Will is power.
Aggregated will is aggregated power.
Networked will is networked power.
As individuals we want to achieve. As groups we can achieve.
Do our organizations reflect this?
Our relationships (professional or personal) should be designed to build networks of communication, respect, responsibility and value. In organizations, those who lead are responsible for setting vision and culture. This can be a group of two, where the two people involved understand their destination and are mutually working to get there. It can work in organizations the size of Microsoft or GE – as long as appropriate leadership happens in appropriate places.
When organizations focus primarily on intangibles (profit, market dominance, public perception), focus is necessarily removed from tangibles (what we do, how we do it, why we do it). As the focus becomes diffused, the individual is lost. She no longer has responsibility or a sense of belonging.
Productivity slips. Attitude descends.
People naturally work for some goal. If the goal isn’t to innovate or help the company achieve its mission, then their goal is personal. Income maximization, maximum free time, minimum effort, maximum career path. If these goals are made outside of the mission of the company, they probably happen at the expense of the company
The fortune cookie says “You never hesitate to tackle to most difficult problems.” Why isn’t this true for everyone? Because often we are told that our input is neither sought nor appreciated.
Organizational willpower comes from clarity of purpose and buy-in from those in the organization. The members of your organization require the elements of the 10 Principles of Social Media. They need to have an understanding of operations, a good feeling about their status, clarity of corporate governance, rewards for jobs well done, and access to the information and people they need to do their jobs and improve process.
When your org allows for these, your org may earn this fortune cookie. It too will never hesitate to tackle the most difficult problems.
Written at the Sai Oak in Ocean Shores, Wa.
Photo by Tonianne
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