Even though organizations have different purposes and strategies, I think we tend to have a common picture of the ideal characteristics of an effective organization. I wonder if these are the things you are trying to bring about in your organization:
- Multi-directional trust (leadership, employees, peers)
- Transparency and feedback
- Ample, clear, compelling, consistent communication
- High-performing teams
- Data-based decisions
- Accountability to results
- Clarity of vision
- Congruence of personal work with organizational goals
- Alignment between business units and departments
- Breakdown of silos, turf wars, and self-protection
- Atmosphere of mutual respect
- Employee engagement
- The idea of a “well-oiled machine”, efficient standardized processes
- Effective, value-added meetings
I would love to hear what else you might add to this list, and if any of these would actually decrease your success. Please share using the comments.
It’s sort of in there with multi-directional trust, but something about empowerment/autonomy – where strategy is clear and individuals at multiple, maybe all levels have autonomy to make real-time decisions as needed to advance strategy. Something like autonomy and accountability — buzzwords of the charter school movement, but powerful.
no one likes silos and turf wars, but I wonder if your description of the ideal should be about what is present, not what should be absent.
and how about being a fun place to work?