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Concepts that traditionally went along with this ideal are knowledge worker autonomy, knowledge productivity, delegation of authority and empowerment. Despite mantra-like lip-services most corporations have been unable to delegate decision making to the levels where the knowledge resides. Worse, Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer demonstrate with ample research how leaders even kill meaning at work McKinsey Quarterly : www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Governance/ Leadership/How_leaders_kill_meaning_at_ work_2910


Organisations are being built based on abstract concepts, increasingly with cost- saving considerations as a priority but shamefully neglecting the human factor. They have become too complex, over-matrixed and removed from the local reality. A study conducted in France in 2010 based on the request of the Prime Minister because of the increase in burnouts and even suicides in large organisations, pointed to the problems. Issues such as ever changing organisation structures, over-reliance on globalized ICT enabled centralised processes, excessive pressure on short term financial results at all levels of the organisation and a lack of people management with proximity had dramatically deteriorated the working conditions in most large organisations.


And it was large organisations who came to conclusions by themselves. Led by the chairman of Schneider Electric, Henri Lachman, with participation of France Telecom, IBM, Capgemini, PSA, Renault, Adecco and many others (see report in French http://bit.ly/Ac7aRq ). It was encouraging to see this degree of openness, self-critical reasoning and honesty in contrast to the usual political statements that everything is just fine. However, what has changed since? Has this alarming report led to major improvements in HR practices at a broad scale since the report was released? I hope the French Prime Minister will invite


72 Management Today | May 2012


the same companies to come together later in the year to show what the progress has been.


Many factors point in the direction that we


are still far from achieving the management mandate to make workers effective, to unleash their real capabilities. These include; cultural, organisational and operational factors. Yet it does not have to be this way – even during the crisis. Again, transformational leaders make all the difference.


Here is an anecdote to substantiate this.


EFMD conducted a so-called CLIP review (standing for Corporate Learning improvement Process http://bit.ly/xxuHVl ) in a large European Bank. It is an accreditation process for Corporate Universities modelled along the lines of the world leading EQUIS accreditation for Business Schools developed by EFMD. It includes interviews with all key stakeholders of the Corporate University. The point is, that despite the acute crisis that this bank has to manage day-by- day, the CEO took a full hour to sit down with the review team. Can you have a better illustration that Learning and Development of the employees is a genuine concern to this CEO?


And there are many other examples. The so called German Mittelstands-Companies, who are world leaders in many industrial fields, have been managed during the height of the crisis in way that was directed to long term business sustainability and not to profit maximisation. Human resources were dealt with as people, as humans. They were not subject to immediate restructuring to meet the short term profit objectives. Their knowledge and their networks have been preserved and protected, ultimately to the benefit of both the individuals and the business. Many of these companies are also role models in unleashing the creativity and innovation capacity of their knowledge workers. This is a major element of their global success. Leaders have to withstand unprecedented pressures in times of crisis.


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