The Empowered Manager, 2nd Edition

NineEnacting the Vision

The actions we can take to create a culture that supports empowerment depend in part on how much of the organization we have under our control. If we sit on top of the pyramid we can have a very broad impact on structure, policy, strategy, and procedures. If the pyramid sits on top of us, our direct impact may be confined to our own unit or even our own individual actions. In a way it doesn't matter where we sit. If we are fortunate, the vision we have is aligned with the broad intentions of those running our organization. We may be a part of one of the sweeping programs that take place in every company. We are hoping our culture strives to give people at every level enough authority to move the needle forward. Even if we are part of a major change effort, though, we are still faced with the individual problem of what we do this afternoon and first thing tomorrow morning.

Lasting improvement does not take place by pronouncements or official programs. Change takes place slowly inside each of us and by the choices we think through in quiet wakeful moments lying in bed just before dawn. Culture is changed not so much by carefully planned, dramatic, and visible events as by focusing on our own actions in the small, barely noticed, day-to-day activities of our work. In a way, the only culture that exists for us is in the room in which we are present at the moment. It is the transformation of the culture of the room we are in that holds the possibility of transforming ...