Canadian HR Reporter

STRATEGIC CAPABILITY NETWORK'S PANEL of thought leaders brings decades of experience from the senior ranks of Canada's business community. eir commentary puts HR management issues into context and looks at the practical implications of proposals and policies. CANADIAN HR REPORTER January 25, 2016 EXECUTIVE SERIES 13 www.scnetwork.ca Join our professional community of Canadian HR & Organizational Leaders: • Connecting @ monthly events • Collaborating with peers • Challenging conventional thinking The Power of Human Capital CULTIVATING LEADERSHIP FOR 35 YEARS Great Leaders GROW www.scnetwork.ca Positives, negatives found in RO principles Julian Chapman, president of Forrest & Company, presented a compelling case on how using the principles of requisite organization (RO) developed by Elliot Jacques could help organizations con- quer hidden structural barrier to effec- tiveness, efficiency and trust. I remember my first exposure to the concepts in the 80s and 90s and my excitement around the thinking and clarity it offered to organizational design. My enthu- siasm is still there as it relates to organizational design and struc- ture, but I am always suspicious of one-stop solutions to issues as diverse as structure and manage- rial leadership. e Global Organizational De- sign Society's claim that RO "is the only total system model for orga- nization design and managerial leadership" sounds too good to be true, as much as it would be great to find a single conceptual model, rather than trying to find bridges and weave together targeted con- cepts into a sensible fabric. e positives of RO • Structure follows strategy. Req- uisite organization principles focus on achieving a defined strategy and provide clarity on roles or work needed related to the strategy. • It takes blame off employees for organization dysfunction arising from poor structure and unclear accountabilities. • It is logical, geared to reducing duplication and waste of re- sources, and matches work with accountability. • It provides a clear concept of roles or work employees can aspire to in terms of career and what's involved at different levels. • It respects work at each level and empowers employees at each level to do what is needed to do their job. • It shifts thinking in the organi- zation from having many levels with many pay grades to having levels defined by real and sub- stantive differences in work. • e concepts are the result of serious thinking about how or- ganizations work. e challenges of RO • Most theories and models have their limits. It seems to me people and structure are two very different things. People are complex and messy by nature; structure need not be complex or messy. Are the concepts being stretched and force fit? Would partnering to build bridges be- tween research and thinking be more beneficial? • You can have a clear strategy, structure and accountabilities, but a lousy culture. Structure seems well-suited to mission and vision, but what about values? • What about single contribu- tor roles, like high-knowledge R&D roles, that do not meet all the criteria of the levels? What impact does the knowledge economy have on roles and their differences? • There are massive changes to how people work, socialize and use technology. Are requisite organization concepts evolving to address these changes? How does the concept work in a vir- tual organization? What about organizations where compo- nents are constantly shifting, like a movie production that brings together a village of talented spe- cialists for a period of time and then disbands? What about lead- ership where the model is more like that of geese who share the load and accountability by each taking a lead in the V-formation for the overall good of the group? Structure needs to follow strategy but both need to grow and evolve as society and people change. Karen Gorsline is SCNetwork's lead commentator on strategic capability and leads HR Initiatives, a consult- ing practice focused on facilitation and tailored HR initiatives. Toronto- based, she has taught HR planning, held senior roles in strategy and poli- cy, managed a large decentralized HR function and directed a small busi- ness. She can be reached at gorslin@ pathcom.com. Trish Maguire Leadership In Action Karen Gorsline Strategic Capability It's about the right structure with the right people in the right jobs at the right time Elliott Jaques' requisite organization (RO) principles can reveal hidden barriers to effectiveness, efficiency and trust, according to Julian Chapman, presi- dent of Forrest & Company, who promised to show what HR business partners can do about it. e underlying message seemed to centre on the role of leadership to set the vision and co-ordinate the work of others in achieving it. Unfortunately, "co-ordinate" seems to advocate a very rigid, hierarchal structure and process that can curtail people's perfor- mance within their individual roles. at's not particularly ap- pealing for today's global and di- verse workplaces. Over the years, I have seen where the core RO principles have been over-engineered, mechanis- tic, uphold controlling managerial practices and, ultimately, devalue people's capabilities and sense of worth. On further scrutiny, I found that in many such sce- narios, well-intentioned profes- sionals had taken a cookie-cutter approach in attempting to execute the models. Having worked with Stephen Clement, co-author with Jaques of Executive Leadership: A Practi- cal Guide to Managing Complex- ity, I was introduced to and used the RO principles for a number of successful transformational re- structuring projects. I value Jaques' fundamental principles which require manag- ers and leaders to: respect and recognize the value and personal effectiveness of people; take ac- countability for and facilitate op- portunities to fully develop every- one's level of work capability; and develop a workplace where people are free from fear. If you take a one-size-fits-all approach with the principles, you will miss the very essence of his belief in the ability to build orga- nizational strategy and systems where people can achieve mutual trust, commitment, confidence, reliability and high productivity. Yes, the system is hierarchical and, yes, managers assign indi- vidual tasks depending on a per- son's defined capability, which can be interpreted as being restrictive. However, for mutually beneficial outcomes, nothing prevents you from ensuring managers practise leadership expertise that focuses on effective collaboration, mutual innovation and teamwork. We all know that no one can command managers and leaders to have highly developed self- awareness or profound personal insights. However, with the right tools, you can certainly encourage the expectation and reinforce the practice. Jaques' stratified systems and levels of work theories enable managers to work more effec- tively with increasing levels of complexity in a rapidly changing environment and diverse talent pool. It's entirely possible to initi- ate a staffing policy and succes- sion plan where specific roles are filled by leaders with the appropri- ate capacity. Using cognitive, not just per- sonality, assessments enables greater accuracy in aligning people with the strategy, placing them in the right-sized job within the appropriate structure level for their defined capability and at the right time. Jaques also created the concept of every manager having a coach or mentor, the manager-once-re- moved model. It's a powerful and critical process where mentors are held accountable for accelerat- ing and expanding a subordinate manager's capability. Some organizations have im- plemented a look-a-like concept. However, unless you establish clear degrees of accountability and vested authorities, the result will be unproductive for the sub- ordinate manager, the mentor and the organization. Jaques first caught my interest with his strong ethical view of people's value in the workplace. If as a leader you are committed to creating a workplace culture that respects people's capabilities and aspirations from the bottom up, and not exclusively for the execu- tive level, I encourage you to take a deeper look at his RO principles. Trish Maguire is a commentator for SCNetwork on leadership in action and founding principal of Synergyx Solutions in Nobleton, Ont., focused on high-potential leadership develop- ment coaching. She has held senior leadership roles in HR and OD in education, manufacturing and entre- preneurial firms. She can be reached at synergyx@sympatico.ca. Unless you establish clear degrees of accountability and vested authorities, the result will be unproductive.

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