Alignment: Circle of Impact Conversation Guides

Alignment: Circle of Impact Conversation Guides: "

This is another post of a continuing series that describes the ideas in and use of my Circle of Impact Guides.

Alignment of the Three Dimensions of Leadership is the key to making any organizational system work.

The Structure of the Organization needs to be aligned with its Purpose or Mission. The result is a more highly Coordinated organizational structure. It would mean that there is more Communication and Collaboration between groups, units, departments and levels of the organization. It would mean a clearer basis for making decisions about structural change.

Here's the important question to ask.

What drives your business? Is it your Mission or is it how you are organized?

If it is your Mission or Purpose, then you should see the people in your organization constantly changing how they do things to better fulfill the purpose of the organization. However, if it is the structure, then you'll see a high level of resistance to breaking down barriers, and opening up lines for Communication and Collaboration.

Let me put it another way.

Every organization that I know has a Communication problem. However, that problem is not primarily the lack of clarity of the Connecting Ideas - Purpose, Mission, Values, Vision or Impact. The core problem is how they have allowed the organization to develop into an integrated, yet compartmentalized system that does not allow for a higher level of Communication and Collaboration between people and departments.

This is why one of the main tasks of leadership is a focused attention maintaining alignment within the system with the Purpose and Values of the company.

How To Use This Guide:

Use this guide to ask questions about issues of alignment. Ask them this way.

How does the structure of our organization tangibly reflect our Purpose and our Values?

In our team meetings, how are values not being lived out in our interaction and collaboration together? How can we change this?

Are we organized to achieve our Vision for Impact?

Do we have a system of measures that help us identify the change we are creating? If not, what do our measures tell us? What relation to our measures have to our Purpose and Values?

The Circle of Impact Guides are intended to facilitate thoughtful interaction in conversation. The guides can help an individual see areas to address, or why things are working well. But their strategic use is as a communication tool that facilitates Collaboration that provides for an effective way to create organizational change.

Tomorrow, we'll look at how Impact Leadership Teams function.

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