Today we will focus on some relevant ideas on the subject of leadership that revolve around the concepts of “culture”, “relationship” and “conflict”. If managed proactively and correctly this enables a better leadership, if underestimated can make a good team underperform.
Company culture, is the feeding ground where all relies
We have recalled several times during our journey how culture, the first of these concepts, is a determining factor in our leadership and determines not only our style but our results. Obviously we are not talking about school culture (which is in any case something useful to have) but about corporate and team culture.
At home, with friends, in every group, we receive and share common approaches and behaviours which shape our actions. At work is something very similar: as a leader our sensitivity lies in receiving the predominant culture in the company (what, for example, Swiss Post group is called “yellow blood”) and ensure that our organisation is aligned and integrates this approach, enhanced with some of its own elements that strengthen belonging but do not distort the overall approach.
As you imagine this is a pretty dynamic and complex game to play. The challenge is certainly significant: get the approach wrong and you will find yourself with an isolated or completely flattened team; choose the correct method and you will have a distinctive organisation in the company but with a total inclusion on overall company values.
Culture unfortunately doesn’t appear like mushrooms but is part of an overall journey which is not flat but has many ups and downs during the time. Culture, in particular, may become more visible (and strengthen) in times of change like the ones we are experiencing because when things change conflicts can emerge.
And conflict, if well managed, is part of the culture journey because culture forms and grows also through different opinions when colliding. This leads to a “new” common ground enriching teams and. overall, company.
If you are not starting a new company, is fundamental to maintain an overall alignment between our organisation culture and the wider company one: in order to continuously verify this alignment and fine tune it is to try to describe at regular intervals what the culture of our team and check how far it is distancing itself from the company culture.
Conflict is sometimes good (if done right)
And precisely the possibility of divergences leads us to the second concept: that of conflict. Conflict doesn’t always have to be viewed negatively. The ability, or not, for teams to move positively through conflict is a key challenge for many organisations and often is the key to move forward to another level.
Clearly I’m not talking about “fighting for fighting” (which should be stopped at the very beginning), but those divergences which appear from times to times in the organisations and relate to approaches that, if taken alone are valid, but in a whole risk to clash. This can be an opportunity for growth and need to be managed actively and with positive attitude.
Consider how you approach conflict as a team and what is working in managing it positively. It is often forgotten that conflict can also be an enabling factor and forms the roots of innovation. The suggestion in this case is to analyse which conflict is helping us as a team and what effects it is having.
None of us operates isolated
A third and broader concept is the one relating to “connections”. It is clear that none of us, teams or individuals, operate in isolation. We work and relate as part of a corporate eco-system that amplifies (positively or negatively) every behaviour and every information: it becomes fundamental to understand not only the system in which we are inserted but also to prioritise it, since not all these relationships are the same or maintain the same relevance over time. For example, during a project phase such as the launch of the payroll system, the connection with the HR and IT teams is more relevant than others.
Understanding what our most important connections are allows us to direct our efforts where we as an organisation benefit most.
