Harnessing the ‘3 Forces’ in an organization

Background

As a business leader, I have been privileged to closely observe several world-class global organizations like Unilever, IBM, American Express, Nestle (and my employer, Ogilvy itself) in different parts of the world. Then, in my role as a talent head, I was fortunate to learn not only to how such organisations develop and grow their leaders, but equally, their progressive entry-to-exit talent practices. Now, as a leadership consultant, I have a ringside view into multiple Indian organisations – corporates, NGOs and start-ups. Based on the insights gained over 40 years, I would like to share some remarkable dynamics I have noticed, plus some relevant best practices.

The 3 Forces

To begin with, these organizations are not just groups of people defined by mechanical boxes-and-lines and held together by hierarchical, financial or even psychological contracts … they show distinct signs of life! They are robust, intelligent entities and complex systems. With this lens, if one looks closely at their ‘energetics’ rather than at their ‘anatomy’, one finds that each organisation/ system is subject to 3 different, complementary and archetypal ‘forces’.

1. Organizing force: What the system is centred on – purpose, vision, values, culture, brand essence/ positioning, etc. The organising force is akin to the centripetal force in physics, where energy moves inwards i.e. towards the centre. Drawing from Indian tradition, perhaps it can also be correlated with ‘Sattva guna’, which represents the pure, the essential, stability/ equilibrium.
2. Liberating force: How the system evolves and grows – growth, diversification, entering new markets/ segments, innovation/ new product development, distribution, etc. The liberating principle is akin to the centrifugal force in physics, where the energy moves outwards i.e. away from the centre. Drawing from Indian tradition, perhaps it can also be correlated with ‘Rajas guna’, which represents activity and dynamic movement.
3. Limiting force: What holds the system back or drags it down – outdated structures or processes, a negative climate, de-motivated/ disengaged staff, leadership vacuum, etc. If the organising and liberating forces are ‘enablers’, the limiting force is the ‘disabler’. The limiting force is akin to the entropic force in physics, which refers to energy dispersal/ dissipation in a system. Drawing from Indian tradition, perhaps it can also be correlated with ‘Tamas guna’, which represents inertia, resistance to action and untransformed potential energy.

Harnessing the 3 Forces

I have come to realise that the primary task of leadership is to balance and harmonise all 3 forces, thus keeping the organisation healthy and flourishing.

Depending on the CEO/ Leadership team’s interest and comfort zone, there is usually a push-and-pull between which forces are given priority at any given time. Very few organisations are able to harness all 3 simultaneously … this calls for conscious leadership of a very high order.

1. Leadership teams typically spend a lot of time, effort and resources on the organising force i.e. on getting the ‘DNA’ elements right. Equally, they allocate plenty of time, effort and resources to the liberating force i.e. ensuring that profit growth and marketplace performance are sustained.
2. Most successful organisations are very good at identifying, developing and rewarding those individuals who are aligned to and are exemplars of their organising and liberating forces. Such individuals are called ‘torch-bearers’ or ‘high-potentials’. Roots & Wings Consulting Services Pvt. Ltd. www.rootsnwings.in
3. Perhaps not surprisingly, the limiting force is rarely front-and-centre for leadership teams; in many organisations, it is poorly understood and remains implicit/ under the radar, hence it doesn’t receive commensurate time, effort or resources, except when a crisis erupts. Leadership teams learn the hard way that if the limiting force is neglected, it weakens the organising and liberating forces and eventually contributes to the system’s decline, decay and death. On the other hand, it can have a positive impact on the system if it can be neutralised, channelised or transformed.

Deeper into the limiting force

Because of the crucial role it plays in determining an organisation’s health, the limiting force is worth examining more closely.

From the standpoint of psychology, the limiting force is quite similar to the ‘shadow’, described by C.G. Jung, as all those “denied, rejected, disowned or repressed aspects of one’s psyche.” However, Jung also noted that the shadow must be embraced; it has great value because buried deep within it are the precious nuggets of one’s “undeveloped and unrealised potential” and these, when brought to light and integrated, are important for “individuation” i.e., the journey to health and wholeness.

