Instilling ownership to change culture

There is no adaptive transformation to shifts in the business landscape unless there is an inclusive change in the organizational culture. Often, we assume that automation of systems and the implementation of policies will bring about the intended change.

What actually influences change and development is leadership. They create culture and their people take inspiration from it. Gradually, the behaviours are learned and patterns are set. So, when a decision is made to twist and mould the system, it becomes a wide-scale challenge.

Restructuring and re-engineering are archaic methods to ease the modification process. However, they were meant for a conventional culture where people could not feel like they belonged to the organization. Taking accountability for the success or failure in such a scenario becomes tough, hence reflective of a "renters" mindset.

When a group of global VPs and directors in HR, Learning & Development, Leadership, and Talent Management was surveyed by CCL and corporate leaders, it was found that 81% of people voted in favour of leadership and mentorship coaching. It being rated as "highly to somewhat effective" in bringing about transformation in culture indicated the significance of leadership in driving change. 

Shared contribution and commitment

For a goal to be reached, the entire community needs to be in alignment, working toward a single direction and equal commitment. How can that become a reality?

>> By ensuring that the team agrees on what they are trying to achieve and how shared success looks.

>> By reducing all the gaps in coordination, cracks in communication and dangers of redundancies in efforts.

>> By guaranteeing that personal objectives never take precedence over shared goals, and credit goes to the entire collective.

How can leaders enhance the effectiveness of a team?

CCL’s perspective is to make the Direction, Alignment, and Commitment (DAC) model, the cornerstone of collective growth. To start from where you are, it is essential to assess the current levels of DAC. It will involve honest and diverse feedback from the members of the team.

There may be a disagreement regarding a goal and it has become a vicious cycle of arguments that has hampered not only their individual performances but also their interpersonal relationships. Instead of synchronization, it is possible that internal competition has created complex and layered problems. As a result, deadlines are missed and milestones are delayed. Whenever the subject of commitment strikes, people inquire about "what’s in it for them," failing to consider the aspects of mutual trust and shared responsibility.

This is a clear message that the intention behind direction has not been conveyed, no proper plan has been created to integrate plans and members either feel hesitant to take initiative or less valued due to the credit not being shared.

When a lack of DAC is recognized, leadership should pay attention to:

Outcomes: From the diversity in skills of the members to the dynamics of relationships shared among them, everything can guide a leader to draw an idea about whether leadership is happening in the group or not. If interactions are not happening frequently or are exclusive to static decisions, then it can be implied that discussions lack the quality the work deserves. At the end, the desired objectives remain unaccomplished set goals.

Processes: It becomes the responsibility of the leader to create opportunities where people shed their assumptions to widen their horizons. Successful collaboration happens when people feel safe to share their ideas and there is no restriction on giving input that doesn’t align with the rest of the group. Leaders should also ensure that there are sufficient resources and equitable opportunities available for training and development. Trying to find out about the opinions of individual members as a group can give a definite idea of where participation should be increased.

Self-assessment: Leaders can always utilize their position to learn more about creating inclusive development opportunities, diversifying workplace communities and instilling a sense of ownership among their people. Along with analyzing how DAC is helping a group succeed or how the lack of it is leading one toward its breakdown, they can assess their own skills to make positive change.

Progress in the long run is driven by daily, systematic and small changes that can never be accomplished alone, for leadership is a social process.