The Knowledgebase

Inspiration

Shared understanding

Bringing purpose to life

Building a network of allies

As we explore in the course Engaging with leadership, creating a shared understanding and commitment to becoming purpose-led amongst the leadership, in particular the executive committee, is important. However, change does not happen in a linear, top-down fashion – it is more of an evolution.

Relationships with and connections between people are as important as formal hierarchal organisational structures in helping to drive change and experiments can help inform each stage along the way while also creating change as you go.

A tool that can be helpful tool in understanding how best we can effect change in an organisation is network analysis, adapted from Analytic Network Coaching System. If you are feeling ‘stuck’ or you feel your influence is limited, by externalising the network of relationships we often carry in our minds, we can reveal possible new opportunities for influence and change, or create connections between people or groups of people to build momentum. It can also enable us to work in a more emergent rather than linear way.

Exercise:

This Network analysis tool exercise can be completed on your own, with a coach or by partnering with a colleague. The idea is to locate yourself in the network(s) which influence you, and which you can influence. This may challenge you to rethink many assumptions about how your organisation works, and where your organisation begins and ends.

Finally, understanding how (often implicit and unspoken) power dynamics are at play in any organisation is essential.  Knowing what to say, how, when, and to whom can amplify the likelihood of being heard. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to adopt, each organisation will be different, however, building a network of allies with a shared understanding of purpose can be helpful in agitating for change.  

And, in those moments when you are feeling stuck:

Recognise that you likely have far more agency than you think. Resist the temptation to default to your formal job description and be bold in suggesting and trialling new ideas.

Alex Edmans, Grow the Pie