Archive for November, 2009
The Five P’s of Organizational Leadership
Mental models help us remember critical concepts. One mental model I use daily consists of the Five P’s of Organizational Leadership. The Five P’s are the backbone of all organizational structures. By analyzing each of these individually and also as an interdependent system, the root causes of many organizational malfunctions and performance concerns can be determined. Change any of the five and you inherently change the whole so both independent and interdependent analysis is required.
Every organizational analysis I have ever done has been based upon this simple, yet complete model. The more organizational leaders understand the interdependence of these five dynamics the more they will increase their leadership capability. Leading without understanding these five key functions and the interdependence of them, often leads to increased ineffectiveness.
- People - As the phrase goes, get the right people on the bus and get the wrong people that are on the bus off. No matter what profession or industry you are in, all of your products and services are delivered through your staff so Rule Number 1 is ‘get the right people on the bus’ and make sure they know where the company is going and how they can help the organization succeed.
- Policies - Policies are those formalized, written ‘rules to live by’ within a company. They specify WHAT. Keep them simple, easy to understand, logical and as few as necessary to be effective. In general, the more you get the right people on the bus the fewer policies you need.
- Practices - Practices are the collective habits and actions that tell people WHAT and HOW to do and not do, but they are not written. They are what people see and hear, not what they read.
- Procedures - Procedures are written sets of instructions that tell people HOW to do specific tasks. They are often used as training aids and help achieve consistency.
- Processes - Systems, structures, infrastructures all have processes that define both HOW and WHAT.
If you have a particular problem or concern you’d like to analyze, give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to help you analyze the situation using the Five P’s of Organizational Leadership model.
Joyce Friel
Peak Performance Consulting
480 236 4266