Reflections – Organization Development

I have moderate experience in managing teams and delivering business results. In these 18 years of working in various capacities and my own search within and outside, I have had a few moments. Reflecting on those moments, I found some nuggets.  Sharing a part of this journey with you here.

Alignment And Submission

Did you ever go on a family trip? The large gathering of individuals where all your cousins and distant relatives decide to travel to a destination or for a particular purpose or occasion. This group is as diverse as any organizational unit one would see. I argue even as crazy and idiosyncratic as any organization unit.

So, what happens? When this group gets together for the first time? I have particularly observed two fundamental phenomena in such group settings. Firstly, the group formation processes of storming, norming and performing are clearly visible. Secondly, the basic assumptions of dependency, fight-flight and pairing are equally evident.

In all group situations, including the family trip, we are all looking for alignment. But we will not get true alignment unless we are willing to let go of our own sense of entitlement, being in control and our need to influence behavior and outcomes. Once we can wrestle these emotions internally and externally, we are in alignment with the individuals and the group. Residual of this struggle will continue to erupt in multiple ways through our acts and words.

In an organization work unit context, thus being aware of what individuals are letting go to be part of the larger objective, can change the conversation. If we are willing to listen and empathize with these internal struggles and avoid the temptation to belittle the individual identity.

Who Is Bigger

Me, The Group or The Organization. Who is bigger than who? Who should always, get prioritized?

We have been routinely told the order of priority is First the Organization/nation, then the community and then the individual. It is routinely told as the model behavior for most of us. The fact is this is the model behavior that benefits the few in power. If everyone is as individualistic and driven by purpose as the leader, we may have anarchy on hand. Or would we?

In mythological stories, we are always told of the devotion of the devotee to the other god-like person. We are told to idolize that behavior, of the devotee. Very rarely do we ask or are told what we need to do to be god-like. Or what did the god do to earn the devotion? Many times, those are magical powers that are impossible to imagine and improbable for most of us.

This subservient behavior towards leadership is believed to work in the best interest of the group. Since we have already abdicated our individual identity and aspirations in exchange for the group aspirations, higher devotion to the cause and leader is highly respected and rewarded.

Parenting

Reference to the family in the organizational unit is as old as family and organizations itself. Even in today’s age when most families have shrunk in size, organizations with tens of thousands of employees continue to call themselves as a family.

In my opinion, this has a direct reference to parenting. A typical parent is supposed to take responsibility for the physical, emotional, social and intellectual development of the child. Being a parent, I know attending to the emotional needs is the most challenging one. When I juxtapose this with an organizational unit, I find the same struggles.

Many organizations would have programs to attend to the intellectual, physical and social needs of individuals working in the organization. Very few seem to be aware or willing to make efforts to attend to the emotional needs of individuals. The concept of emotional labor in a job is still an under-appreciated aspect of most work tasks.

And yes, being a parent, I know, that when I fail to meet the emotional needs, I compensate for it by increasing my attention to the physical, social or intellectual ones.

I Know I Don’t

Yes. I know that I don’t know. Saying this is the biggest challenge for all of us in most situations. We are hired for our experience of being able to produce results. However, in a changing context, one must be aware of what to bring from the past and what to claim in the present.

Allowing ourselves, the analytical timeframe to ascertain these aspects and playing the scenarios could help. Building and creating awareness about self and others in a context could help. Well and I know, I don’t know all the tricks that could work all the time.

So?

In my personal and corporate life journey, I have tried to be a hero. Tried to save the day, by telling myself I must fight this and fight this alone. I have proudly displayed wounds of such wars, especially the ones I won. The ones I lost, I have chosen to hide and contemplate in isolation.

In both situations, I have learned that most of the times, we are all fighting a war with ourselves. The amount of internal peace we are experiencing in a moment impacts the amount of peace we experience or project on the outside.

Earlier heroes fought alone, in current worldview its gotta be a team.  If the Marvel cinematic universe is any indication, we all need to align our superpowers to save the day and protect the world. If you have read about Joseph Campbell’s – The Hero with A Thousand Faces – you would probably agree, each one of us in on our own hero’s journey.