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Organizational health, the greatest advantage any company can achieve, is a balance between being smart and being healthy. While smart organizations excel at business fundamentals, healthy organizations have minimal politics and confusion, high morale and productivity, and low turnover among good employees. However, many leaders focus more on the 'smart' side, neglecting the importance of a healthy organization. Achieving organizational health involves four disciplines: building a cohesive leadership team, creating clarity around six key questions, overcommunicating clarity, and reinforcing clarity through non-bureaucratic systems. A cohesive leadership team, which operates interactively and in a mutually dependent manner, is crucial. This team must have collective responsibility and shared objectives, foster a high level of trust, and master conflict and commitment.
How does it apply to you?
Understanding and applying the concept of organizational health can benefit various real-world scenarios. For instance, in a business setting, it can help improve productivity, reduce employee turnover, and foster a positive work environment. In a software development organization, achieving organizational health can be particularly beneficial. It helps in ensuring that the team works together efficiently and effectively, reducing friction and increasing productivity. This is done by focusing not just on the smart aspects, such as mastering the technical skills and understanding the business, but also on the healthy aspects like fostering a positive team culture, minimizing politics, and promoting high morale.
Applied Learning to Developer Enablement
Cohesive Leadership Team
A cohesive leadership team in a software development organization can steer the team towards shared goals, ensuring everyone is aligned on the mission and vision. This includes understanding and communicating project requirements, deadlines, and quality standards, and making sure these are consistently reinforced.
Building Trust and Mastering Conflict
In a software development team, building trust is crucial. Team members need to be comfortable admitting when they don't know something, made a mistake, or need help. This kind of vulnerability-based trust promotes a culture of learning and continuous improvement. Mastering conflict within the team is also important. Disagreements can lead to better solutions and innovative ideas when handled positively.
Achieving Commitment
Achieving commitment in a software development team means that every member is invested in the project and the team's success. This can be fostered by involving team members in decision-making processes, encouraging their input, and explaining the rationales behind decisions. This not only makes team members feel valued but also promotes a sense of ownership and responsibility.
Four Disciplines Model
The Four Disciplines Model can be applied in a software development context. For instance, creating clarity could involve defining clear project goals and requirements, and overcommunicating clarity could involve regular updates and feedback sessions. Reinforcing clarity through non-bureaucratic systems could involve using agile methodologies and tools that promote transparency and collaboration.
By applying these principles, a software development organization can enhance its effectiveness, foster a positive culture, and ultimately deliver better products.
Developer Checklist
Organizational HealthPromote Organizational Health: Shift the team’s priorities from individual to collective ones, and demonstrate a true commitment to the team. Ensure management, operations, strategy, and culture fit together and make sense.
Leadership Team
Team Dynamics
Clarity and Alignment
Communication
Key Points
The Advantage of Organizational Health - Organizational health is the greatest advantage a company can achieve. This is accomplished by shifting team priorities from individual to collective ones and showing true commitment to the team. It reflects the organization's wholeness, consistency, and completeness, where management, operations, strategy, and culture align and make sense
Understanding Organizational Health - Organizational health is about being smart and healthy Smart organizations excel in business fundamentals such as strategy, marketing, finance, and technology. The other half is about being healthy, which includes minimal politics and confusion, high morale and productivity, and low turnover among good employees
The Neglected Aspect of Organizational Health - Many leaders focus more on the 'smart' side of the equation, overlooking the importance of a healthy organization. They are more comfortable in the measurable, objective, and data-driven world of organizational intelligence
The Four Disciplines Model - Achieving organizational health is a complex process that involves building a cohesive leadership team, creating clarity around six simple but critical questions, overcommunicating clarity, and reinforcing clarity through non-bureaucratic systems.
Importance of Cohesive Leadership - A cohesive leadership team is vital for an organization's success This cohesion fosters an environment where success is hard to prevent. The team aligns around common answers to critical questions, communicates these answers consistently, and establishes effective processes to reinforce them
Building a Cohesive Leadership Team - The leadership team must be behaviorally unified to lead a healthy organization. This requires significant time, energy, and a rigorous approach To remove dysfunction, a better approach is needed
Defining a Leadership Team - A real leadership team operates interactively and in a mutually dependent manner. Becoming a real team requires an intentional decision from its members, accepting the work and sacrifice necessary to reap the benefits of true teamwork.
