Fear, change and hope

Mechanic Bureaucracy, a designation proposed by Mintzberg, is already an obsolete way of thinking and doing management. The great majority of us understood, social and economically, what are their threats, weakness and malfunctioning, so we must reflect, propose and practice new ways of building human care, sustainable and acceptable change to that status quo. We can consider that command-and-control systems reflect, as stated formerly by classical administration theory, a deep mistrust of employees’ commitment and competence. They also tend to overemphasize negative events so sanctions come as a way of forcing compliance and order. Perhaps that’s why so many organizations are filled with anxious employees who are hesitant to take the initiative or trust their own judgment. Organizational adaptability, innovation, authenticity and employee engagement can only thrive in a high-trust, low-fear and meaningful culture. In such an environment, information is widely shared, contentious opinions are freely expressed and accepted, risk taking is encouraged and failure is not exorcized. Fear paralyzes, mistrust, demoralizes and limitates people — it must be wrung out of our management systems. The “Big Man” era, the all-wise, all-powerful leader-as-decision maker is over. Leaders must become savvy social architects—individuals who are capable of co-creating environments that engender extraordinary and fulfill accomplishment. To make this transition from “command and control” to “motivate and mentor”, organizations need to develop leaders who believe that is crucial to create commitment and alignment without resorting to the traditional tools of bureaucratic control. The True North will be an organization filled with authentic leaders who hopeful lift everyone up. It’s no longer enough just to be cash-flow excellent. Stakeholders and consumers become exigent and money/time is not all. Resilient organizations must be flexible, innovative, inspiring, meaningful and socially responsible. That means recreating the foundations of leadership thought and practice. Scholars and practitioners alike must search for new principles in fields as diverse as anthropology and culture, biology and entropy, design and urban planning, political science and democracy, ecology and sustainable economy, management and power. It’s time to change you and respect the others.