Learning to lead the knowledgeable organization: developing leadership agility
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify how leadership can positively influence knowledge work and explore which leadership practices need to be developed to support organisational learning and agility in the face of continuous change.
Abstract: Purpose – This paper seeks to identify how leadership can positively influence knowledge work and to explore which leadership practices need to be developed to support organisational learning and agility in the face of continuous change.Design/methodology/approach – The thinking combines a long history of leadership and change management advice and 12 years of knowledge management research with the insights from a collaborative research project involving 14 large organisations that are members of the Henley KM Forum.Findings – The result is a framework of 12 leadership agility practices specifically focused on creating conducive conditions for knowledge sharing, learning, engagement and collaboration.Practical implications – Those responsible for leadership development in the knowledgeable organisation could use this as a well‐grounded starting point for designing learning programs. Leaders in key roles can use it as a gauge for self‐assessment to identify development needs or reflect on how to change the...
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the role of strategic agility as a component of the acquisition process by investigating its constituent elements and effects on knowledge transfer in the context of acquisitions, and they test their theoretical model on a quantitative data set of acquisitions conducted by Finnish companies.
Abstract: The aim of the present study is to examine the role of strategic agility as a component of the acquisition process by investigating its constituent elements and effects on knowledge transfer in the context of acquisitions. The study also elaborates on the relationship between knowledge transfer and performance in acquisitions. We test our theoretical model on a quantitative data set of acquisitions conducted by Finnish companies.
139 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the various manifestations of agility and the various strategies adopted to sustain agility by an emerging economy multinational enterprise (EMNE) which started in the late 1990s as a small firm operating within the fresh fruit and juice industry in Africa, using empirical qualitative data from an emerging African economy to develop a three-stage model of how agility manifests overtime.
Abstract: In almost every large business, there is a growing recognition of the importance of organisational agility in improving their marketing responsiveness and business survival However, limited insights have been offered by scholars on multinational enterprises and their marketing agility in emerging markets context The purpose of this paper is to examine the various manifestations of agility and the various strategies adopted to sustain agility by an emerging economy multinational enterprise (EMNE) which started in the late 1990s as a small firm operating within the fresh fruit and juice industry in Africa,The authors utilised empirical qualitative data from an emerging African economy to develop a three-stage model of how agility manifests overtime,The authors find that successful development and deployment of international marketing agility strategy adopted by an EMNE from emerging markets hinge on building relationships, being socially responsible and being innovative in standardisation and adaptation in response to, and in anticipation of, the rapidly changing business environment,This research is based on data from one organisation Future research can consider using multiple cases from different countries to further understand marketing agility in emerging markets and when such firms internalise into developed markets,This paper extends research on standardisation/adaptation debate and research on agility, to address the gap on international marketing agility Hitherto, there was no significant research on marketing agility in emerging markets which focused on highly perishable products such as fruits This research provides unique insight into how marketing agility could be developed, deployed and sustained in emerging African markets
37 citations
01 Jan 2019
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a list of figures, tables, and lists of tables, including a table-based table-set for each of the figures and tables presented in this article.
Abstract: ................................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ........................................................................................................................ viii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ ix
19 citations
Cites background from "Learning to lead the knowledgeable ..."
...Line and project management practices also influence the knowledge and learning environment in teams and projects (McKenzie & Aitken, 2012)....
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...They also create environments that permit experimentation and failure, and support and promote core knowledge management techniques (McKenzie & Aitken, 2012)....
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...The ability to mitigate any negative effects such as opposition, anxiety, knowledge suppression and potential disinterest is also necessary (McKenzie & Aitken, 2012)....
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...McKenzie and Aitken (2012) suggest that agile leadership practices could help organisations better utilise their knowledge and increase the pace of organisational learning....
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01 Jan 2015
14 citations
Cites background from "Learning to lead the knowledgeable ..."
...While practitioners have a similar concept—leadership agility—little research has been conducted to measure the power of receptivity to change by harnessing agility as a personal mindset or competence (Horney, Pasmore, & O'Shea, 2010; Joiner & Josephs, 2007; McKenzie & Aitken, 2012)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors interviewed Olympic athletes about their perceptions of their leaders and managers, with a particular focus on perceptions of negatively valenced and socially undesirable individuals, and found that negatively valented individuals were perceived as undesirable by Olympic athletes.
Abstract: In this study, the authors interviewed Olympic athletes about their perceptions of their leaders and managers, with a particular focus on perceptions of negatively valenced and socially undesirable...
14 citations
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Book•
08 Nov 2000
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a model of organizations as interpretation systems, which they call collective mind in organizations, and the notion of collective mind as a Mindset for Organizational Analysis.
