In preparation for the continued discussion of the organizational structure that will support Creating the Future to accomplish its mission, the following are the questions we will be exploring during our meeting on Monday, December 14.
• Within each aspects of our structure (listed below), what do people need to feel in order to bring out their best and accomplish our mission?
• What do people need to be assured of?
• What do people need to be able to do?
What Will It Take for Our Structure to Actively Contribute to Our Outcomes?
In reviewing the summary of our November 5th discussion, it becomes apparent that the very highest potential of all the outcomes listed in that post is that our mission is accomplished – that people everywhere know how to naturally bring out the best in people in any situation, through the questions they ask.
The rest of what we discussed at that meeting – what the structure makes possible for the people and activities that will accomplish that mission – those are all means to that end result. On November 5th, the board discussed those means as…
• A structure that creates and holds the space for the viral spread of ideas and approaches that bring out the best in people
• A structure that creates and holds the space for activities to accomplish that mission, and the people talking action
• A structure that actively models our values in action, as defined by the Pollyanna Principles and put into action through the practices of Catalytic Thinking
An organization’s structure can actively accomplish such results. Sadly, as many of us have seen in broken systems throughout all industries and sectors, organizational structure can also thwart those results at every turn.
Summarizing the months of discussion our board and our community members have had about this topic, we’ve talked about the influence of structure on the following systems:
Decision-making and leadership
Structure determines the extent to which all efforts are led / all decisions are made in alignment with our vision, mission and values
Coordination of activities and relationships
Structure determines the flow of information and the extent to which work flow is facilitated and coordinated, to bring out the best in each other AND in the work everyone is doing.
Infrastructure support to bring out the best in the people
Structure determines the extent to which trust relationships are developed, nurtured and supported – between the people and the organization, and between the people and each other. In addition, structure determines the extent to which trust is built around financial relationships, work flow relationships, new partner relationships, and other strategic and practical relationships.
Infrastructure support for the “stuff”
Structure determines the extent to which people have what they need to support their work. That includes “stuff” like
– Administrative support
– Website support
– Resources (including but not limited to money)
– Regulatory compliance support
– Marketing support
Connecting, engaging, inviting, network weaving
Structure determines the extent to which people will be engaged, invited, connected to
Creating the Future’s work and to each other. And it determines the extent to which those connections will bring out the best in everyone involved.
During our December 14th meeting, therefore, we will be looking at those specific structures. For each structure, we will ask questions that establish pre-conditions for success.* We’ll start with the following, but knowing this group, other great questions will arise as we go.
• Within each of those aspects of our structure, what do people need to feel in order to bring out their best and accomplish our mission?
• What do people need to be assured of?
• What do people need to be able to do?
We look forward to you joining us at this link at 1pm ET on Monday December 14th (or if you are coming to this post after that date, please watch the recording and post your thoughts in the comments!).
*To understand the Catalytic Strategy framework we will use for this discussion, watch this TEDx talk.
Photo credit: The construction of the curved canopy at Bristol Temple Meads railway station in 1876