Similarly, from the Indian tradition, it is not entirely accurate to see ‘Tamas’ as a purely negative quality. Rather, it may be seen as a necessary part of the whole; it exists in order to be transformed. Once the potential energy locked inside is released, it can propel the system into a new orbit.

In the same way, an organisation can never entirely escape the drag of the limiting force. It will always be there and its negative impact can, at best, be understood and minimised. And more importantly, its real value will reveal itself when the shadow/Tamasic elements are made visible and explicit. Then the leadership team – from an equanimous/objective state – can decide how to address it: which aspects (the nuggets) to develop/integrate into the organisations evolutionary journey, and which aspects (the dross) to let go/ weed out. Both – integration and weeding out – are necessary for long-term health.

How to recognise/ diagnose the limiting force

Organisations are really all about people. The good news is that its limiting force is quite visible among its people, when one looks carefully. In my experience, one can see it in 4 kinds/ levels of energy dissipaters, marked by some common behaviours.
(Note: As you read the descriptions below, please reflect on the systems/ organisations that you know well and see if you can spot these limiting energies in them. Equally, check in to see if you, yourself, have exhibited these qualities at different points in time. The answers may be revealing!)

1. ‘Detractor’: This quality is visible among people who genuinely care about the organisation, its values and its agenda, but for some reason (perhaps arising from a warped notion of that care?) tend to be over-critical; they often nit-pick and find fault with everything. Because of this, they carry small a ‘negative charge’ around them and can spread it to others they engage with. They will usually justify their attitude and behaviour as ‘divine discontent’. In terms of energy, this is the least dissipative and the easiest to turn around.
2. ‘Distractor’: This quality is visible among people who understand the organisational vision/ agenda and want to support it. But in trying too hard, they come up with their own initiatives/ priorities that are often tangential to where the organisation is headed. By keeping too many balls in the air, they deflect the organisation’s time, focus and resources, and this contributes to energy drainage within the system. This stage is more dissipative and harder to turn around, compared to the ‘detractors’. Roots & Wings Consulting Services Pvt. Ltd. www.rootsnwings.in
3. ‘Disruptor’: This quality can have both a positive and a negative impact. Positive disruptors are typically the mavericks and the iconoclasts who want the organisation to succeed. Their way is to constantly challenge the status quo and bring in fresh, innovative energy that ventilates the system. However, the same energy, if overdone or when distorted, can easily turn into its opposite. Negative disruptors tend to dismiss consistency/ continuity as “stagnation”, they constantly re- open closed discussions and decisions, and they can derail rigorous processes, under the guise of “constant improvement”. In doing so, they create small swirls, eddies and vortices in the system that not only dissipate existing energy, but also demand additional energy to bring derailed initiatives back on track. This stage is quite damaging to the system and requires firm handling.
4. ‘Destructor’: The quality is most toxic and debilitating to a system. It is visible in people who are not fundamentally aligned to the system’s organising (vision, values, etc.) force or the liberating (growth, development, etc.) forces. Because of this misalignment, they, consciously or unconsciously, want to change the system’s direction to suit a different (their own) vision/ agenda. Some are outspoken and argue repeatedly for their point of view until they exhaust themselves and leave the system. Others can be more subversive: the “clever politicians” or “quiet saboteurs” can block the system from the inside, for years. As the name suggests, destructors can drain so much energy that they can destabilise and ultimately even destroy the entire system. Decisive action by the leaders is a must, to either transform, neutralise or weed this force out.

How mature organisations deal with energy dissipaters

Basically, they have tried-and-tested practices in place.

