MSLD 633 Module 8- How To Better Enable Leadership

                 

As Obolensky stated a few times in his text, organizations are becoming complex to the point that top leaders cannot make all the decisions for the entire organization (2014). As a result, superior leaders need the help of others to simplify complexity and get the most of their jobs done. An online university: such as my organization is a perfect example.

Overall, my organization has a good leadership structure. As an online university, it is critical: particularly to employees running one of many campuses to have a strong set of self-leadership skills. Without sufficient skills, we will be too dependent to university headquarters: which can eventually hurt the entire organization. My level of the organization only consists of my boss and myself. Personally, we believe that constant communication can help establish leadership.

Aside from our daily side conversations (we’re almost like best of pals), we often have an array of discussions. This can include anywhere from going over new university procedures to talking about an unusual advisement in the office. The key here is learning from one another. As Obolensky stated, every level of an organization tends to think and do things differently (2014). For instance, bottom-leveled departments could have as much as 60% of the information needed for effective decision-making versus the 10 to 30% in top and middle levels (Obolensky, 2014). Since my boss and I are close, we are aware of the differences in what we do and speak. Considering this, we are open to discuss and listen to one another in hopes to gather enough information to help us do our own work.

While I was unable to get any interviews from those above us, the challenge in my organization is closing the gap between university headquarters and its surrounding campuses. Currently, the university is making a shift towards online classes to the point that they no longer need as much help from employees outside headquarters (who advises and runs on-campus courses). While it is convenient for them to centralize and cover most of the daily tasks, I believe they are making a backward approach to Obolensky’s importance of polyarchy systems. To better enable leadership and ways of doing at the university, everyone needs to engage in further communication and listening. As previously mentioned, organizations are expanding and becoming complex to the point that leaders cannot make all the decisions for the entire organization (Obolensky, 2014). Considering the previously mentioned 10 to 30% of information from top levels, leading with the missing 60% can cause a domino effect of problems. To avoid this, everyone should engage in communication and listening to not only learn about one another, but to make more effective decision-making.

References:

Obolensky, N. (2014). Complex Adaptive Leadership: Embracing Paradox and Uncertainty (2nd ed.). UK: Gower Publishing.