Organizations have experienced a change
in leadership from generations before us for several reasons. I believe one of
the reasons is the complexity of organizations and the market in which they
operate. A few generations before us, organizations were smaller, simpler, and
operated in limited environments, in which case top management knew the answers
and was in charge of making them. In todays workforce people are more and more
educated and subordinates are no longer just workers taught to do one thing.
This along with organizations who operate in complex and uncertain environments
has caused for our leaders to be less informed about the right decisions to
make. The problem arises when in our new environment we carry the old way of
thinking, subordinates knowing that top management does not know all of the
answers but not saying or doing anything about it, and top management
pretending to know the answers because of the pressure from the organization to
know.
I believe that my current organization
(Athletic department at Embry Riddle) has embraced the new way of thinking
under the leadership of our former Athletic Director Steve Ridder. He was a
leader that believed in and created a culture of empowerment and honest
communication. Our current culture of leadership is a leader that does not fall
into the charade of pretending to know the answers but rather a leader that
asks the right questions and engages the right people when decision-making is
necessary. One of the terms that we hold close to our culture is “servant
leadership” which in itself flattens our hierarchy to show that everybody’s
role is just as important as the person next to them.
The second reason is because the
relationships in our department and our culture allow for anybody to raise
their concerns about an issue. No one is “scared of the man” that thought does
not even exist here and it creates an environment where everybody feels heard
and valued.
Lastly is the lack of water cooler talk
that speaks volumes about our culture. The success that we have endured over 26
years has been with the right people who believe in our vision as an
organization or department. Our workforce is not people who are being told what
to do, they are individuals who are passionate about our mission as an
organization and enjoy working towards that together.
This culture has made strategy easier
because our people are engaged therefore we make better decisions. We have
underwent a lot of changes to our organization and our environment successfully
the latest being our transition to the NCAA. Our structure has allowed for this
transition although tough to be rather smooth and viewed as a challenge. This
sort of culture in which the majority of decisions do not necessarily come from
the top could present the implication of personal egos from leadership
positions but for our organization that is not a concern.
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