How to re-ignite a sense of community in companies to increase collaboration and agility.

1. Building speed, innovation
and learning agility
in the new organization order
Hubert Saint-Onge
Council of HR Executive
Conference Board of Canada
June 9, 2011
Kelowna, BC
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.
… by re-kindling the sense of community in organizations

2. the questions we will explore in this session…
1. What is the rationale for re-kindling the sense of
community in today`s organization?
2. When does an organization feel more like a
community?
3. What undermines the sense of community in an
organization?
4. How can we build the sense of community in an
organization?
5. What is the best way to introduce this theme to
senior management?
2Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

3. the questions we will explore in this session…
1. What is the rationale for re-kindling the sense of
community in today`s organization?
2. When does an organization feel more like a
community?
3. What undermines the sense of community in an
organization?
4. How can we build the sense of community in an
organization?
5. What is the best way to introduce this theme to
senior management?
3Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

4. the emerging new order of organizations…
• Many tasks that could be effectively
handled by individual in earlier times
now exceed the scope of a single person.
• Instead, in our ever more
interconnected, complex and
unpredictable environment, effective
performance depends on mobilizing and
melding diverse sources of knowledge,
insights and energy.
• In such environments, effective
performance depends on integrating
diverse skills, expertise and
perspectives.
A fundamental
change is
happening to
the nature of
work in
organizations
4Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

5. organisational and
hierarchical
barriers
business processes
and project-specific
barriers
+
disparate
geographic
distribution
+
Organizational
islands
=
How do we overcome
this syndrome?
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.
the “fragmentation” of today’s organizations…

6. Strategy
Performance
Capabilities
Learning
Innovation
Learning
Innovation
“capabilities” as the link between performance and strategy

7. MarketOpportunity
Time to realization
HighLow
development
delay
‘fast follower’ curve
competitive
advantage of
the capability
‘first mover’ curve
StrategicPosition
the accelerated development of capability as a strategic advantage

8. the emerging new order of organizations…
• the challenges most organizations face are
so complex that they require a set of
capabilities too broad to be possessed by
any one individual, one function or one
discipline
• innovation comes from the ability to
collaborate across diverse knowledge
domains and expertise
• advances in collaborative technologies
enhance the potential reach of and support
for collective effort , collaborative creation,
and coordinated action at unprecedented
speed with low friction costs.
Creating a
sense of
community in
organization is
both
increasingly
necessary and
feasible.
8Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

9. the benefits of a strong sense of community…
1. higher level of trust
2. engagement and ownership for the success of the
organization as a whole
3. effective collaboration and management of
interdependence
4. greater exchange of knowledge and innovation
5. fluidity of capability distribution increases speed
6. development and retention of talent base
9Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

10. the questions we will explore in this session…
1. What is the rationale for re-kindling the sense of
community in today`s organization?
2. When does an organization feel more like a
community?
3. What undermines the sense of community in an
organization?
4. How can we build the sense of community in an
organization?
5. What is the best way to introduce this theme to
senior management?
10Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

11. what is a community in an organizational context?
• members care for one
another and their collective
success
• they are energized by a
shared purpose they find
worthwhile
• they espouse shared values
that represent the social
glue that binds the
organization
• the organization values and
respects them
An
organization
develops a
sense of
community
when people
feel that…
11Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

12. what it means for people…
12
“We are social animals who cannot
function effectively without a social
system that is larger than ourselves.
This is what is meant by “community” —
the social glue that binds us together for
the greater good. Community means
caring about our work, our colleagues,
and our place in the world… and in turn
being inspired by this caring.”
Henry Mintzberg, Rebuilding Companies as Communities
HBR, July-August 2009
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

13. what it means for people…
• To be part of something we
value
• To find a deeper purpose in
all we do
• To exchange in a context of
interconnectedness
What does it
mean to
people in a
community
organization?
13
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

