Organizational ecology and strategic leadership

The ideas that dominate our civilization to the current date in their most virulent form stem from the Industrial Revolution. They can be summarized as follows:

(A) We are against the environment.

(B) We are against other men.

(C) and 'the individual (or the individual company, individual or nation) that counts .... We believe that these ideas are simply disproved by great achievements, but ultimately destructive of our technology over the past 150 years. Similarly seem to be false under modern ecological theory. The creature that wins against its environment destroys itself.

-Gregory Bateson

Basic philosophy of an organization's most important to its outcome more technological resources and / or economic, organizational structure, innovation and timing.

-Thomas Watson Jr.

This article does not contain information on technology trends, economic forecasts and market analysis. It sets out five key insights into how and why any company in the world today should practice strategic leadership within the organization.

Both the strategy and leadership are now a matter of course. Why, then, that so few companies actually do not exercise strategic leadership? The reasons are many. Top managers want to keep all roads open, not being bound to follow paths previously decided. They want to maintain flexibility. Sometimes they have hidden agendas that would surface if the strategy was formulated openly. In some cases middle management hides of strategy and leadership because they want to have the freedom to take sides with the top one day, after the other - even on the same topic. Leadership is dangerous, many managers seem to hear. A stick a neck out, and could be cut. Strategic decisions may be unpopular. Or, its lack of strategic leader may become apparent. Sometimes the process as those presented here are avoided simply because it takes time. There are many good reasons - and many of them respectable and sensible.

No-no-strategy and leadership can be OK on a dream island in the Pacific. However, in an environment with ever faster changing technology, markets and international politics, and with increased competition the long-term survival depends on the strategy and leadership. Competitive firms capable of today and tomorrow are slim, delayered, decentralized, flexible and CEO. These companies have the strategy, it is known, owned and practiced for more than a CEO and leadership is practiced at all levels of management.

Leadership is based on five strategic insights into the essence of organizations. These insights are formulated as principles here:

Within the ecosystem, all components depend on other components for their very existence. Individuals and groups within an organization are interdependent on each other and are higher than common interests.

Whenever the destructive conflicts appear on the scene, the main reason is that 'parties are not aware that they are parts of a system in which all depend. Usually there is a lack of common goals is such situations. Strategy includes common goals, identity and ethics. Without strategy, the organization is fragmented into departments, professional groups and working groups without the cooperation or synergy.

Individuals and / or groups of people who are defending their territory against intruders, and the hierarchical positions against rivals.

There is no doubt that man is territorial. No strategy, no common territory is defined. Then individuals and groups define their own territory, which is defended and the superiority, also on the interests of society. The motivation to perform to the company decreases, the motivation to fight for their interests or their group (to others in the company) increased.

The man is also hierarchical. Without clear leadership, a long struggle to establish the hierarchy starts missing. This is often mistakenly understood as an expression of a need for power. This struggle is most often unnecessary. A clear hierarchy based on the strategic leadership is the first necessary step to prevent 'power struggles'.

For all systems and organizations there is a theoretical optimal degree of openness:

- Closed systems and monocultures degenerate and / or die

- Totally exposed systems lose their integrity, identity and focus

Free flow of information and open discussion between the organizational levels and lines is a necessity. No single person can be informed of all the specialist in the complex world of today. Strategic leadership ensures that this exchange of knowledge and opinion happens. The organization should be a truly open system internally - and naturally outside.

A system that is very open runs the risk of losing their integrity, identity and focus. This is just another contribution by Strategic Leadership, a strategy that is owned by all hands implies integrity, identity and focus.

The effect of influences ecosystem and organizations depends on:

- The content of the influence

- The context

- The order in which the influences come

- The development phase of the system

The Strategic Leadership course fruitful process must be rigorously conducted and follow certain patterns. If this is not taken seriously, the situation could turn for the worse. Power struggles, bureaucracy, de-motivation and loss of time may cause. Content, context, syntax, and the development phase of the system should be considered.

Ecosystems and organizations are governed by the feedback.

The company has strategically brought depends, as we said, free flows of information and opinions. The company is a complex, self-organization and self-correcting system. Any violation in feedback loops is a threat to society. Feedback should be encouraged, and should be seen as a natural thing, and a clear duty of every employee. Feedback is encouraged and empowered to system in Strategic Leadership.

We see then, that the strategic leadership has a theoretical basis. This will be further deepened in the course of this booklet. Empirical knowledge also strongly supports the need for Strategic Leadership. Studies of successful companies in the eighties and nineties, show that the values ​​and strategic goals are deeply rooted in the corporate culture of these firms, and that their managers practice more active leadership of the simple administration ....