First of all, let me introduce you to Rosabeth Moss Kanter. She’s a professor at Harvard Business School and one of the most respected voices on management principles, especially change management, in the business world today. Here’s what she had to share this week about leadership in today’s organizations:
“Today, people with power and influence derive their power from their centrality within self-organizing networks that might or might not correspond to any plan on the part of designated leaders. Organization structure in vanguard companies involves multi-directional responsibilities, with an increasing emphasis on horizontal relationships rather than vertical reporting as the center of action that shapes daily tasks and one’s portfolio of projects, in order to focus on serving customers and society. Circles of influence replace chains of command, as in the councils and boards at Cisco which draw from many levels to drive new strategies. Distributed leadership — consisting of many ears to the ground in many places — is more effective than centralized or concentrated leadership. Fewer people act as power-holders monopolizing information or decision-making, and more people serve as integrators using relationships and persuasion to get things done.”
Wake up! In case you missed it, the world is very different. Kanter has adeptly identified several shifts that have happened in organizations in recent years:
- Power comes from “self-organizing networks” rather than top-down hierarchies. You may have positional power, but your influence is fleeting if you don’t acknowledge and embrace the networks around you.
- We can’t continue to try to make decisions and move the ball forward by running problems up the chain of command and then waiting for it to come back down the ladder in another department. Instead, we need to engage “horizontal relationships” and build our networks (and influence) across departmental (and organizational) lines.
- We have to empower leaders at all levels of the organization. A “distributed leadership” will be more nimble and more receptive to organizational changes that are necessary to stay connected to a rapidly changing environment.
Kanter goes on to write:
“Power goes to the ‘connectors’: those people who actively seek relationships and then serve as bridges between and among groups. Their personal contacts are often as important as their formal assignment. In essence, ‘She who has the best network wins.’”
[You should really read the rest of Kanter's article.]
If you’re a leader, you better know the connectors…and you better become one. Those are the folks that are shaping your message. (You don’t control your message.) Those are the folks that are creating your culture. (You don’t control your culture.) Those are the folks who are mobilizing your people. (You don’t control your people.)
Command and control is dead. Power to the connectors!
great read, tony – thanks for posting. definitely going to dig deeper into Rosabeth’s writings. i was wondering if you would be willing to unpack your comment “You don’t create your culture.” It’s intriguing to me because I’ve been taught, and believe, that one of our primary roles as leaders is to shape the culture of our teams.
So true. Great post Tony.
Tony, thanks for bring this information to my attention. I’m wondering if Kanter is saying that this is new or has the technology finally evolved to the point that organizations can now place a structure on what has always been a fact – great leaders know how to create and maintain great relationships.
[...] Tony Morgan quotes Harvard Professor, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, on how the best way to lead up and out is by connecting. Read More. [...]