14. “Pixar is a community in the true
sense of the word. We think that
lasting relationships matter, and
we share some basic beliefs:
• Talent is rare.
• Management’s job is not to
prevent risk but to build the
capability to recover when
failures occur.
• It must be safe to tell the truth.
• We must constantly challenge
all of our assumptions and
search for the flaws that could
destroy our culture.”
Ed Catmull,
President, Pixar
The organization as a community: an example
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

15. what it means for the organization…
This is all done to create organizations that
move faster, in a more innovative way to
achieve higher sustainable levels of
performance.
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

16. the questions we will explore in this session…
1. What is the rationale for re-kindling the sense of
community in today`s organization?
2. When does an organization feel more like a
community?
3. What undermines the sense of community in an
organization?
4. How can we build the sense of community in an
organization?
5. What is the best way to introduce this theme to
senior management?
16Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

17. why has this sense of community been eroded?
• a short term view prevails
and people are a fungible
commodity based on the
quarterly results
• people that can be dropped
without regard for their
contribution
• the trust reservoir is
depleted by change for
which they see no business
rationale
• the “leadership” stands
apart from them
This sense of
community is
undermined
when…
17Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

18. from…
 Individualist/independence  Collaboration/interdependence
 Distrust/isolation  Trust/connectedness
 Competition  Building on one another’s capability
 Heroic leadership  High integrity, quiet leadership
 Blame/fear  Engagement/sense of ownership
to…
 Feeling devalued  Finding meaning
1 10
What is the level of change required
to make the shift to a community organization?
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

19. the questions we will explore in this session…
1. What is the rationale for re-kindling the sense of
community in today`s organization?
2. When does an organization feel more like a
community?
3. What undermines the sense of community in an
organization?
4. How can we build the sense of community in an
organization?
5. What is the best way to introduce this theme to
senior management?
19Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

20. How to build the organization as a community?
I. Build a context of high-integrity leadership
IV. Encourage interdependence
VI. Create a learning environment
III. Instill an atmosphere that promotes trust.
V. Evolve a cohesive culture
VII. Develop collaborative networks
II. Clarify the “noble cause”

21. How to build the organization as a community?
I. Build a context of high-integrity leadership
IV. Encourage interdependence
VI. Create a learning environment
III. Instill an atmosphere that promotes trust.
V. Evolve a cohesive culture
VII. Develop collaborative networks
II. Clarify the “noble cause”

22. vision
service
courage
systemic
view
targets
self
interest
“silo”
view
safety
I. Build a context of high-integrity leadership
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

23. vision
service
courage
systemic
view
leadership
integrity
I. Build a context of high-integrity leadership
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

24. The traditional model the “boss”
individual
responsibilities
The team leadership model
shared team leadership
responsibilities
1st among equal with
full accountability
individual accountabilities
I. Build a context of high-integrity leadership

25. How to build the organization as a community?
I. Build a context of high-integrity leadership
IV. Encourage interdependence
VI. Create a learning environment
III. Instill an atmosphere that promotes trust.
V. Evolve a cohesive culture
VII. Develop collaborative networks
II. Clarify the “noble cause”

26. • Everyone at Google knows that its
mission is “to organize the world’s
information and make it universally
accessible and useful.”
• The “noble cause” is often ignored in
organization but it is fundamental to
creating identity, commitment and a
sense of community
26
II. Clarify the “noble cause”
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

27. How to build the organization as a community?
I. Build a context of high-integrity leadership
IV. Encourage interdependence
VI. Create a learning environment
III. Instill an atmosphere that promotes trust.
V. Evolve a cohesive culture
VII. Develop collaborative networks
II. Clarify the “noble cause”

28. • treat people as human beings - not
objects or “human resources”
• engage people in change
• place the change in the context of a
readily understood business rationale
• respect people’s past dedication and
contribution
• do not tolerate leadership behaviours that
contradict organizational values
28
III. Instill an atmosphere that promotes trust.
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

29. …the swamp
…levels of leadership integrity
Honesty … I mean what I say
… I do what I sayReliability
Coherence … I stand for what I believe
Vision …I lead to make it happen
III. Instill an atmosphere that promotes trust.

