Ability to Act Quickly and Independently

 

Module 13 – Introduction

            Many project/programme purpose people want to be able to implement their decisions as quickly as possible, especially if they think that others will judge their authority and position in the organizational hierarchy by the speed those decisions are acted on. They are afraid that if they have to double and even triple check everything with the home office, and cause endless delays, it will look as if their own organization doesn’t have much confidence in them.

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1. Ability to Act Quickly and Independently

            When many project/programme purpose people come to a decision, they normally want to implement it as quickly as possible, especially if they think that others will judge their authority and position in the organizational hierarchy by the speed those decisions are acted on.

            If you have to double and even triple check everything with the home office, and cause endless delays, it looks as if your own organization doesn’t have much confidence in you.

            Or does it?

            That often depends on your national and organizational culture. Which of the following character traits would you rather be know for? What is more valuable to and prized by your organization? Who would you rather be?

1.      Someone with the confidence, ability, and willingness to act independently and swiftly.

2.      Someone known for always seeking commitment, for seeking consensus and sharing decision-making responsibilities and power, for maintaining balance and agreement.

            This does not mean that people in the second category cannot act independently. Nor does it mean that they are so worried about what others will think that they want the safety of a “group decision.” What it means is that they often choose to behave that way out of respect for the people with whom they work.

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2. Autonomy: The Ability

            As we have seen, people do not have to “appear” autonomous to “be” autonomous and vice versa.

            We all know that many sections, departments, branches, divisions, or organizations are not actually run by the people with the most important titles and the biggest offices.

            We also know that many leaders who appear autonomous are actually working quite closely with trusted advisors and other senior people to make sure that the decision that looked so autonomous—and might even have been designed to make the person who “made it” look autonomous—was actually a collaborative decision.

            There is a difference between the ability and the image.

            Just because you have a ninth-degree black belt in karate does not mean that you have to walk around wearing your white gi and your black belt all the time to prove that you have it.

            You have it and you know it, and the people around you who need to know that you have it also know it.

            What is important is not that everyone knows you have it. What is important is that if you ever have to call on any of the skills involved, you can do so in complete confidence.

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3. Autonomy: The Image

            Sometimes, however, the image—actually being seen as someone who is autonomous—really is important. When it is, we are often looking at three separate issues:

1.      How do you see yourself? Are you comfortable with what you see? Are you the person you want to be, or are seen as being?

2.      How does your organization see you? How much trust do they have in you and your ability to act autonomously?

3.      How does the action sponsor/beneficiary see you? Will they respect you and want to continue dealing with you? Or will they want to deal with someone with more autonomy and authority than you? How is their perception affected by cultural norms?

            In a situation like this, the first thing to do is perform a reality check. Determine how you are actually seen. Since it can be difficult to evaluate ourselves accurately and see ourselves as others actually see us, it can be helpful to turn to a mentor or a close friend.

            Once you know how people see you, ask yourself this: Is it true? Are they seeing my abilities and place in the hierarchy accurately? Are they seeing who I really am?      

            Once you know that, you can then decide if you need to work on who you really are, on people’s perception of you or both.

            The key point here, however, is that you can do nothing to change your image until you know what that image is.
4. Analyzing organizational Culture

            As we have seen earlier, different cultures—ethnic, national, and organizational—have different attitudes toward the entire concept of decision-making.

            Some cultures and organizations encourage independent action and quick decision-making, and promote the people who act accordingly. Others look at decisions as something that have to be made at a more leisurely pace, and only after everyone involved has been consulted and their words, opinions, and advice weighed and considered.

            If you are not sure how the organization you are dealing with—or even working for—looks at the decision-making process, there are some questions that can help you figure it out. We will get to them soon.

            Choose only those questions that apply to your situation. If you are not sure of the answer, talk to people you believe that you can trust; people you are willing to show your ignorance to. After all, ignorance merely means that you haven’t learned something yet, not that you are incapable of knowing it.

            If you have a mentor, talk to your mentor. If you do not have a mentor, and if you have basic questions about the organizational culture of your own organization, it might be wise to find a mentor.

            It might be more difficult to find the answers as they apply to another organization, but here again, your own mentor might be able to offer some specific advice.

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5. Analyzing organizational Culture (Continued)

            In analyzing organizational culture, it is important to remember that many executives, especially CEOs, organizational boards, senior managers, and public relations departments, advocate their “hope” for what the organizational culture is instead of its reality. Look at a badly run organization, or a place where morale is low, for example, and look at what the organization espouses for its organizational culture.

            Here are the questions that could help you find out what is really going on. You should keep asking questions and talking to people until you feel confident that you actually understand what the organizational culture really is.

            The first question is the most obvious one.

  • Is authority centralized, or is it decentralized with decision-making autonomy?
  • What 10 words would you use to describe the organization? Ask others in the organization the same question, and see how your 10 words compare to theirs.
  • What metaphors do you and others use for the organization? Is it a “family”, or a “well-oiled machine”, a “beehive of activity” or perhaps a “snake pit”?
  • Does the organization favor collaboration and cooperation for decision-making?
  • Are employees encouraged to think for themselves, to be innovative and take risks, or is there a specific rule for every situation? Does it reward employees for coming up with new ideas and challenging old ways of doing things or does it punish them?

