The concept of a ‘learning organization’ as discussed in Ian Cunningham’s article Developing human and social capital in organizations (2002), while a term I have never heard before, is a practice that I feel like i Have been searching for in all organizations to which I have belonged to. A ‘learning organization’ depicts an organization that focuses on Omni-Directional Leadership (Clapp, 2010), allowing space for ‘mentoring-up’ and growth within the larger system of the organization rather than solely individuals.
I’ve worked in many different types of organizations throughout my career, including as a sole proprietor, as part of a large retail ‘team’ that worked on commission (though ‘team’ and ‘commission’ are very much at odds in a retail economy that doesn’t offer living wages), and now on a small team within the larger organization of the BC Government. I’ve been fortunate to work with and learn from leaders who managed from a place of information sharing, and from those who work from a place of top-down mentorship. Something I hadn’t experienced, however, is the concept of a “collaboration blind-spot” as referenced by Lisa Kwon in her 2019 article of the same title.
In my experience, the leaders who valued information sharing and collaboration not only facilitated a healthier team dynamic but also produced more relevant creative work. The way I see it, collaboration can only allow space for meaningful conversations, openness, and positive change.
However, Kwon posits that this type of leadership can create tension within a team (p.68), which I’ll admit, is not something I had considered. My personal brand of leadership involves sharing all the information I have right up front – a habit built from spending so many years in the fashion industry where competitiveness rules and even close colleagues keep their industry knowledge heavily guarded. But Kown suggests that forcing a team to share all their knowledge openly can build resentment and distrust among team members (p. 69).
Kwon notes that leaders who want to encourage effective collaboration first need to develop a sense of security – especially regarding “identity, legitimacy, and control” (p. 70). Essentially, members need to trust that they have autonomy, even within the larger structure of the team. Feeling safe to share ideas with a team is one thing, feeling confident that you will still get credit for those great ideas when the entire team presents the report is another thing entirely. Ultimately, although we may all work as part of a team, we are all independent beings with our own dreams and career development goals.
Reflecting on the learnings of this course thus far regarding my personal leadership style, I am (once again) reminded that what works for one may not work for all. My view of effective leadership has again been expanded not only with new terms for the myriad of leadership types I have encountered previously, but with new concepts that will aid me as I move forward into my own leadership journey.