WEEKLY FOCUS
Command & Control
When empowerment is not on the table
The world as we know it is changing. We must act on the instructions given and not delay.
In the 1950s Harvard referenced two Management Styles…COP & ACE.
“Control…Organise…Predict”
“Align…Create…Enable”
The first being very “command and control”, while the second is a much more tolerant and empowered style. Further research has shown that organisations following the ACE style to have far more success, although the reality is that in most organisations, a bit of each may work best…That said…Armed Forces…Emergency Services etc. will have a huge bias towards COP.
So where does this leave us in the midst of the Coronavirus?
“Our elders were called to war to save lives…We are being called to sit on the sofa to save theirs…We can do this”.
We are living in a fast changing world and which has developed at a fast pace. Despite all of the information available, we know that there is still a minority not following instructions.
Anyone still unsure about the measures to be taken, should click on the link here. //www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
We are moving to a complete “command & control” situation where we have to accept that choice is not an option. As a liberal society, we have become increasingly used to having autonomy over much of what we do, and this includes the increase on the numbers of those who are self- employed.
With both Coronavirus and climate change, we are all now responsible for helping to save the planet as we know it…Only recently in Venice, waters were starting to run clear again.
We are seeing random acts of kindness from strangers.
Communities are resurfacing…New ways of working are being found.
From a desperate situation, people are pulling together…Once some normality returns, we may have improved society, fostered new relationships and shown new work practices.
BUT, only if we all act on the instructions that we are given. Help to make this a better world everyone.
“One of the first duties of a Scout is obedience to authority. He must obey his orders in first place and put his own amusement or desires in the second”.
Robert Baden-Powell