Innovating at Scale: Leaders Must Learn to Think Out Loud

 

In recent posts, I’ve been taking my own deeper dives on how leaders can apply General Stanley McChrystal’s concepts for making organizations more nimble and responsive. This week: shared consciousness.

The idea of shared consciousness comes from the insight that the best decisions are made in the field - closest to the action, not on a whiteboard in headquarters. Achieving this requires a free-flow of information, shifting from a paradigm of “need to know,” to a new model where information creates the context for rapid, well-informed decision making across an entire organization.

In service to a common purpose, shared consciousness builds organizational capability to make the most optimal “local” decisions, in service to the “broader organizational objectives.” In this model, leaders must learn to “think out loud,” being transparent in their thought process as decisions and trade-offs are made, as well as showing vulnerability when they aren’t sure what to do. This teaches the organization what principles matter most, provides the “why” behind choices, builds confidence to admit when they need help, and arms the collective “we” with the tools to do the same in their local areas.

More and more companies are adopting this transparent approach to information sharing. At Square, for example, all meeting notes and Board slide decks are shared with the entire company. At Intuit, we view all 8,000 employees as leaders, and broadcast our senior leadership meetings live for all 8,000 employees to participate. We have found that this free-flow of information opens the dialogue, inviting different and even dissenting viewpoints. The transparency can be quite healthy for an organization. When teams see dissent and disagreement being openly aired and addressed, it gives them the confidence that the problem is being debated and addressed – and if not, that a channel is open for them to offer a solution.

Ultimately, the goal of a shared consciousness model is to build an adaptive, empowered and self-learning system. One where the best ideas flow freely, changing and adapting as each team is empowered to learn, adjust and share with each other. The end result is better, faster decision making at every level of your organization. 

Posted by:Brad Smith