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6. Analyzing organizational Culture (Continued)

  • Does the organization operate using a long-term vision, or is everything decided at the level of short-term vision?
  • What is really important within the organization? There are a number of ways to determine this. Look at their news releases and announcements. What plaques, pictures, products, or mementoes are on the wall or on display? Who are the organization heroes? What organization stories and legends do the employees tell when talking about their jobs?
  • How do people interact with one another?
  • Do people care about each other? Can individuals ask for help and get it from co-workers, more senior people, upper management, etc.? Or are such requests seen as a sign of weakness?
  • What personal qualities do your superiors display? These qualities might include decisiveness, loyalty, honesty, courage, patience, sincerity, empathy, humor, open mindedness, trust, enthusiasm, and so on. On the other hand the qualities might be competitiveness, ruthlessness, and the desire to get ahead at any cost.
  • Are mistakes encouraged or forgiven if people learn from them?
  • Is there any striving for excellence or improvement? Are there any incentives to do this?
  • Who gets promoted? Do mavericks ever get a promotion or recognition? Or are they pushed aside or out?
  • What behaviors get rewarded?
  • What do people say about their bosses when those bosses are not around?

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7. Analyzing organizational Culture (Continued)

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8. What Does Maybe Mean?

            One clue to a culture—either organizational or national—is to look at what people mean when they say the word “maybe.”

            If they say “Maybe” to a request, or to an offer, do they mean “Yes,” “No,” or do they actually mean “Maybe,” that they don’t know yet but they will get back to you when they do?

            Some people use the word maybe to signify that they really mean yes, but they want more convincing. Perhaps they just want to play “hard to get,” or just keep you dangling while they look at other offers or demonstrate how powerful they are by making you wait.

            In some cases, maybe means that the person doesn’t have the authority to answer the question, but doesn’t want to let you know that. So instead of saying that it has to be answered by someone farther up the organizational hierarchy, you will be told: “I’ll get back to you once I’ve made up my mind.” Then, once they are alone, they call a boss to get the final decision.

            Some people use maybe because they do not want to hurt your feelings. They really mean no. They assume that you know that maybe means no, and do not understand why you keep calling them up asking them if they have made up their mind.

            Many cultures, especially Asian, feel that saying, “no” is a sign of rudeness.

            Then, there are those times when the word maybe means just what it says: no decision has been made yet.

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9. CASE STUDY: Japanese organizational Culture

            Japan’s organizational culture has fascinated the rest of the world for decades. Here’s one aspect of it from Rochelle Kopp’s book “The Rice Paper Ceiling: Breaking through Japanese organizational Culture,” published by Stone Bridge Books.

            “Many authors, both western and Japanese, have praised the Japanese system of ‘lifetime employment’ for its ability to foster individual loyalty and encourage the development of organization-specific skills. However, the domestic personnel management system is a weakness when the Japanese organization expands overseas.

            “The typical Japanese organization’s personnel management style is quite rigid and makes demands on employees that few non-Japanese would tolerate. This is because the Japanese system is predicated on the lack of an external labor market. Japanese employees have few other employment options, so once they join a organization they have little choice but to go along with the demands of the organization. Unable to absorb non-Japanese into this system, organizations tend to relegate them to separate employment categories that may not provide equivalent advancement opportunities or job security.

            “Since most Japanese employees work for the same organization for their entire careers, Japanese organizations tend to develop their own distinct, inbred organizational cultures. These organizational cultures are so strong that they tend to exclude even native Japanese who might join a organization at mid-career. It is extremely difficult for non-Japanese employees to break into the circle, especially given the other barriers listed above.”

            As you can see, national cultures have a tremendous impact on organizational and organizational cultures.

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10. Where Does a organizational Culture Come From?

            How are organizational cultures formed? Does any one person, or board, or directors actually create them? Here’s what noted New York author, lecturer and project/programme purpose consultant Art Kleiner (http://www.well.com/user/art/) has to say on the topic.

            “Cultures aren’t designed. They simmer; they fester; they brew continually, evolving their particular temperament as people learn what kind of behavior works or doesn’t work in the particular organization. The most critical factor in building a culture is the behavior of organizational leaders, who set examples for everyone else (by what they do, not what they say). From this perspective, the core problem faced by most… organizations is not a lack of culture; it’s too much culture. They already have two significant cultures at play—one of hype and one of craft.

            “These cultures of hype and craft… (have existed) from the beginning of organizational history; indeed, they were prominent in the guilds and joint stock organizations from which the organizational form developed. Hype and craft are generally the two strongest cultures in a organization’s early life, as manifested in the cultures of the founder/manager and the first R&D/engineering/production team, respectively. But during most of the 20th century, as organizations matured into mainstream organizations, other cultures—those of finance, labor relations, marketing and managerial bureaucracy—eclipsed and overwhelmed the cultures of hype and craft.”

            The questions you have to answer for yourself, then, are where is your organizational culture today on the organizational evolutionary scale, and what role does autonomy and the ability to act quickly and independently play in it?