Collective Responsibility - Collective responsibility is essential for a real leadership team. It implies selflessness and shared sacrifices from team members. These sacrifices include tangible resources, time, and emotion, working together on issues outside their formal areas of responsibility
Common Objectives - A leadership team's objectives should primarily be collective. No one on a cohesive team can shirk responsibility for failure, claiming that they did their job
Building Trust in Teams - Trust is a crucial component of a cohesive team. Vulnerability-based trust is built when team members are comfortable being transparent, honest, and open about their weaknesses or mistakes. This level of trust fosters free and fearless communication, creating a bond that exceeds what many people will ever experience in their lives
Mastering Conflict within Teams - Contrary to popular belief, conflict is not necessarily a bad thing for a team. Productive ideological conflict revolves around disagreements on important issues and decisions, but can only occur in an environment of trust. Overcoming the tendency to avoid discomfort is crucial for any leadership team
Achieving Commitment in Teams - Achieving commitment in a team is impossible without conflict. People will not actively commit to a decision if they have not had the opportunity to provide input, ask questions, and understand the rationale behind it.
The Importance of Conflict and Commitment - Conflict is crucial in decision-making processes and can lead to stronger commitment. Leaders should invite disagreements, as most people can support a decision that wasn't their original idea if they feel their views have been heard. Without conflict and debate, team members may find it difficult to commit to a decision
Embracing Accountability - Accountability is essential for a team to stick to its decisions and achieve its goals. Leaders play a crucial role in creating a culture of accountability by demonstrating a willingness to confront difficult situations and hold people accountable.
Overcoming the 'Wuss' Factor - Accountability involves having the courage to confront someone about their deficiencies. On cohesive teams, accountability is best handled with the entire team to ensure everyone receives the message simultaneously, reinforcing the culture of accountability and preventing unproductive speculations.
The Importance of Focusing on Results - The ultimate goal of building trust, conflict, commitment, and accountability is to achieve results. Many teams struggle with focusing on results due to distractions like departmental loyalties, individual career development, budget allocations, status, and ego. The measure of a great team is whether it accomplishes what it sets out to do.
Team Number One - To build a collective mentality, leaders need to ensure team members prioritize their team over the teams they lead in their departments. This mindset shift is necessary for the overall success of the organization
Team Loyalty and Commitment - Leaders should prioritize the needs of the higher team over their departments to make decisions that maximize the organization's performance. A strong sense of loyalty to their teams can be detrimental if it surpasses their commitment to the leadership team.
Creating Clarity and Achieving Alignment - Creating clarity is essential for building a healthy organization and achieving alignment. The responsibility for creating this clarity lies with the leadership team. Misalignments at the top can cause significant damage to the organization.
Six Critical Questions for Clarity - Leaders must agree on the answers to six simple but critical questions to provide employees with the clarity they need. These questions aim to guide the organization's purpose, behavior, actions, success, priorities, and roles.
Core Purpose and Values - An organization's core purpose should be idealistic and aspirational. The core values guide employee behavior at all levels, defining the company's personality, reducing the need for micromanagement, and helping to attract and repel employees.
Business Definition and Strategy - The business definition should be clear and straightforward, answering the question 'What do we do?' The organization's strategy is its plan for success, made up of intentional decisions to thrive and differentiate from competitors.
Importance of Focused Objectives - Spreading time, energy, and resources thinly across many objectives can result in mediocre outcomes. Establishing a single, overarching goal can improve focus, manage resource allocation effectively, and reduce divisional rivalry and infighting.
Role of Executives in Achieving Goals - Executives need to engage in achieving the overarching goal of the team, regardless of their areas of expertise, and clearly stipulate their respective responsibilities in their day-to-day roles.
Overcommunication for Clarity - Once clarity and alignment around key objectives are established, it is essential to overcommunicate these answers repeatedly. Leaders often mistakenly equate the transfer of information with understanding, but for a message to be embraced, it needs to be heard repeatedly.
The Necessity of Repetition - Repetition in communication is essential to ensure the message is internalized and embraced. Despite being seen as wasteful or redundant by some leaders, employees understand its need as it is more of an emotional process than an intellectual one. The commitment and authenticity of the leaders delivering the message are what truly matters.
Cascading Communication - Cascading communication is an effective method for aligning an organization. It involves leaders promptly communicating decisions to their direct reports, who then relay the same to their own direct reports. Despite its simplicity, it is often overlooked. Employees value this method for its authenticity, and hearing consistent messages from different leaders enhances their belief in alignment and clarity.
Face-to-Face Communication - Face-to-face communication is the most effective method for cascading communication. It allows employees to see their leaders, hear their tone of voice, and ask questions. When face-to-face communication is not possible, a telephone call or a videoconference can serve as a suitable alternative.
Cascading Communication Strategy - Cascading communication strategy involves passing information from higher to lower levels of an organization. It is recommended to implement this strategy with a group of direct reports simultaneously. This approach is not only more efficient, but it also ensures that everyone receives the same message at the same time. Group-based communication promotes a collective understanding, where everyone can learn from each other's questions and observations.
