Ignorer la navigation
A Noble Purpose Alone Won’t Transform Your Company
Article

A Noble Purpose Alone Won’t Transform Your Company

Leadership behaviors that nurture interpersonal collaboration are the true drivers of change.



Editorial Rating

9

getAbstract Rating

  • Applicable
  • Concrete Examples
  • Engaging

Recommendation

Business leaders appreciate the importance of employee engagement, but many misunderstand what truly drives it – and most neglect its fundamental enabler. In an interesting white paper for MIT Sloan Management Review, Rob Cross, a professor of global leadership at Babson College; Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership and management at Harvard Business School; and Wendy Murphy, associate dean and professor of management at Babson College, report on research based on organizational network analysis and interviews with 200 business leaders that reveal the central role of interpersonal collaboration in employee engagement. The authors offer a three-step process for generating positive collaboration and specific leadership behaviors to support each step.

Summary

For building employee engagement, nothing else matches the impact of interpersonal collaboration.

Many leaders believe a sense of purpose drives engagement, but organizational network analysis (ONA) shows that interpersonal collaboration makes the biggest difference. At software as a service (SaaS) developer WorkDay, despite the company’s relatively workaday mission, the workforce enjoys high levels of engagement, energy and enthusiasm. As the cause, Workday’s leaders point to their dedication to fostering collaboration. Recruiters hire candidates who show empathy and a service orientation, and the company’s leaders encourage employees to build interpersonal networks.

A three-step process fosters collaboration, beginning with establishing safety and trust.

Leaders should build collaboration in three phases. First, lay...

About the Authors

Rob Cross is a professor of global leadership at Babson College and founder of Connected Commons, a research consortium of 80 leading global firms. Amy Edmondson teaches leadership and management at Harvard Business School. Wendy Murphy is associate dean and professor of management at Babson College.


Comment on this summary

More on this topic

Related Skills

Développer sa créativité
Développer son intelligence émotionnelle
Construire et entretenir le bien-être
Drive Team Performance
Promouvoir une culture de l'innovation
Ressources Humaines
Innovation
Diriger de façon éthique
S’auto-diriger
Bien vivre
Gérer le changement
Gérer la communication de l'entreprise
Gérer les performances
Management
Marketing
Navigate Leadership Challenges
Développement personnel
Promouvoir la diversité, l'équité et l'inclusion
Façonner la culture d'entreprise
Compétences professionnelles
Motiver son équipe
Se comprendre soi-même
Améliorer sa maîtrise de soi
Comprendre les comportements sociaux
Conduire le changement
Comprendre les types de personnalité
Diriger de façon inclusive
Tirer parti des Groupes de Ressources pour les Employés
Compétences relationnelles
Comprendre les comportements humains
Encourager la collaboration interfonctionnelle
Faciliter le brainstorming de groupe
Foster Team Culture
Collaborer avec créativité
Communiquer l'objectif de l'entreprise
Encourager l'appropriation chez les autres
Promouvoir la collaboration
Savoir collaborer
Vaincre la solitude
Soutenir ses collaborateurs
S'ouvrir aux autres cultures
Cultiver la positivité
Trouver du sens
Encourager l'expérimentation
Faire preuve d’empathie et de compassion
Leadership
Améliorer l'expérience de ses employés
Pratiquer le Servant Leadership
Manage People and Talent
Gérer les relations avec les employés
Practice Transformational Leadership
Strengthen Team Collaboration
Renforcer la cohésion de l'équipe
Susciter la confiance
Oser se montrer vulnérable
Créer un sentiment d'appartenance
Nouer des relations solides
Susciter l'engagement des employés
Gérer l'impact de son leadership
Développer ses compétences interpersonnelles
Renforcer la sécurité psychologique