People expect change if there is new leadership at the top of the organisation but they don't always anticipate it correctly. They expect a new set of priorities and expect "talk" of a change in the culture.
They expect a management restructuring, changes in job titles and job descriptions. However, these are often cosmetic changes; the real change is in management style and people often don't like it.
Most managers recognise there is room for improvement, that things could be done differently and better, that within their organisation there are islands of good practice but that there is not enough shared learning.
A silo mentality
They know a silo mentality exists in some departments, that there is a tendency to over complicate things and all too often the professionals want to go for a top-notch solution rather than something that is affordable and good enough. They know the financial situation will require painful and unpopular changes - possibly changes they themselves have previously championed but for which the leadership had no appetite.
The language of management has changed. The talk is now of "savage" budget cuts, the pressure to "do more with less" and managers are described as standing on a "burning platform".
Leaders start using phrases such as "less consultation and more action". The move to a more corporate way of doing things becomes a centralising straitjacket, driven by cost cutting. The desire to achieve a consensus on shared priorities and a common vision is replaced by a requirement to accept and own the leadership view, a view which is never explicitly stated but implied, requiring individual managers to agree first and work out later what is needed, because questions are discouraged and debate replaced by self censorship.
Professionals who have become used to year-on-year budget growth, who have been protected from the harsh realties of the real world and who just can't accept that the good times have come to an end will wave their shrouds, while senior mangers will be adamant that their management structures are not bloated and that their job is not possible without their current level of support services. Turkeys don't vote for Christmas so debate is pointless.
The quiet individual, the ordinary Joe
This is the new, humble but ferociously determined leadership. It is not about an inspirational or charismatic individual who by sheer force of personality brings about change. It is not about consensus leadership based on shared values and good people management skills. This leadership style is the quiet individual, the ordinary Joe, who appears to have little interest in making a name for themselves or having a high profile but who is determined to do what ever needs to be done. A style that others may perceive as unnerving, even intimidating.
It is a leadership style that often delivers in the short term but what about the longer term? Having shaken things up, these leaders tend to move on before they are moved on. If your organisation is characterised by a bout of this type of leadership you would be unwise to challenge it; just hope these leaders move on soon.
From Bubb's Blog
From Whitehall Watch
