Paradoxes, Matrices, and Global Leadership… Oh My!

This globalization thing where companies are competing throughout several cultures, languages, and economies continues to throw leaders for a loop.  The idea of working across cultures, leveraging the entire organization, and accommodating shifting priorities due to shifting global economics can present significant barriers and challenge our best leaders.  Now our strategies must consider many markets, managing internal and external resources, and enable systems-thinking approaches.  Here are some of the questions any leader might pose:

1. What style of leadership should I embrace as a global leader?
2. What skills should I embrace?
3. What organizational structure best supports effective leadership in global companies?

As leaders, we are being asked to embrace an enterprise model and manage paradox in a matrix organization – I warned you.

While the previous sentence is heavy and may make your head spin a bit, I am hearing the terms enterprise, paradox, and matrix everywhere these days.

So for those of you who are interested, dig in a little deeper and understand these concepts better.  First, let me describe these main themes.

Background

An enterprise model

This model shifts the power away from a company’s corporate headquarters and enables the field offices.  In an enterprise model, the best ideas don’t have to come from HQ Research & Development.  With an enterprise, the best ideas come from wherever the best ideas come from.  Anyone can contribute – vendor, supplier, field manager, manufacturer, business partner, business unit, etc.  The enterprise model calls for leaders to leverage a broad-base of relationships, bringing many people to the table to solve a problem or pursue an opportunity.

Manage paradox

Leaders are being asked to navigate through opportunity and change more so than managing compliance.  Our command and control style worked for managing compliance, but falls flat in managing the paradox.  Paradox represents conflicting ideas or pursuits.  A paradox is a dilemma.  An example of paradox is when you’ve got to deliver on speed and quality.  Both speed and quality are good pursuits that are oftentimes in conflict with each other.  But today, leaders are expected to manage the paradox between speed and quality to meet the business goals.

Matrix organization

A hierarchical organization has a very vertical structure.  I have a boss, who has a boss, who has a boss, who has a boss.  Vertical.  Other organizations shun the vertical hierarchy organizing purely behind a project.  These organizations bring teams together to deliver a job.  For instance, building contractor companies work this way as they bring subcontractors to a building project.  A plumber shows up, so does an electrician, and a construction worker all specializing in their particular area of focus.  Horizontal.  A matrix organization does both with employees reporting vertically up through the organization and horizontally with other team members to deliver special projects – thus the term matrix – vertical and horizontal lanes.

Bringing it all together

So, as a leader, consider these points as you become a better global leader that manages paradox effectively in a matrix organization:

For the enterprise

• Don’t just network; build relationships that you can truly leverage.
• Communicate more – share more information with more people more often.
• Be driven by progress, not politics.

For the paradox

• Develop a deeper curiosity for your business – ask what if and why not from more people more often.
• Work to a higher end game or a more important end objective.  Focus on the more inclusive value that brings system-wide value.
• Shift your perspective by embracing the Jim Collins idea of tyranny of the OR versus genius of the AND.

For the matrix

• Don’t just grow your area of specialty; broaden your skills to be more transportable across your business.
• Seek stretch assignments in your organization to help you grow your value across the organization.
• Grow comfortable having two reporting lines – one to your supervisor and one to your project lead.

Questions for you:

1. How do you feel about these three factors and their impact on a company’s effectiveness in a global marketplace?
2. Is there a better structure, philosophy, or model that you feel is better?

Please comment.

Tags: change, corporate, effective, Fast, global, Leadership, markets, matrix, multicultural, paradox, structure

Can Authenticity and Political Skill Actually Get Along?

I have a desire to be authentic.  I don’t always succeed, but it’s almost always on my radar.  I recently read an article in Harvard Business Review (HBR July / August 2010 – Idea Watch) on the topic of political skill.  This article talked about the value of political skill and how, when used effectively, it can bring favor to your cause through your influence.

More On Political Skill:

According to Gerald Ferris, Sherry Davidson, and Pamela Perrewe, in their book Political Skill at Work: Impact on Work Effectiveness, political skill is “a style of interaction that allows you to read situations, interpret them, and exhibit just the right kind of behavior to induce others to do what you want — and do it willingly, as if it were their idea.”

My initial reaction after reading the HBR article was to completely discount political skill and view it as in direct conflict with authenticity.  And why not?  After all, the article associated words like flattery and ingratiation with political skill.  When we think of politics, don’t we think of self-serving agendas?  Aren’t we often less trusting of politicians?  Still after dissecting the term, political skill merely represents our ability to influence others to favor our position, opinion, or bias.

Political skill isn’t flattery or ingratiation at all.  Political skill doesn’t have to do with sucking up to the boss to get ahead.  But there are people who are better than others in their ability influence others toward a position or opinion.  People who do this effectively get ahead.

As you engage and improve your political skill, consider the following:

1. TONE – Try not to be flagrant with your flattery. A little subtlety goes a long way to build trust in your communications. Don’t overwhelm your audience by your verboseness. Passion is one thing – a good thing – audaciousness is not.  Avoid being the loud and obnoxious used-car salesperson.
2. TIMING – Consider the timing of your talk.  Be calculated as you communicate.  Be careful not to interrupt others in order to get your point across – at least not here in the United States.  Evaluate your audience to make sure they are ready and able to truly engage in what you are about to say.  Make sure you’ve got their attention before trying to compete for it.  If you’re constantly trying to compete for the floor, you might appear desperate.
3. TARGET – Make sure your words are relevant.  You’ll quickly lose credibility when you bring up topics that are completely irrelevant to the current conversation.  People who are off target and irrelevant often find themselves randomly rambling, hoping something they say will stick with the group.  Your communications should be well-crafted toward the needs of your audience and the topic at hand.  Those effective in political skill know how to insert their ideas in a relevant manner into almost any conversation.

When you consider your tone, your timing, and your target, you’ll likely avoid the flattery and suck-up perceptions that so many associate with political skill.

Tags: authenticity, corporate, culture, Leadership, political, skill