In 1970 Warren Bennis wrote,
The key task of the leader (is) building a climate in which collaboration, not conflict, will flourish. An effective, collaborative climate should include the following ingredients: flexible and adaptive structure, utilization of individual talents, clear and agreed-upon goals, standards of openness, trust, and cooperation, interdependence, high intrinsic rewards, and transactional controls – which means a lot of individual autonomy, and a lot of participation making key decisions.
As I continue this series on the value of developing a participatory and collaborative leadership environment, it is good for us to follow the lead of Bennis, keeping in mind that he wrote these words over 40 years ago. I think that when he wrote them he believed that the age of command-and-control organizational hierarchies would be done away with by now, but we all are certainly acutely aware that the beast of bureaucracy is still among us. However, the good news is that more and more leaders are making strides toward the establishment of truly collaborative structures which allow the team members to flourish and reach higher levels of their creativity and potential while increasing organizational commitment and loyalty. My observation has been that when collaboration is the norm, everyone wins.
A few years ago, as I began my research for my masters, I developed four principles of conduct necessary to establish a truly collaborative organization. I see them as vital. First, communication must be free flowing and honest. Jim Broadhead, when he was chairman of the FRL Group, Inc., was quoted in the book Lessons from the Top by Neff & Citrin (1999): “It’s virtually impossible to communicate too much. I’ve never heard a single employee anywhere complain that he or she is being kept too informed.” I believe it is unacceptable for information pertinent to the performance of people’s jobs to be withheld in order to assert power or influence. It is equally unacceptable for communication to be given and then the meaning left to interpretation, changing depending on who is receiving the information and to what situation it is being applied. When communication is free flowing and honest, every employee, regardless of position, receives appropriate, timely, and consistent information that means what it says and says what it means, or in other words, is spoken with integrity. Jesus said, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’, ‘No.’” Matt. 5:37 (New King James Version)
Secondly, open discussion must be truly open, and all questions are acceptable. There should not be subjects or questions which are off limits or, when brought up, carry a price tag. At no time should a staff member on any level fear negative consequences for asking a question, offering an opposing opinion, or needing more time to process and understand a new direction or policy. Wheatley (1999) states, “People need to explore an issue sufficiently to decide whether new meaning is available and desirable.” When a meeting is called, a topic presented, and the directive given to “participate in an open discussion,” it must be truly that, open. The adoption of this second principle will give all staff a safe environment in which to openly discuss issues from a standpoint of freedom and honesty, allowing the organization to think far beyond the constraints of fear, intimidation, and conformity.
Next week, I will share the last two principles as we continue this series. In the meantime, I encourage you to take a good look at how you are leading your organization or team. Are you fully sharing information with the entire team, allowing for free-flowing and honest conversation? Are team conversations safe for questions and opposing thought? If not, I hope you’ll start to make the changes you need to make to be a better, more collaborative leader.
Lead well.