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Archives for September 2008

Enterprise as a Process of Becoming – the Emergence of Identity

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Enterprise is not about business and entrepreneurship.

It is not about premises, finances, business plans and swots.

It is a process for human development.

It is a way of exploring:

  • who I am,
  • what my potentials are/might be, and
  • the kind of future that I could create.

It is way of living – of becoming.

Enterprise can be a catalyst, a framework, for the emergence of identity.

We need to develop enterprise programmes that pay serious attention to these issues of identity development and the process of ‘becoming’.  Enterprise as the emergence of identity.  There are links here to other ways in which some people find their identity – gangs, drink, knifes, drugs, crime etc and enterprise as a ‘diversionary’ activity.  A ‘substitution’ product if you like.

The education system doesn’t take identity seriously –  so there is a really interesting vacuum that the enterprise industry could step into if it could learn to re-position itself and become experts in developing human potential rather than the mechanics of the business plan.

Why do Managers Duck People Management?

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This piece of research caught my attention recently;

“While 84 percent of organizations know that workforce effectiveness is important to achieving business results, only 42 percent of those surveyed say managers devote sufficient time to people management.”

What stops managers from spending time on developing workforce effectiveness?

Why do so many managers ‘duck’ managing people.

  1. Some managers don’t think it’s their job – ‘I am here to make sure that widgets get out the door on time and on budget.  I expect people to manage themselves.’
  2. Some managers don’t have the tools they need – Few managers are trained in the systems and processes that will help them to develop the potential and the performance of the people that they manage.
  3. Some managers believe that conflict comes with the territory – and would prefer to avoid it for as long as possible – Many managers fear that ‘managing’ people leads to conflict and conflict leads to poorer performance.  ‘People management’ is synonymous with ‘managing underperformance’.  Few managers have a positive, engaging and developmental management approach that thye know will work.

For me the managers job is not about ‘managing people’.  It is about providing them with a relationship to the organisation that allows them to develop their potential and to do great work.

In my experience managers that work systematically on building this relationship and then use:

  • feedback,
  • coaching and
  • delegation

to develop each persons contribution to performance very soon become outstanding managers recognised as leading high performing teams.

However it does take time – perhaps 60-90 minutes per week for each person managed to do the most effective job.  But the returns on that investment can be enormous – I would estimate productivity gains per person to be in the region of 25-40% within 6 months.