“You cannot run a knowledge-based organisation by direct control, pressure, high demands, and micro-management."

“You cannot run a knowledge-based organisation by direct control, pressure, high demands, and micro-management.”

Jan Hoglund

Without people changing (in particular, leaders changing their collective assumptions and beliefs) ‘Transforming our organisational culture’ has zero chance of delivering on its promises.

Leaders raised and rewarded through the industrial management status quo can struggle to describe how and why their organisations now need to work and learn differently.

The traditional control based, directing, mandating management model only creates a focus on tactics, plans and logistics. This approach now provides diminishing returns. Sustainable organisations only emerge from a commitment to shared vision, connection, new interactions and psychological safety.

So the new question for leadership teams could be:

“How are we deliberately creating a new environment (‘the system’) within which our new strategy can be achieved?”

The next question - that shapes any organisational development effort - is “do we trust our people?”.

This choice informs all of the assumptions and priorities that follow. (The approach to management, communication and learning in every organisation always reflect the level of trust).