, positive
impact on people’s motivation and organizational performance. I call this set
of behaviors Appreciative Leadership.
Lebih lengkap klik di
http://appreciativeorganization.wordpress.com/2007/06/23/appreciative-leadership/
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