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We want our organizational cultures to be
cohesive and united around mission and
values. The composite identity of the
organization depends upon people responding
to stakeholders and customers consistently.
We want to sustain strong cultural values
that are adopted by everyone in the organization.
At the same time, we want individuals to take
the initiative, to think "outside the box,"
to venture out in pursuit of the next best
way to deliver the value of the organization.
The viability of our organizations depends
upon the creative individual efforts of
everyone.
We want our organizations to function like a herd of buffalo and independent stray cats-simultaneously. These opposing aspirations create a healthy
organizational tension. The oppositional
tension itself keeps the culture
vital. Out of that tension of opposing
aspirations, highly innovative and
cohesive organizations evolve at a viable
midpoint between the two extremes.
The two approaches are not mutually
exclusive. You can have a cohesive
organization with shared values and a common
mission; and people can be liberated
to think creatively about their work, seize
opportunities for innovation, and take the
initiative to implement them.
How does that work operationally? It works
differently for each organization. The
balanced midpoint depends on the weight of
the issues involved. What is the work? Who
are the people? How much quality control is
necessary for a process? What are the
consequences for errors? Is it routine or
creative work?
These are among the issues that change the
balanced midpoint for different situations.
There is no cookie cutter right answer in
every situation and every situation will
likely change over time. Yet the goal is
always the same: find the midpoint that
successfully resolves this perpetual tension
of opposing aspirations: collective norms
and individual initiative.
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INNOVATION TIPS is a monthly letter
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Partners for Innovation is in the business of
helping you create organizations that thrive
on creativity and social capital. We write
these articles to support your work in
building vital and resilient organizations.
Please tell us what else you would like to
learn. We depend on you for our subject
matter, and as the subject of our work, you
matter!
Please send the editor an
email
to let us know what
you would like to learn in these essays.
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Innovation Tips may be used, with permission,
in company or association newsletters,
providing that Partners for Innovation is
given credit for the article. Please email
your request to info@partnersfi.com to
receive formal permission to reproduce the
copyrighted article.
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Partners for Innovation, Inc.
email:
info@partnersfi.com
phone:
419.872.7140
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