Developing a collective commitment to the well being of the whole organisation is the basis of an equality driven workplace, and the opposite of what is seen in a top down management system. A common will and vision within a company can function as an effective driver of sustainable business growth.

Kegan and Lahey state that ‘effective leaders go to enormous lengths to create a viable mission, a shared commitment to which there is the widest possible assent’ (Immunity To Change, 2009). This paves the way for a system of leadership that values input from all levels and a business vision that is shared by every member of an empowered workforce.

Creating A Collective Business Vision:

In traditional, hierarchical systems, the decision making process is unilateral and linear, resulting in the leader functioning as the purveyor of all knowledge. When space is made for a process that makes use of the experience and subjective knowledge of the employees at every level of the business, a change takes place that is transformative in many ways.

There are significant and practical benefits of a new method of communication that extend beyond promoting equality on a superficial level:

• Using experiential knowledge relieves the pressure on the leader to appear as the purveyor of all knowledge.

• Sharing the knowledge and experience of all participants in the business relationship successfully challenges thinking that is restricted to the narrow, learned frameworks of the leaders.

• A common vision creates the widest possible assent across an organisation, to create a collectively owned mission that is viable and held by all.

• An organisational life that values subjective knowledge and experience as a determinant of common will and vision allows the image of the firm that is presented to others to be continually updated, increasing productive opportunity.

It is easy to see that an organisation that holds this type of vision will command much greater loyalty and commitment, as well as much higher productivity, across all levels of the company.

Take The Challenge: Grow Yourself And Your Business

Kieth Deats is a specialist in Equality-Based Practice and has committed his lifetime’s work and doctoral practice study to addressing equality at every level of society as a practitioner. He is driven to enable this with individuals, teams and leaders. He currently partners with peer practitioners and entrepreneurs, working to develop frameworks that introduce and integrate Equality-Based practices and management actions to update and evolve their enterprises. The goal is to sustain and increase rates of growth, with a determination to see each other’s success and the well-being of leaders and their organisations as a priority for Modern Enterprise.

Kieth is available to give talks, and enable the design and implementation of Equality-Based Practices in your own settings, and is contactable via www.recree8.com.