30. How to build the organization as a community?
I. Build a context of high-integrity leadership
IV. Encourage interdependence
VI. Create a learning environment
III. Instill an atmosphere that promotes trust.
V. Evolve a cohesive culture
VII. Develop collaborative networks
II. Clarify the “noble cause”

31. from…
entitlement self-initiation
 my security resides in being part
of an organization
 my security resides in my
capabilities
 following the traditional contract:
I do what I have to in order to
get to stay
 following the new contract: I
dedicate myself to creating value
in exchange for an opportunity to
develop my capabilities
 I work for the organization…  I am fundamentally self-driven…
 by virtue of working here, I am
entitled to…
 I want to be recognized for my
contribution…
 success comes from sticking
around long enough
 success comes from commitment
to…
1 10
IV. Encourage interdependence

32. Items
Processing
Sales force
Management
Financial
Engineering
… the benefits of interdependence and
collaboration flow from combining
different sets of capabilities
Seamless
Referrals
Client
relationships
Items
Processing
Sales force
Management
Financial
Engineering
area of
productive
collaboration
Risk
Management
Solutions
Development
IV. Encourage interdependence
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

33. HighLow Independence
Negative
Positive
Trust
+
_
Interdependence
Counter-dependence
IV. Encourage interdependence
…interdependence will be a function of
the trust level we can engender across the firm.
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

34. HighLow
Independence
Negative
Positive
Trust
+
_
Interdependence
Counter-dependence
• build the mutual
accountability that will
bring us to excel
individually
• serve to build the
cohesiveness of the firm
and of our teams
• contribute to leverage
our resources more
effectively
• partner more effectively
with our customers
because we partner
better internally
IV. Encourage interdependence
A strong sense of
interdependence will…
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

35. How to build the organization as a community?
I. Build a context of high-integrity leadership
IV. Encourage interdependence
VI. Create a learning environment
III. Instill an atmosphere that promotes trust.
V. Evolve a cohesive culture
VII. Develop collaborative networks
II. Clarify the “noble cause”

36. “By designing corporate systems that employ
values which drive positive emotions and
environment, managers can significantly
increase employee motivation, satisfaction,
resilience to setbacks/failure, and
willingness to engage and reach out of
their comfort zones; in practice, these factors
mean the difference between a corporation
recognizing and exploiting an opportunity, and
missing it altogether.”
Making Decisions on Values, Not Biases
by Jonathan Doochin
Harvard Business Review, May 28th 2010
V. Evolve a cohesive culture
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

37. What are your
personal values?
1. honesty
2. accountability
3. balance (home/work)
4. commitment
5. continuous learning
6. responsibility
7. positive attitude
8. humour/fun
9. family
10. adaptability
1. cost reduction
2. profit
3. organizational growth
4. teamwork
5. customer satisfaction
6. results orientation
7. bureaucracy (L)
8. achievement
9. goals orientation
10. financial stability
1. customer satisfaction
2. accountability
3. continuous improvement
4. teamwork
5. balance (home/work)
6. innovation
7. information sharing
8. coaching/mentoring
9. open communication
10. employee recognition
What are the values
currently characterizing
the organization?
What should ideally be
the values of the
organization?
V. Evolve a cohesive culture
actual results of a values survey…
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

38. Collaboration
information sharing,
openness and trust
Accountability
commitment, responsibility
achievement and sense of
mission
Customer
satisfaction
focusing on the customer,
knowledge of the customer
Innovation
and Growth
V. Evolve a cohesive culture
The development of organizational values
in congruence with individual values…

39. How to build the organization as a community?
I. Build a context of high-integrity leadership
IV. Encourage interdependence
VI. Create a learning environment
III. Instill an atmosphere that promotes trust.
V. Evolve a cohesive culture
VII. Develop collaborative networks
II. Clarify the “noble cause”

