As a senior manager do you sometimes wonder why the middle management tier of your organisation don't perform better as a group? You know they’re a bunch of talented individuals, but they somehow seemingly refuse to take ownership. All too often they seem disengaged and the important issues do not even register on their radar.
In our years of developing managers, one of the keys in resolving these problems is helping managers perceive and adapt appropriately to hidden power dynamics that exist in organisations.
Managers exhibit ownership if they feel like they have control. Power dynamics often strip this sense of control away from them. It affects how they perform and can even regulate their current capabilities at any given time.
Consider this: have you ever felt yourself changing in the presence of someone who you think is more powerful than you. You think differently, you communicate differently and it shakes your sense of confidence. You perhaps become a shadow of who you are and are powerless to challenge the status quo.
The nature of power is deceptive. Those who hold it, underestimate it; those who don’t, magnify it. This results in all kinds of strange anomalies.
Power dynamics often produce varying clarity, inadequate feedback loops and a general drop in communication, leading to poorer performance.
We’ve found that when we have helped managers develop their awareness of power dynamics, it can help lead to profound changes in performance.
When managers understand how power dynamics work and they are given the tools to effectively deal with them, their sense of control and confidence return and with it a sense of ownership.
Interested? Please give us a call.