1. They recognise and acknowledge that such energy-dissipaters are natural and universal; every organisation (and indeed, every individual and every system) has them.
2. They encourage and train leaders, at all levels, to spot the dissipaters; this requires sensitive antennae! And the earlier they are sensed/ surfaced, the easier it is to transform them. (As Ogilvy’s talent head for Asia-Pacific, for example, this was my prime responsibility.)
3. Once spotted, the leadership team ‘vets’ the dissipaters. This not only prevents personal or functional biases creeping in, it also makes the leaders responsible for the ‘cause-and-cure’.
4. An ‘engagement’ process follows. Typically this takes 2-3 coaching conversations based on behavioural feedback and is followed up by specific developmental inputs, including further coaching. (In Ogilvy, for example, this ‘engagement’ process is de-linked from the bi-annual ‘appraisal/ rating’ process.)
5. Holding the premise that “every dissipater can be transformed, through the right engagement”, the organisation works with different energies/ people differently. For example:
   – With ‘detractors’, one can, simply and compassionately, mirror their ‘negative charge’ to them and show how it can dissipate their own and others energy.
   – With ‘distracters’, one may need to make a stronger case, based on solid data, for maintaining focus through a ‘less-is-more/ strategic’ approach.
   – ‘Positive disruptors’ are rare and valuable, so one needs to mobilise and align them to the organisations liberating principle, because that is where they most naturally fit and thrive.
   – With ‘negative disruptors’, it is important to be quite firm in setting boundaries, calling out violations and taking quick and corrective actions to keep progress on track.
   – Even with ‘destructors’, continuous dialogue is essential. Only as a last resort and after much consideration, does extreme action i.e. removing them from the system, make sense.

How mature organisations deal with ‘exits’

This is perhaps one of the trickiest and most painful actions for an organisation/ leadership team to take. Fortunately, there is good research and practice wisdom available, to adopt or adapt!

1. To clarify the scope of this discussion, upfront: – It is not about ethical, financial, racial or sexual improprieties, where due legal process is required to be followed – It assumes that all the steps/ stages have been followed and due diligence done, before the stage of ‘last resort’ is reached
2. Even at this stage, the process involves ‘structured escalation’ and ‘checks-and-balances’. Some of the key steps are:
   – The individual is required to go through a 360 degree formal feedback process.
   – Based on this, the individual is given a verbal warning, then a written warning, followed by a written notice; each has to be ratified/ counter-signed by the HR and Business heads in advance.
   – The decision to ‘remove’ an individual can only be taken by the full leadership team; having to take such a decision is seen as a failure of leadership, rather than as a leadership prerogative.
   – The decision is communicated to the individual jointly by the Business and HR heads, verbally first, and then in writing.
   – Remuneration/ benefits/ notice period, etc are clarified and out-placement support (usually professional counselling sessions and recruitment assistance) is offered.
   – Communication to internal and external stakeholders is prepared in advance and shared with the individual.
   – An exit interview opportunity (with an independent panel of 2-3 senior leaders) is given.
   – The individual’s direct team-members are briefed in person by the HR head.
   – Through the process, the emphasis is on compassionate communication and on maintaining the individual’s personal dignity and professional reputation.

Questions for Leaders & Leadership teams to ponder, vis-a-vis the Limiting Force

• How to recognise/acknowledge its importance and relevance with awareness and sensitivity?
• How to bring the language of the 3 forces and the 4 dissipaters into leadership dialogues?
• How to surface and engage the energy dissipaters in the organisation, with open minds/ hearts?
• Who will lead this engagement process, over what time-frame and with what outcomes in mind?
• How does the organisation, if necessary and as a last resort only, invite the die-hard destructors to exit, ensuring a process of ‘structured escalation’ and ‘checks and balances’?
• At a systemic level, how to prevent energy dissipation/ toxicity from compromising the organisation’s long-term health?
• How to create/ articulate a comprehensive set of guidelines to engage the Limiting Force, in alignment with the organisation’s Vision, Values & Culture?

Vijay Bhat
Roots & Wings Consulting Services
Mumbai, India