40. 1. Build constructive dialogue as part of getting work
done: don’t always challenge; welcome another’s
thoughts and opinions
2. As leaders, create meaning by constantly renewing
the context: involve people collectively in your
thinking
3. Experiment constantly. Regularly stop to reflect
as a team and repeat the process
4. Release the need to be right: it’s OK to make
mistakes as long as you learn from them
5. Constantly challenge people with assignments at the
edge of what they can do and give them the
network/support they need.
VI. Create a learning environment
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

41. 6. Manage through the team instead of through
individuals; form cross-generational teams
7. Take every opportunity to collaborate on the
horizontal axis to enhance coherence and
innovation.
8. Encourage people to form networks that can
support people both internally and externally
9. Explore new technology to leverage it for greater
levels of collaboration
VI. Create a learning environment
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

42. How to build the organization as a community?
I. Build a context of high-integrity leadership
IV. Encourage interdependence
VI. Create a learning environment
III. Instill an atmosphere that promotes trust.
V. Evolve a cohesive culture
VII. Develop collaborative networks
II. Clarify the “noble cause”

43. We shape our tools.
And afterwards
Our tools shape us.
Marshall McLuhan,
Understanding Media: The
Extensions of Man (1964)
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

44. We shape our tools.
And afterwards
Our tools shape us.
Marshall McLuhan,
Understanding Media: The
Extensions of Man (1964)

45. the networked
organization
the hierarchical
structure
VII. Develop collaborative networks
from… to…
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

46. Yesterday
Expert
Locator Expert
Locator
Expert
Locator
The systematic application of collaboration tools and processes
in the organization has the effect of connecting people to people;
connecting people to information and knowledge…
making the shift…
Today/Tomorrow
Expert
LocatorsrT
e Ter
srT
e Ter
srT
e Ter
Expert
Locator
srT
e Ter
Expert
Locator
Expert
Locator
from… to…
VII. Develop collaborative networks
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

47. 4
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5036
5042
5109
5117
47
VII. Develop collaborative networks

48. …mapping out the possibilities for collaboration
across time and space
virtual
face to face
synchronous asynchronous
traditional
meeting
tele-
conferencing
voice mail/
e-mail/
collaborative
spaces
• Collaborative
networks need to
leverage all three
available dimensions
VII. Develop collaborative networks
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

49. Collaborative
Networks
Virtual Teams
Communities of Practice
Expert Networks
VII. Develop collaborative networks
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

50. Sporadic emergence of
collaborative networks
Systematic building of collaborative
networks to distribute capability
Collaborative networks become an
inherent part of how work and learning
takes place in the organization
A highly effective balance is achieved
between the formal accountability
structure and collaborative networks
Culture
learning and
collaborating
low
high
Technology
enterprise-wide
interactivity
low high
VII. Develop collaborative networks

51. VII. Develop collaborative networks
Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

52. what’s needed to re-kindle a sense of community…
• create context with a shared
understanding and commitment to the
business strategy
• model high integrity leadership
• base the evolution of the culture on
shared values
• take a learning approach to lead change
and purposefully build capability
• engage people at the organization-wide
level through dialogue and exchange –
give them a sense of ownership
• work horizontally and bring cross-
functional teams together
• leverage collaborative networks
including virtual project teams
• …
How do you
re-kindle a
sense of
community in
an
organization?
52Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

53. the questions we will explore in this session…
1. What is the rationale for re-kindling the sense of
community in today`s organization?
2. When does an organization feel more like a
community?
3. What undermines the sense of community in an
organization?
4. How can we build the sense of community in an
organization?
5. What is the best way to introduce this theme to
senior management?
53Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

54. a comment on this presentation…
“These have been difficult times for many, in
which the sense of dispensability is pervasive,
belongingness is hard to come by, and
missions are on hold.
Guidance you offer toward an infusion of
wisdom, trust, energy and inspiration is an
antidote! “
54Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

55. the questions we will explore in this session…
What is the best way to introduce this theme
to senior management?
55Copyright © 2011 SaintOnge Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.

56. www.saintongealliance.com
hubert@saintongealliance.com
56