“So we rebuilt the wall…for the people worked with all their heart.”
(Nehemiah 4:6)
The organizational vision can only be realized by the individuals working within the organization. Regardless of all the organizational changes that might be made, if you want happy, productive workers, you must help them to see what they will gain from helping the company to reach its objectives.
A plethora of books, essays and articles have addressed the need for any organization to have clearly stated vision, purpose and values. Of all these, Peter Senge’s book The Fifth Discipline (Doubleday, 1990) is still a seminal work for understanding systems thinking and how the pillars of vision, purpose and values work together within an organization. Senge describes five general responses or attitudes toward the organization’s vision: commitment, enrollment, compliance, noncompliance, or apathy. Compliance, however, can take one of three distinct forms, making a total of seven attitudes that individuals within the organization can demonstrate.
While Senge accurately described the seven attitudes, he did not expand on why people react in these specific ways. This can best be understood by two areas of personal need we seek to satisfy in our employment: 1) personal benefit which includes salary, insurance, pension plans, position, recognition, or other non-tangible benefits; and 2) a personal sense of fulfillment of a life purpose, vision, or calling. The degree to which both areas are aligned with, supported by, and fulfilled by working within the company’s vision, purpose and values will affect each individual’s attitude and the degree to which each member contributes effectively toward the company’s goals or objectives. On the negative side, the degree to which an individual’s need for personal benefit and/or personal sense of fulfillment are not met will also determine the degree to which the individual will become unproductive or even counterproductive to the organization’s goals and objectives. Personal benefit and a personal sense of fulfillment will, in large part, determine the individual’s attitude toward the company in general and his or her work specifically.
The following paragraphs and illustrations describe the seven attitudes identified by Senge and how these are affected by the individual’s need for personal benefit and personal sense of fulfillment. In a future article, we will examine more in depth how different personalities place different values on these two needs.
1. Committed The first group is made up of the few people who are truly committed to the vision. These few want it and are consumed with a desire to see it become reality. They will do whatever they possibly can to make it happen. Only a few people are truly committed to the organizational vision. These might include the founder or originator of the vision and a few people who join in because they recognize in it something that they have already been longing to see before.
Another few people will be enrolled. They also want it and will work to make it happen, but they might not feel the same level of ownership as those who are committed. Enrolled individuals find their personal vision can easily fit within the organization’s vision with very little or no adaptation. These might be the “early adopters” of a new paradigm. They do not “live, eat, sleep and breathe” the vision as the committed do. They do, however, truly desire to see the vision realized and will give above and beyond the call of duty to make it happen.
While it would be wonderful to have everyone in the organization fully committed or enrolled and in perfect alignment with the vision, that is very unlikely to happen, except, perhaps, in a very small company where everyone is a full partner. The large majority of people in any organization most likely have an attitude of compliance, which is defined by three distinct categories.
3. Genuinely Compliant Genuine compliance might look like enrollment or commitment in that the genuinely compliant person sees the benefits of the vision and does everything expected and more. All or almost all of the genuinely compliant’s personal vision can be realized in the context of the organization’s vision without having to make major adjustments. These “good soldiers” follow the letter of the law and are often tapped for leadership based on their above average performance. The genuinely compliant person often can quote the vision to the letter and might even support the vision energetically. This, however, is not because they have tremendous personal desires to see the vision fulfilled as the committed or enrolled do. Genuinely compliant people accept the vision, though they do not truly own it.
4. Formally Compliant
Another group demonstrates formal compliance. These are what Senge calls “pretty good soldiers.” They do what is expected and no more. They might support the vision to some degree, but they are primarily “going along” and not making waves. On the whole, they see the benefits of the vision, but they do not take initiative to push the vision into reality. They can adapt to realize their personal vision, some of which may have to be achieved outside the organization, or at a later time.
5. Grudgingly Compliant
Some people will display a grudging compliance. The grudgingly compliant person’s personal vision overlaps very little, if at all, with the organizational vision. In fact, this person probably sees the organization’s vision as opposed to his or her personal vision. They will do what is expected because they feel obligated, but they do not see the value of the direction in which the organization is moving and are still opposed to changes that have already taken place. Perhaps only to “keep their jobs” or because they see some other benefit outside the real vision, they do whatever is required of them, but nothing more. At best, such compliance is really more accurately described as passive-aggressive behavior. They stay on and do enough to get by while letting it be known that they really are not on board. While they may not lead an open rebellion, they are, in effect, hoping that the vision will not become reality. Grudgingly compliant people can be the most destructive force in the organization. Such people only remain with the organization because of the tangible benefits they receive (medical, retirement benefits, inability to find other employment, etc.). Grudgingly compliant people will tend to blame the organizational changes for their lack of productivity and inability to fulfill their own personal vision. (See more on this below.)
Apart from the committed, the enrolled and the compliant people, there are also two other groups that must be dealt with concerning the organization’s vision. A certain number of people will be noncompliant. Their attitude toward the vision is negative to the point of “I won’t do it and you can’t make me.” Since they see no benefit in the vision, they may actively seek to undermine it or change it to a completely different direction.
Even after they leave the organization, the noncompliant people often have a lasting influence on some of those who are grudgingly compliant, many of whom might remain with the organization for quite long tenures as they continue to express their passive-resistance to the forward motion toward the vision.
7. Apathetic
People in the last group demonstrate apathy for the vision. They are neither for it nor against it. They are simply along for the ride and waiting for the end of their shift or term. Like the noncompliant people, apathetic people are outside the circle of the organizational vision. While they are not actively pulling against the direction of the vision, they are simply dead weight being dragged along without contributing significantly to the advancement of the organization to meet its objectives.
Leadership Hints:
• Are you a committed, enrolled or compliant leader?
• How does this affect your servant/leadership?
• As you look at the people you lead, what attitudes do you think each of them demonstrates?
Followership Hints:
• Time for another attitude check! Review the seven attitudes and try to identify which best describes your attitude toward your present organization and your current job assignment within it.
• If you continue in this attitude, will you contribute to the successful accomplishment of your personal life goals and also help the organization to reach its objectives?
Note: In next week’s article I’ll talk more about leading people to the next levels of compliance, enrollment or commitment.
© Dr. Larry N. Gay, March 2010
http://mylead360.blogspot.com/ “Lessons in Leadership and Followership”
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