Abstract: Acknowledgments. Introduction. Part I: Organizations as Contexts for Sensemaking:. Introduction. 1. Sensemaking in Organizations: Small Structures with Large Consequences. 2. Sources of Order in Underorganized Systems: Themes in Recent Organizational Theory. 3. Organizational Redesign as Improvisation. Part II: Components of Sensemaking:. Introduction. Ecological Change. 4. The Collapse of Sensemaking in Organizations: The Mann Gulch Disaster. 5. The Vulnerable System: An Analysis of the Tenerife Air Disaster. 6. Technology as Equivoque: Sense--making in New Technologies. Enactment. 7. Enactment Processes in Organizations. 8. Enactment and the Boundaryless Career. 9. Enacted Sensemaking in Crisis Situations. Selection. 10. Toward a Model of Organizations as Interpretation Systems. 11. Collective Mind in Organizations: Heedful Interrelating on Flight Decks. 12. Improvisation as a Mindset for Organizational Analysis. Retention. 13. Organizational Culture as a Source of High Reliability. 14. Organizations as Cause Maps. 15. Substitutes for Corporate Strategy. 16. The Attitude of Wisdom: Ambivalence as the Optimal Compromise. 17. Management of Organizational Change Among Loosely Coupled Elements. 18. Organization Design: Organizations as Self--Designing Systems. 19. Small Wins: Redefining the Scale of Social Problems. 20. Cosmos vs. Chaos: Sense and Nonsense in the Electronic Contexts. 21. Sensemaking as an Organizational Dimension of Global Change. Index.
2,331 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a dynamic equilibrium model of organizing, which depicts how cyclical responses to paradoxical tensions enable sustainability, peak performance in the present that enables success in the future.
Abstract: As organizational environments become more global, dynamic, and competitive, contradictory demands intensify. To understand and explain such tensions, academics and practitioners are increasingly adopting a paradox lens. We review the paradox literature, categorizing types and highlighting fundamental debates. We then present a dynamic equilibrium model of organizing, which depicts how cyclical responses to paradoxical tensions enable sustainability—peak performance in the present that enables success in the future. This review and the model provide the foundation of a theory of paradox.
1,675 citations
Book•
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01 Jan 2002
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a set of reprint articles for which IEEE does not hold copyright. Full text is not available on IEEE Xplore for these articles, but full text can be found on the Internet Archive.
Abstract: This publication contains reprint articles for which IEEE does not hold copyright. Full text is not available on IEEE Xplore for these articles.
491 citations
Journal Article•
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TL;DR: The authors assert that leaders must acquire practical wisdom, or what Aristotle called phronesis: experiential knowledge that enables people to make ethically sound judgments.
Abstract: In an era of increasing discontinuity, wise leadership has nearly vanished. Many leaders find it difficult to reinvent their corporations rapidly enough to cope with new technologies, demographic shifts, and consumption trends. They can't develop truly global organizations that operate effortlessly across borders. And they find it tough to ensure that their people adhere to values and ethics. The authors assert that leaders must acquire practical wisdom, or what Aristotle called phronesis: experiential knowledge that enables people to make ethically sound judgments. Wise leaders demonstrate six abilities: (i) They make decisions on the basis of what is good for the organization and for society. (2) They quickly grasp the essence of a situation and fathom the nature and meaning of people, things, and events. (3) They provide contexts in which executives and employees can interact to create new meaning. (4) They employ metaphors and stories to convert their experience into tacit knowledge that others can use. (5) They exert political power to bring people together and spur them to act. (6) They use apprenticeship and mentoring to cultivate practical wisdom in orders.
238 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Top management teams at major companies suggest that firms thrive only when senior teams lead ambidextrously--when they foster a state of constant creative conflict between the old and the new.
Abstract: Although most managers publicly acknowledge the need to explore new businesses and markets, the claims of established businesses on company resources almost always come first, especially when times are hard. When top teams allow the tension between core and speculative units to play out at lower levels of management, innovation loses out. At best, leaders of core business units dismiss innovation initiatives as irrelevancies. At worst, they see the new businesses as threats to the firm's core identity and values. Many CEOs take a backseat in debates over resources, ceding much of their power to middle managers, and the company ends up as a collection of feudal baronies. This is a recipe for long-term failure, say the authors. Their research of 12 top management teams at major companies suggests that firms thrive only when senior teams lead ambidextrously--when they foster a state of constant creative conflict between the old and the new. Successful CEOs first develop a broad, forward-looking strategic aspiration that sets ambitious targets both for innovation and core business growth. They then hold the tension between innovation unit demands and core business demands at the very top of the organization. And finally they embrace inconsistency, allowing themselves the latitude to pursue multiple and often conflicting agendas.
105 citations