Power Up: Transforming Organizations Through Shared Leadership

MOVING CHANGE FORWARD

Once an organization launches change, it is necessary to keep momentum going. Resolution of successively tougher issues is a practical approach to doing this and can advance the change quite rapidly. The challenge, however, is to change the entire system; this usually requires changing many things at once. While one or more key leverage points beckon leaders to “Start here!” it is necessary to begin on several fronts at once since all parts of a system are interrelated.

In the initial Pharmco operating committee session described here, the team begins to work on tangible vision; members then move to addressing touchy issues of interpersonal influence, explore leadership practices, and begin to make decisions about the organization’s purpose and direction. Both the leadership system and a series of strategic questions are on the table at once. The leader uses strategic discussions as the vehicle for continuing to change the leadership assumptions of key managers.

Pharmco: Part II

Bob Mitchell, Chief Operating Officer of Pharmco, was determined to use the strategic planning retreat to advance the creation of a shared responsibility team among the company’s top managers. With the help of consultant Lincoln Turner, he had made careful preparations for the meeting. As he drove to the meeting site, Bob mused on his prospects for success. “Will Gene stick to his ...