People ~ Planet ~ Profit

Carefully consider this, the primary management agenda is production;  so is the leadership objective … ergo, balance is key to achieve high performance. Management and leadership are mutually exclusive; and, work together simultaneously to align business process with strategic vision.

From a Human Resource Management (HRM) perspective, the priority focus is on people and their ideas, not the ‘to do’ list. 

[key point] Listen to your people.

Any organization needs a business management so that goals are set, objectives are met, projects are completed … it’s just that leaders also go a step beyond that, focusing attention on motivating and inspiring employees, working with teams to build a shared vision of the purpose, and generating enthusiasm for the future of the organization.

“If the world is not changing and you are on top, then management is essential but more leadership really is not,” says John Kotter, Professor of leadership at Harvard University. 

[key point] Leadership is always about change.

Management is a formal position, and it is most often appointed, based on prerequisite criteria such as experience and skill sets; however, leadership is earned, and is hard-won, by the folks who prioritize and understand the traits and qualities that come with the unofficial title. 

Paramount to the success of an organization is to develop effective leaders with management competencies to influence members and optimize process flow.

Managers rely on control tactics and performance metrics, they act like bosses by controlling the work under them and by administering tasks. Managers keep an organization functioning and work through items on a ‘to ­do’ list and keep the system running; in other words, managers manage the work process.

On the other hand, leaders guide, innovate, and inspire. They rely upon the trust they’ve built between themselves and their team members to be a force that motivates and keeps productivity high. Leaders work to build a shared vision and they have their eye on the big picture as well as the finer details. Leaders are also more focused on change, and the future; in other words, leaders lead people.

It really comes down to leading through persuasion, or managing through coercion. In any given workplace example, it’s pretty clear to see whether the mindset of the one ­in­ charge predominantly was based in one or the other. Morale is key to high performance. 

[key point] Leadership draws people to a standard, and management pushes people to a standard.

A senior position is about being a change champion, overseeing work that needs to get done, and leading the people who do that work. What comes first, the tasks themselves or the people who work to complete them? The focus is on the people and their ideas, not the ‘to do’ list.

Professionals want, and deserve, a role that doesn’t treat them like a machine, within an organization that provides opportunities for professional development, increased responsibility, and career growth. They want to collaborate and they want to innovate, not feel like a cog in the wheel. The most appealing work environments that inspire optimal performance and valuable contribution, according to ‘millennials’ are the organizations that hit these marks.

Management and leadership are mutually exclusive; however, work together simultaneously to align business process with strategic vision.

“When you’re a manager, you work for your company. When you’re a leader, your company works for you.” ― Stan Slap

sTraTegix presents a viable solution for organizational change and will serve as a change champion and catalyst for transforming organizational culture through effective leadership and sound management.

Contemporary organizational strategy acknowledges the need for change in preparation for or in response to environmental challenge and establishes clear management guidelines and personal responsibilities with the assistance of an independent, third party consulting and leadership initiative.

According to Beckhard (1969) organization development is a planned initiative that is managed from the top to orchestrate organization-wide change to increase organizational effectiveness and health through strategic interventions in the organization’s processes using behavioral-science knowledge.

The days of dictatorial change are over, having been proven inefficient and uncivilized, having been replaced by a paradigm shift which values people as a resource and seeks to win their hearts and minds.

According to Palmer, Dunford, and Akin (2009) the organizational development approach to change management is based on humanistic school of psychology and its practitioners ‘coach’ organizational members to realize an intentional outcome over time using logical persuasion and respecting democratic values to align operations with strategy.

According to Gallow and Schine (2006) specific negative conditions must be realized before the motivation to change is determined, planned and executed including ineffective managerial tactics, systematic process dysfunction, cultural discontent, and environmental influence.

The need for a systematic change initiative should be recognized by organizational members as being significant, therefore, the management will often issue a problems statement and offer an end-state vision.

While some organizational members are resistant to change as directed from within; Strategix presents an optimal solution as an independent third party consulting firm to act in the capacity of change manager and inspire a call to action leading to desired outcomes of positive change and positive morale.

Beckhard, R. (1969). Organization Development: Strategies and Models. Addison Wesley Longman Inc. a Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Gallos, J. & Schein, E. (2006). Organization Development. San Francisco, CA; Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 9780787984267

Palmer, I., Dunford, R. & Akin, G. (2009). Managing Organizational Change. A Multiple Perspectives Approach. 2e. McGraw-Hill Company. ISBN: 9780073404998