“Leadership is acknowledging there is an elephant in the room.” Unknown
Today I want to share a perspective on ‘management’, given the current state of the world of work.
The Management Function, as I see it, is bigger than ‘risk’, a topic I have written about a lot. While risk is yet to be effectively integrated into day-to-day activities, managing is an every day, all day function. Here comes the elephant > > Leaders, Managers, and Workers are people with only so much capacity for what they can do.
The elephant’s name is CAPACITY.
The elephant is showing up in the room when we question –
· How much capacity are humans expected to have to get their work done?
· Does all the work they do leverage their talent for the best results and satisfaction?
Let’s reflect on what risks and costs have been borne so far due to insufficient capacity. How many projects have failed, how many strategies were not executed, and how many managers are exhausted?
Managing capacity is an important management function.
Capacity is but one aspect of the three dimensions of Capabilities.
When we talk about capabilities, organizations will typically name SKILLS as the primary element. Skills refer to competencies, talent, and abilities.
Skills are only one dimension of capabilities, and they do not stand on their own.
Of course, they are essential, but . . . Skills alone do not get the job done.
You wouldn’t bring only a baseball bat to the game > > you must bring your availability to play and the stamina that allows you to play in the game to the end.
This brings me to the second dimension — CAPACITY.
Capacity is the maximum amount of work one person can effectively carry out.
Exceeding the boundaries of human capacity is the leading cause of stress. In fact, some now refer to it as Mental Health.
Though companies and social agencies provide services for mental health, the need for greater capacity has not gone away neither has the stress that causes mental turmoil.
Think of capacity as the load for an airplane.
Would you get on if it is overloaded with cargo? I sure would not.
People are the same. They have a tolerance for how much they can carry at any time.
And that brings me to the third dimension — ACTION.
Like the airplane that cannot get off the ground when overloaded, it is the same with people.
People are willing and able to take action when they have the capacity to do so.
Now you see the strong connection between the three elements. Each one contributes to organizational effectiveness, performance and risk reduction. It happens when you start to shrink or close the gaps in capabilities.
Look at your strategy for the year ahead.
Do you have the capabilities, and to stay with the point, do you have the capacity as an organization to take action and deliver what is promised?
This is where management’s primary responsibility comes into focus — Setting the right conditions for success.
Like the conditions necessary for a business to succeed, the conditions and capabilities necessary for humans to succeed are subject to how effectively management performs.
Understanding the capacity is a big one here!
Managers must assess the set of strategically coherent capabilities necessary to achieve their goals successfully.
By the way, the capabilities don’t only apply to people. Recall the Financial Crisis in 2008 — It was evident that processes and systems did not have the capacity to recognize that failure was imminent.
Capacity also applies to processes, systems, and technology. With this approach, you can foster a high workplace engagement that produces extraordinary results.
The concept that wraps capabilities into a high-performing culture is ALIGNMENT. It ties it all back to the strategy.
It is a lot to think about!
The fathers of alignment, George Lebovitz and Victor Rosansky, authored “The Power of Alignment”, and that thinking has inspired me to help companies to assess and align their capabilities for the past 20+ years.
This approach lets the elephant leave the room for good and build teams that are the tigers they know they can be.
Over the years, sophistication and depth have been added to the assessment. The results help business leaders to understand the alignment of their strategic capabilities in a new light.
At this point, new questions will be raised, and I’d welcome you asking them. You are invited to ask by sending me an email at: Dragica@uvidi.ca
Uvidi Management Solutions provides advisory, coaching and training options to help your business excel and deal with untold challenges. We specialize in creating alignment to get the best results with
1. Strategy
2. Quality Management,
3. Change Management
4. Risk Management
Let me show you how an Alignment Self-Assessment will inform you of the impact that having the right capabilities will raise the bar on effectiveness, agility, resilience, focus, innovation, productivity and exploring new sources of value.
“Building a visionary company requires 1% vision and 99% alignment.”
Jim Collins & Jerry Porras, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies
