Becoming a master manager - Conclusion - summary PDF

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Conclusion: integration and the road to mastery 1 integration and behavioural complexity So far, we used ‘managers’ and ‘managerial leaders’ interchangeably. Learning to perform well as a managerial leader requires a different approach from learning to perform well in a single quadrant of the competing values framework. In the same way that none of the models we covered was sufficient for ensuring organizational effectiveness, leadership effectiveness cannot be achieved by a management approach based on a limited number of competencies or a single action imperative. Becoming a master manager requires: - the ability to use competencies associated with all four quadrants of the CVF - the ability to blend and balance the use of different competencies in support of all four action imperatives in an appropriate way o behavioural repertoire = number of leadership approaches and skills a manager can use effectively o behavioural differentiation = ability to use the skills they have in their behavioural repertoire differently When managers fail to demonstrate behavioural complexity, their actions are likely to result in negative outcomes as explained below. Without behavioural complexity, one’s strengths can become the source of one’s failure. The negative zone The figure on the left shows the organizational-level effectiveness. The right one shows us the leader effectiveness at the individual level. The outer circles reflect what happens when each set of positive values is pushed until it becomes negative. In the middle circles (positive zones), we see the positively stated values that we have focused on in this book. The inner circle represents unclear values that result in the loss of direction (left) and a lack of awareness or ability to perform the skill associated with different management models (right).

2 how master managers see the world? Master managers are masters in what they do because of experience and a different view on the world. We discuss two models of thinking that are related to behavioural complexity. Systems thinking This is ‘a discipline for seeing wholes, for seeing interrelationships rather than things, for seeing patterns of change rather than static snapshots, for seeing the structures that underlie complex situations and for discerning high from low leverage change’. Feedback has an important role in this.

Few organizations exist in stable predictable environments, therefore we cannot think of simple cause-and-effect-terms. Organizations exist in dynamic changing environments, where small changes can have a major impact in every segment of the future organization. We need to be (more) aware of interrelationships and of the long-term impact of actions.

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Paradoxical thinking Organizations and their leaders exist in an environment of competing pressures: choices between good and good (or bad and bad). This asks for paradoxical thinking: thinking that transcends the contradictions and recognizes that two seemingly opposite conditions can simultaneously be true. To engage in paradoxical thinking, managers should try to resolve the contradiction and to integrate seemingly opposite ideas or behaviours: maintaining standards and retaining control while at the same time being flexible and creative, collaborative and open to new ideas while still providing a vision that makes sense in the current environment, making the impossible possible. Managers must be willing to transcend their current assumptions and attempt to see things from a new perspective. “No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that produced it.” Here are two options: - Challenge yourself to see the value in areas that are not your strengths, to move outside your comfort zone. Look at different points of view, start listening to people you think are wrong. - Stretch yourself, take on new tasks and responsibilities in your current job. - Look for interdependencies that exist between what you value and devalue 3 the leveraging power of lift By creating the psychological conditions necessary for ‘lift’ (positively influencing people around you), managers can multiply the impact of the competing values approach to management. Accentuating the positive The concepts of positive influence and psychological states provide key insights that lead to the development of lift. - Positive influence: influence is positive when it invites people toward purposes that meet the needs of the people involved in ways that increasingly reflect their highest personal and social values and adapt to changing circumstances over time. This depends on the psychological state of the individuals involved. - Psychological state: the temporary pattern of thoughts and feelings that we currently experience. Making connections Our own psychological state influences others through: 1. Nonverbal communication that others interpret and react to. 2. Emotions, which are contagious. 3. Our own psychological state, which influences our decisions and actions, which in turn, influence other people’s decisions and actions. 4. Different actions performed in different ways and generate different results.

The types of psychological states that are linked to positive influence, are consistent with the quadrants of the competing values approach. Lifting others Experiencing only one of these psychological states is likely to lead to negative zone types of outcomes. All four must be in place for lift to occur. Managerial leaders who have developed the competencies and behavioural complexity associated with the competing values framework and who also experience the psychological state of lift are able to increase their positive impact. 4 the never-ending road to mastery Milestones along the road Becoming a master manager requires to recognize that there are always more thing to learn and new ideas that will challenge to enhance your abilities. The world is ever-changing and a manager should realize that mastery is a journey of lifelong learning, rather than a destination. Following model describes the journey from novice to expert.

The possibility of self-improvement When a person is willing to put forth the effort required to make a change and is determined to make a change, that person is likely to succeed. Effective managerial leaders tend to focus consciously on personal and professional development. They recognize the need to constantly grow and come out of each transition with a wider array of competencies and less tied to a particular managerial style. Agenda for self-improvement 1. Learn about yourself 2. Develop a change strategy 3. Implement the change strategy...