Many Parts, One Body - Part Two

This post is a continuation of this one. 

While shared consciousness is the starting point as one works to build a team of teams, it does not end there. The different teams might be aware of what each is doing or meant to do but if the power to act on the information is still centralised, there will be delayed execution that can lead to poor overall outcomes. If this goes on too long people lose morale and get frustrated with their inability to act. As the flow of information becomes free for all, the ability to act on that information needs to also be decentralised. This is termed as empowered execution. Gen Stanley describes empowerment as the decentralisation of decision making authority, and studies have shown it improves employee satisfaction as well as creates intrinsic task motivation.

Unlike the era of scientific management whereby almost every possible outcome could be predicted and a solution planned in advance, the complexity of life today increasingly requires the ability of employees to make on spot decisions when faced with unanticipated situations. As a leader I should become more comfortable with sharing power; I need to accept that divergences from plan inevitably happen, and equip those I lead to respond and take action when this happens. Empowerment does not simply involve pushing the decision making authority to the periphery of the organisation. The people to whom the authority is handed should be in position to make the right decisions. This requires careful nurturing overtime, as well as free sharing of information such that whoever has to make the call has the right training and context. Otherwise, it ends in chaos. I do this through regular trainings on policies and standard operating procedures. In order to foster empowered execution, the leader needs to spend time with those he leads, talking them through the thought process on decisions and then asking them to make the call. 

When those I lead give feedback on decisions made and I publicly acknowledge and applaud those decisions, others are encouraged to also start making decisions. Full accountability and high visibility is necessary, with those I lead letting me know what is being done but this is not to encourage me to meddle and micromanage. Challenges with empowered execution include lower level leaders trying to hoard authority at their level or partners questioning decisions that subordinates have made. As a leader establishing empowered execution, I need to build a nurturing environment that allows growth of other leaders as opposed to being the central source of directives.

Empowerment without context results in chaos. People can only be expected to make the right decisions after they have all the information in order to act in context. Shared consciousness therefore needs to be established before the introduction of empowered execution in my journey towards building a team of teams. Shared consciousness is powerful but is not enough; appreciating the big picture will give rise to commonality of purpose but the group will still fall short of its potential, if those informed are not empowered to act. In conclusion, both the provision of sufficient information to all concerned parties and the nurturing and authorisation of all parties to decide and act on the information provided are essential to the successful creation of a team of teams.