Rosabeth Moss Kanter on what Peter Drucker would say about what is required of leaders in the twenty-first century:
Drucker began his career in a world in which organizational boundaries could be readily defined and maintained. The goal-setting and coordination tasks that he considered the essence of management were straightforward. In today’s world of alliances, partnerships, self-conscious business ecosystems, and self-organizing networks, boundaries are increasingly blurred. The coordination problem has become vastly more difficult. But in a sense, that makes Drucker’s perspective even more valuable. When things are in flux, a sense of purpose and a set of common values enable people to work together effectively. If the twentieth century gave rise to knowledge workers with deep expertise, the twenty-first century will require leaders who can foster integrative thinking and collaboration across fields and specialties. Collaboration, not coordination, will be the task of management.
Sometimes, the goal isn’t to ‘manage change’ but to collaborate and build bridges through discovery and insight. Does your change management program include tools and techniques to foster integrating thinking and collaboration? If not, it should.