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Assignments

 

 

Multiple Choice

 

1.         organizations usually value people who

a.       Have the confidence, ability, and willingness to act independently and swiftly

b.      Always seek commitment, seek consensus, and share decision making responsibilities and power

c.       organizations can value one or both of the above types of people

d.      None of the above

 

2.         Leaders who appear autonomous are actually

a.       Completely in charge

b.      Working closely with trusted advisors

c.       Overstepping the limits of their power

d.      None of the above

 

3.         When thinking about your image, you should consider how you are seen by

a.       Yourself

b.      Your organization

c.       Your action sponsors/beneficiaries

d.      All of the above

 

4.         You can do nothing to change your image until

a.       You ask your mentor what you should change

b.      You decide what you want to change

c.       You know what that image is

d.      All of the above

 

5.         Some cultures and organizations encourage

a.       Independent action and quick decision making

b.      A more leisurely pace that involves consulting others

c.       Both of the above

d.      None of the above

 

6.         One clue of a culture is to look at what people mean when they say the word

a.       Yes

b.      No

c.       Maybe

d.      All of the above

 

7.         The Japanese tend to relegate ___________ to separate employment categories        because they cannot absorb them.

a.       Non-Japanese

b.      Slow workers

c.       Quick thinkers

d.      None of the above

 

8.         The most critical factor in building a culture is

a.       Control

b.      Written rules

c.       Behavior of organizational leaders

d.      None of the above

 


Matching the Columns

 

1. Consensus

A. Power is confined to a specific person or group

2. Autonomous

B. Levels of power are spread out around the organization

3. Mentor

C. Able to act alone

4. Centralized

D. Working with a group

5. Decentralized

E. Agreement within a group

6. Collaboration

F. More experienced person who helps guide you through the organizational culture

 

Answers:

1.)    E

2.)    C

3.)    F

4.)    A

5.)    B

6.)    D


Summary

 

            As we have seen, many project/programme purpose people want to be autonomous. But autonomy has to be looked at both as an ability and an image. Different organizational—and national—cultures may value the skill differently than they do the image. The only way to find out how a organization looks at it—either yours or one with which you are doing project/programme purpose—is to understand its organizational culture.

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Test

 

1. ______        Many people fear that having to double check everything with the home                                  office may make others feel that their organization doesn’t have much                                               confidence in them.

2. ______        People have to appear autonomous to be autonomous and vice versa.

3. ______        Most departments are run by the people with the most important titles and                              the biggest offices.

4. ______        There is a difference between ability and image.

5. ______        You can do nothing to change your image until you know the image.

6. ______        Different cultures generally have the same attitude toward the concept of                                 decision-making.

7. ______        Many executives, especially CEOs, advocate their hope for what the                          organizational culture is instead of its reality.

8. ______        Since most Japanese employees work for the same organization for their entire                                    careers, Japanese organizations tend to develop their own distinct, inbred                                    organizational cultures.

9. ______        Cultures are designed.

10. ______      Different cultures may value the skill of autonomy differently than they do                     the image.

 

Answers:

1.                  T

2.                  F – don’t have to appear

3.                  F – are not run

4.                  T

5.                  T

6.                  F – different attitudes

7.                  T

8.                  T

9.                  F – not designed

10.              T

 


Bibliography

 

Fairfield-Sonn, J. (2001). organizational culture and the quality organization. Westport, CN: Quorum Books.

 

Simon, J. (2001). Developing decision-making skills for project/programme purpose. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe.

 

Yukl, G. (2002). Leadership in organizations. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
Glossary

 

Consensus - Agreement within a group

 

Autonomous - Able to act alone

 

Centralized - Power is confined to a specific person or group

 

Decentralized - Levels of power are spread out around the organization


Learning Objectives

 

·        Many project/programme purpose people want to be able to implement their decisions as quickly as possible, especially if they think that others will judge their authority and position in the organizational hierarchy by the speed those decisions are acted on.

·        Different organizational cultures may value the skill of autonomy differently than they do the image. The only way to find out how a organization looks at it – either yours or one with which you are doing project/programme purpose – is to understand its organizational culture.


Q&A

 

1. When the image of autonomy is an issue, what three separate issues are you looking at?

When looking at the image of autonomy, you are looking at how you see yourself, how your organization sees you, and how the action sponsor/beneficiary sees you.

 

2. How can you tell what is really important within the organization?

You can determine what is important within the organization by looking at their news releases and announcements. Also, notice the plaques, pictures, products, or mementos on the wall or on display. You can look at who the organization heroes are, and what organization stories and legends the employees tell when talking about their jobs.

 

3. What reasons do people have for using “maybe” as an answer?

Some people use the word “maybe” to signify that they really mean “yes,” but they want convincing. They may be looking at other offers or demonstrating how powerful they are by making you wait. Others may not have the authority to answer the question, but don’t want to let you know that. Some people use “maybe” because they do not want to hurt your feelings, but they really mean “no.”  Sometimes, the word means just what it says:  no decision has been made yet.

 

End of Module