FAQs
What is the advantage of organizational health? The greatest advantage any company can achieve is organizational health. This is achieved by shifting a team’s priorities from individual to collective ones, and demonstrating a true commitment to the team.
What are the two basic qualities of organizational health? Organizational health is about two basic qualities: being smart and being healthy. Smart organizations excel at business fundamentals while healthy organizations include minimal politics and confusion, high morale and productivity, and low turnover among good employees.
What is the Four Disciplines Model? The Four Disciplines Model is a process for achieving organizational health. It involves building a cohesive leadership team, creating clarity around six simple but critical questions, overcommunicating clarity, and reinforcing clarity through non-bureaucratic systems.
Why is a cohesive leadership team important? A cohesive leadership team is essential for an organization to achieve success. This cohesion fosters an environment where success is difficult to prevent, as the team is aligned around a common set of answers to critical questions.
How can a leadership team build trust? Trust is built when team members are comfortable being transparent, honest, and open about their weaknesses or mistakes. This level of trust fosters a free and fearless communication, creating a bond that exceeds what many people will ever experience in their lives.
What is the role of conflict within teams? Contrary to popular belief, conflict is not necessarily a bad thing for a team. The productive kind of conflict, called productive ideological conflict, revolves around disagreements on important issues and decisions, but can only occur in an environment of trust.
How can a team achieve commitment? Achieving commitment in a team is impossible without conflict. People will not actively commit to a decision if they have not had the opportunity to provide input, ask questions, and understand the rationale behind it.
What is the 'disagree and commit' concept? The 'disagree and commit' concept is when even when people can't come to an agreement, they must still leave the room unambiguously committed to a common course of action. This requires a willingness on the part of the leader to invite the discomfort of conflict.
Why is conflict important in decision-making? Conflict is a crucial part of any decision-making process. It can lead to stronger commitment as it allows people to express their views and feel heard. Without conflict and debate, it becomes almost impossible for team members to commit to a decision.
What is the role of accountability within a team? Accountability is essential for a team to stick to its decisions and accomplish its goals. Leaders play a critical role in creating a culture of accountability by demonstrating they are willing to confront difficult situations and hold people accountable.
What is the 'Wuss' Factor? The 'Wuss' Factor refers to the courage to confront someone about their deficiencies and dealing with their reaction. It is a selfless act, based on care for the individual. On cohesive teams, accountability is best handled with the entire team, as this approach offers several benefits.
What is the ultimate goal of building trust, conflict, commitment, and accountability in a team? The ultimate goal of building greater trust, conflict, commitment, and accountability is the achievement of results. The only measure of a great team or organization is whether it accomplishes what it sets out to do.
What is the importance of team loyalty and commitment? Leaders often feel a strong sense of loyalty to the teams they manage. However, it can be dangerous if their commitment to their team surpasses their commitment to the leadership team they are a part of. Executives must prioritize the needs of the higher team over their departments to make decisions that maximize the organization's performance.
What are the six critical questions for clarity? The six critical questions for clarity are: Why do we exist? How do we behave? What do we do? How will we succeed? What is most important, right now? Who must do what? These questions help provide employees with the clarity they need.
What is the role of executives in achieving goals? Executives need to approach meetings without their departmental biases and engage in achieving the overarching goal of the team, regardless of their areas of expertise. It is also important for leaders to clearly stipulate their respective responsibilities when they return to their day-to-day roles.
Why is overcommunication important for clarity? Once a leadership team has established clarity and alignment around key objectives, it is essential to overcommunicate these answers repeatedly. For a message to be embraced, it needs to be heard repeatedly, not just transferred once.
Why is repetition crucial in communication? Repetition is crucial for ensuring the message is internalized and embraced. It is an emotional process rather than an intellectual one. The key is not the novelty or intellectual rigor of the message, but the belief in the commitment and authenticity of the leaders delivering it.
What is cascading communication? Cascading communication is where leaders promptly communicate decisions to their direct reports who then do the same for their own direct reports. It is an effective way to align an organization.
Why is cascading communication often overlooked? Despite its simplicity, cascading communication is often overlooked because compared to formal electronic communication, it has an authenticity that employees value.
What is the most effective method for cascading communication? The most effective method for cascading communication is face-to-face, allowing employees to see their leaders and hear their tone of voice, as well as ask questions.
How should a cascading communication strategy be implemented? It is recommended to implement the cascading communication strategy with a group of direct reports simultaneously, rather than individually. This approach is not only more efficient, but it also ensures that everyone receives the same message at the same time. This group-based communication allows for a collective understanding, where everyone can learn from each other's questions and observations.
