Revitalising the Organisation

Tuning In' as well as 'Wiring Up'

Managers are often well practised at 'wiring up' their organisations; that is, putting in place new strategies, structures and systems. However, they are often less comfortable and less well equipped to 'tune them in' for peak performance. For this reason managers often place most emphasis on the formal, visible and structured aspects of change, at the expense of the underlying organisational dynamics.

If you find yourself in this situation, you might wish to consider the following:

• Although the formal structures of organisations may well need to change from time to time, steps can be taken to embed an overarching "organising philosophy" that will endure throughout those changes and help to provide the sense of continuity and clarity that is lacking from many reorganisations. Paradoxically, this sense of a continuing core philosophy can enable change to be embraced more readily and constructively.
• Even though the intellectual and physical aspects of change can often be put in place very quickly (such as a new strategy or organisational structure), the psychological and emotional 'journey' that people need to take will progress much more slowly. This transition from old to new therefore needs to be deliberately addressed - it will not happen simply because organisational charts have been redrawn and new names put in boxes. Restructuring needs to be accompanied by revitalisation that seeks to remove the structural, organisational and perceptual barriers to change, helps people to make sense of unfolding events, and actively engages with the psychological and emotional issues of transition.
• Managers don't have a monopoly of good ideas and the 'right' perspective on a particular change. There are positive aspects of the current ways of working and potential downsides to the proposed future that need to be acknowledged, if people are to engage their hearts and souls in the new organisation, as well as their minds and bodies.
• An organisation doesn't operate solely in line with its formal structures, systems and processes, however well these might have been defined. There are many shadow-side dynamics that affect organisational performance and vitality.