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This is Part 5 in a series of articles that introduce the main ideas about Reflection Leadership.
Up until now as I’ve described the parts of Reflection Leadership I’ve mostly focused on the leader’s reflection of interactions with others. Systems Reflection steps beyond interactions with individuals and looks at organizational issues. Part of the role of the leader is to make sure that systems are in place to support what needs to be accomplished by the organization. This means that the systems in place should support rather than constrict both recognition of the vision and it’s continuous articulation. It also means that the systems that are in place should support the members of the organization in their pursuit of working towards the vision.
Organizations have different kinds of systems in place such as reporting structures, compensation packages, working conditions and the like. However from a leadership perspective, when I talk about Systems Reflection, I’m really talking about things like team development, motivational systems and the culture of the organization. These are the organizational dynamics that we as leaders need to have a keen awareness of and be able to understand whether they are supporting or hindering what we are trying to accomplish. For instance, if the reporting structures in the organization are such that there is little cross functional communication, silos will be created limiting the overall performance of the organization. Likewise, if we want to create a dynamic organization that is nimble and always looking for innovation, but the organizational culture is one where the messenger is always beat down, innovation will be stifled.
Practicing Systems Reflection
The key to Systems Reflection, just as it is for the other parts of Reflection Leadership, is to take the time to actually stop and reflect. Being able to really understand organizational dynamics is difficult when you are enmeshed in the everyday drama of it all. So, taking the time to stop and reflect on what is actually happening in the organization can be some of the most productive time any leader can spend.
As you begin to take the time to stop and reflect on what is going on in the organization you should start to ask yourself questions like:
What is the organizational culture like?
Is the culture toxic?
Are the employees in my organization dedicated to the work and the mission or are they just here for a paycheck?
Do smaller units act like a high performing team, or are they just a group of people working in the same area?
When we are able to start seeing the answers to these questions we can begin to reflect on whether or not these systems are aligned with what we want for ourselves and our organization.
Systems Reflection is a routine way to constantly monitor what is going on in our organization so that we can make sure that the systems we have in place are supportive of our efforts as a leader. When we find that our systems are not supportive, we really have two choices. We could choose to work on changing the systems, which sometimes can be extremely difficult (it’s really hard to change an organizational culture overnight). We could also choose to change our expectations so that they are more inline with our organizational systems. Unfortunately, many times we are so overwhelmed by the day-to-day grind and caught up in the drama of things that we end up doing nothing.
Systems Reflection gives us the tools and energy to make the changes we need related to our organizational systems. But without the action, the doing something, things will never changes. So, once we have reflected on what needs to be done, we need to act…to make change happen.
What kinds of organizational systems do you pay most attention to in your Systems Reflection?
