The most
notable and successful organizational transformation I recall is that of Apple
Inc. while under the leadership of Steve Jobs. The first computer I ever used
was the Apple IIe with its 5.25” floppy drive and monochromatic monitor. The
Apple IIe was also the only Apple computer I had used until I recently
purchased a new Macbook Pro. This was largely due to the explosion of PC’s and
the Microsoft windows operating systems throughout the late 20th and
early 21st century. Apple was all but lost until Steve Jobs orchestrated
an unimaginable system-wide change. He is credited with leading visionary
system-wide change and steering Apple Inc. away from the gutter. Included
within the change program was Job’s vision to establish Apple University, a
professional development program that offers courses in leadership and
management to educate employees in the company's culture, history, and values
(Dilger, 2011). This is only a small slice of the pie in contrast to the
overall program but an important one nonetheless.
Organizations
must evolve over time to remain competitive and adjust to changes within the
external environment. The qualities and attributes of leaders can vary however
they must incorporate the ability to establish and maintain relationships,
foster teamwork, exhibit emotional intelligence. Most importantly, leaders must
guide and refine the organizations culture. Steve Jobs vision including the
establishment of Apple University works to codify and preserve the culture Jobs
established at Apple (Dilger, 2011). An astute example of leadership about
system-wide change programs. It is important to not only develop and implement
change, but also keep the ball rolling long afterwards.
Shifting
focus to a much small organization, I reflect on my units failed attempt to
transform into a learning organization. Historically, military aviation units
are Type-A centric with ambitious, extremely organized, highly detailed and
exceedingly status oriented individuals. The downfall to this mentality is
everyone is afraid to make mistakes, let alone share or learn from them. The
premise of transitioning to a learning organization was to capitalize on shared
information across the organization. A learning organization would also foster
a non-judgmental environment without barriers that permitted collaboration and
cooperation (Brown, 2011, P. 277). The concept was ideal but poor leadership
stifled the process.
Two years
ago, our former unit commander attempted to tear down the walls. He organized
several meetings to clear the air, share stories, and utilize personal examples
where he came up short. He offered opportunities for non-punitive information
sharing at these meetings so people could learn from other’s stories. People held
reservations about the program initially. They viewed it as a way for leaders
to get dirt on their subordinates. However, despite initial reservation the
system-wide change made progress. People would share stories and the rigid
Type-A mentality had started to dissolve. The leadership behind this change
program was supportive; they maintained a non-judgmental relationship and
collaboration was allowed to develop.
Sadly,
the organization was challenged as an accident resulting in the loss of a life transpired.
The leadership was perplexed and rather than incorporating this accident into
the change-program our commander resorted to traditional ways. He isolated
elements of his command team to protect them and himself from punitive or
administrative reprimand. This one action destroyed the entire transition towards
a learning organization. All the progress was otherwise thwarted. The
leadership failed to maintain their commitment to the critical elements that support
a learning organization. While the investigation was underway, the parties
involved were alienated and were considered by leadership to be guilty until
proven innocent. I recall the next meeting following the accident as a bitterly
cold environment, a cattle prod would not energize anyone to talk or share. The
attempt of a system-wide transition to a learning organization had failed.
References
Brown, D. R. (2011). High-Performing Systems and
Learning Organization. In An experiential approach to organization
development (8th ed., pp. 373-397). Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.
Dilger, D. E. (2011, October 6). Apple University
revealed as plan to teach executives to think like Steve Jobs. AppleInsider.
Retrieved from http://appleinsider.com/articles/11/10/06/apple_university_revealed_as_plan_to_teach_executives_to_think_like_steve_jobs
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