Collaboration and communication tools to implement radical management

Citation

Burrus, D. (2010), "Collaboration and communication tools to implement radical management", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 38 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/sl.2010.26138faf.001

Collaboration and communication tools to implement radical management

Article Type: CEO advisory From: Strategy & Leadership, Volume 38, Issue 6

In the corporate workplace of the near future, according to several forward looking authors, seeking continuous innovation in order to thrive or just to survive will be the new normal. To constantly deliver innovation that is valued by customers, companies will be organized in small cross-functional teams that are empowered to manage themselves, that will work in client-driven iterations and that will share information freely with each other, with clients and with partners. This new approach, advocated by “Radical Management” gurus like John Hagel III, John Seely Brown and Stephen Denning, eliminates many of the familiar components of traditional management, including hierarchy, command-and-control, tightly planned work, standardized HR practices, growth strategies based solely on the experience curve and market share, and process and product innovation primarily driven by incremental technological improvements.

Such a workplace and management style takes a lot of discipline and focus to implement successfully. Over the years, many companies have attempted to flatten their organizations, put everyone in cross-functional teams, and promote open communication. And for the most part, the attempts have failed, often because they have focused on trying to change how people behave. To make radical management work, today’s leaders need to change how people think, and how they communicate. Making that task easier are some excellent new communication tools.

Before implementation of radical management can begin, we first have to realize there is still going to be a need for leadership, for visionaries, for people who can execute, and for the worker bees. And they all have to share information about resources and opportunities, freely and openly, with each other.

Welcome to the communication age

So, consider the key role communication plays in making radical management work. “Firms cannot accomplish the complex task of continuous value innovation or establish genuine responsibility for work if people are telling each other only what they want to hear or limiting their communications to what they think listeners need to know,” says radical management advocate Stephen Denning. He believes that managers need to learn to have interactive conversations, to employ authentic narratives, to pose open-ended questions that energize and inspire, and to engage in attentive listening and encourage horizontal communications to enhance learning. But companies also need to change how people think about communicating.

Communication is so much more than simply telling someone something – that’s informing. Informing is one-way, static, and seldom leads to action. Communicating is a two-way, dynamic process that enables action. Leaders need to move their organizations from the information age to the communications age.

Ironically, we have a plethora of communication-age tools available to us, but we’re still using them in an information age way. Ask yourself, “In our organization, are we better at informing than communicating?” For most people, the answer is “yes.” And if leaders aren’t good at communicating internally with staff, how can they communicate externally to customers and shareholders? This is not to say that leaders should stop informing people. However, they do need to tap into true communication. When you focus on maximizing two-way communications, you can create a communication-age organization that embraces radical management much faster.

Cooperation vs collaboration

In a radical management environment, collaboration is critical. But in most companies people tend to cooperate, which is very different from collaborating. Cooperating means “I won’t get in your way and you won’t get in mine and we’ll work together when we have to.” Such an approach provides results, but certainly not outstanding results.

Collaboration is when we put our heads together and ask ourselves, “How can we create a bigger pie for both of us?” Collaboration is based on opportunity and optimism. Cooperation is based on problem solving and pessimism. Collaboration is about working together to create a bigger pie for everyone. That’s how you can get anyone, even competitors, to work with you and not against you. Fortunately, today’s technologies allow us to collaborate in new and amazing ways.

Social media

Social media and social networking have become increasing popular with people of all ages because they enable better communication and collaboration. So why don’t we take a lesson from how the public uses social media and put it to work as a corporate communication tool to make radical management effective? In other words, why not create internal versions of popular social media sites? An internal version of Twitter can enable teams to tweet about projects they’re working on and challenges they need help with. An internal version of Facebook can keep teams aligned with the goals and scope of the project as a whole. An internal YouTube can house how-to videos for everything from sales to customer service to leadership. An internal Wikipedia can give you an online collaboration site so people don’t have to be in the same room to work on a project. These are just a few ways that internal social media tools can create better communication and help radical management take hold.

If you want to experiment with these sorts of in-house tools, you can find many free or low cost options that work well. For example, Yammer is a private Twitter-like tool that enables people within an organization to microblog for increased communication or collaboration. Basecamp is a collaboration and project management tool that brings people together by focusing on communication between team members rather than numbers, charts, and graphs.

And who says such tools can only be available to the company’s staff? How about being really radical and having your customers and clients in the communication and collaboration loop? Realize, though, that even with communication age tools like internal social media sites, Yammer, and Basecamp, the reality is that you still need to exert management, leadership, and project management. Otherwise, all your best efforts will fall flat.

Do you see what I see?

Visual communication devices are another tool that can aid in a radical management environment. Notice the terminology “visual communications” rather than simply video or Web conferencing. There’s a difference between a video conference and a visual communication.

Anyone who has ever traveled and has used their laptop and one of the many free video conferencing programs, such as Skype, to communicate with friends and family has discovered the power of visual communications. Visual communications heighten the bond you have with someone when you cannot be with them in person. If this form of communication works with our family members, why aren’t we using this powerful tool with customers and colleagues, such as a team member in a different city or an international client?

Visual communications helps you smooth out contentious give-and-take or handle emotional or sensitive issues. It also adds dimension to the interaction. So anytime you can enhance communication between team members, the faster change will occur.

Many large companies have video conferencing systems that require a big fancy room with expensive equipment. That’s not the only option for video anymore. Today’s new computers come with a built-in video camera. That means you can do video conferencing on a personal laptop from your desk, your home, or anywhere in the world. The software is free and comes with your system. And with some computers, you can have multiple people on at the same time and video conference with them all at once.

Additionally, the new iPhone4 has video chat built in, which means you have the ability to do visual communications right on your phone. If someone on your team doesn’t have a new iPhone, don’t worry. Other smart phone providers will follow suit and in the near future all smart phones will have visual communication capabilities, as will all smart pads, such as the next generation iPad.

It has been suggested by proponents of radical management that one of the most important ways to instill a culture of communication openness is to have a daily standup meeting in which members of the team share what they did yesterday, what they are going to do today, and what impedes their work. Visual communications can help achieve this goal when team members are not onsite or when a customer/client needs to be part of the meeting.

Radically different

Ultimately, companies that engage in radical management practices are empowering their employees with real-time information. To achieve the full potential of this approach requires creating a real-time company, which means leaders need to understand how to manage effectively in an organization that has access to real-time information. It’s harder than most people realize, but the rewards are substantial.

Daniel BurrusA futurist who has been predicting for decades which technologies would become the driving force of business and economic change, is the author of six books, including Technotrends (Collins, 1994). He is the CEO of Burrus Research (www.burrus.com) located in Hartland, Wisconsin.