Business Executive | February 2012 | PAGE 19


Alternative forms of leadership are even more


decision making. The new priority was to instil a sense of shared responsibility and motivation to succeed by freeing staff to work on the topic areas they felt best matched their interests and strengths. There came the ideas of “mutualism” and “community”. Members take decisions collectively through discussion; they also agree their own community leaders democratically and on a shifting basis. The leaders, known as “competency managers”, represent their respective communities and hold regular meetings with those not on site by video conferencing or telephone. Such collaboration and communication ensures cross-fertilisation of ideas between communities. The research showed that values such as


trust, responsibility and innovation are far more likely to motivate staff, particularly in knowledge companies, than numerical goals or measurements. Achieving the numerical goals does happen, but it results from leadership that is not about dictating vision and strategy, but rather about engaging and empowering staff.


Competition


From time to time we like to find out if our readers are really reading their magazine! So you are invited to test your powers of observation and interpretation. You will find the best responses in the pages of this magazine. There will be book prizes for two runners-up. But


for this competition the FIRST prize is rather special – a copy of the new Chambers Dictionary of English. This prize is for the first all correct (5 out of 5) entry received. So get reading and send your entry in well before the deadline of March 15th, 2012.


1. What is the pyramid effect? (pg. )


3. What are the hazards of saying it wrong – and the benefits of saying it right? (pg. )


4. What is meant by “mutualism” and why might it be a good thing for leaders? (pg. )


the page number in), then give your interpretation and comments. The accuracy and relevance of your answers will be considered in deciding the winners. Scan and e-mail this page to editor@abeuk.com, or photocopy and send by snail mail to the Editor at our UK address by 15 March 2012. We will publish the names of the winners in our


May issue if you so permit. Yes No Please use CLEAR BLOCK CAPITALS and/or


send us an e-mail with your full and correct postal address.


5. What are the four streams of action, as defined by the authors, that are the key to finding answers to the world’s problems? (pg. )


2. What is the unique responsibility of a leader? (pg. )


Name: Address:


relevant today than ever before. All sectors are in a state of unprecedented challenge; leaders and staff struggle with managing change amid major spending cuts. In such a climate, maintaining high performance, innovation and resilience can be difficult. It is critical that organisations keep striving for innovation. As a first step, they should look at themselves as complex systems that enable networking and cooperation among their people. Managers should use a coaching style, delegating responsibilities rather than tasks, and recognise the competencies of their people rather than their positions. This will help empower staff to make decisions.


Culture change The concept of mutualism really can unleash the power of employees’ creativity, and there is a clear impact on the bottom line. It is important that organisations change their culture sustainably. To do this, they need to change their mindset and distribute authority and decision making


on the basis of knowledge and skills, rather than on formal positions in the organisational hierarchy. They also need to support self-organisation in


informal networks and communities of interests. This will encourage collaboration, knowledge sharing and experimentation with ideas. Lastly, developing a caring culture, based on trust and transparency, is an important part of this strategy. This can have a significant impact on staff engagement, productivity and the overall performance of an organisation. If decisions are made on the basis of expertise rather than formal position, more decisions can be made in parallel and thus more efficiently. This will lead to better performance and greater customer satisfaction. Leaders who can adapt their


VLATKA HLUPIC is professor of business and management at Westminster Business School, London.


approach to meet the needs of the team help create motivation and gain commitment from their people. In a mutualisation strategy, leaders come to realise that, while it may not initially be easy to give up power, more power and influence are gained subsequently by letting go.


For this competition we are asking you to search out the relevant passages of the text (don’t forget to put


E-mail address: ABE Membership number:


There was a good response to the November 2011 Competition, but unfortunately many did not quite get the right answers. However, two entrants did. One publicised winner for this competition is our most dedicated competitioneer, who has featured before in our list of winners: Dilini from Sri Lanka and the other is Isaac Mensah from London who sent in a most comprehensive answer (complete with phonetics!). Thank you both and maybe we will see your names again. Book prizes are on the way to the winners.


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