He Says We Need a Revolution
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
By Melanie Lockwood Herman
Executive Director
This week I’ve been engrossed in “Beyond Management: Taking Charge at Work,” the new book by featured SUMMIT keynote speaker Mark Addleson. The author of “Beyond Management” offers a sobering perspective on the discipline of management. According to Professor Addleson, when performance falls short of expectations or lack of cooperation among employees leads to costly mistakes, many leaders instinctively turn to the structure, strategy and process, the building blocks of management systems. There is a tendency to focus on re-engineering the “structure” of the organization, honing strategy, and improving processes—how the work gets done. The author asserts that too often, systemic breakdowns are due to the very structures and systems intended to make the organization manageable. Examples of these impediments to great performance include the familiar departmental structure (silos), our relentless thirst for data, and constantly changing yet often convoluted chains of command.
Addleson urges his reader to abandon an old fashioned “outside view” of work focused on the “documentation, data, deliverables, directives, deadlines and dollars,” and instead take an “inside view” in order to understand, support, empower and motivate today’s knowledge worker.
According to Addleson, today’s knowledge workers:
- Spend most of their work time organizing work
- Are asked to figure out problems and decide what to do about them
- Make meaning out of situations that often don’t make much sense
- Design and create work through conversations
- Engage in dynamic (versus linear) processes that involve reflecting, exploring, inquiring, clarifying and resolving
Mark Addleson’s thought-provoking examination of “management” as we know it is a must-read for any nonprofit leader who serves in a management role. If your schedule permits, I hope you’ll join me at the 18th annual conference of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center this August 26-28 in Chicago. I am looking forward to hearing more about the role of knowledge workers in a modern workplace, how to change the way we lead and motivate, and why traditional management thinking isn’t enough to support and sustain the ambitious, mission-focused nonprofits we serve. Mark Addleson says we need to revolutionize the way we manage people and organizations. If you’re keen to learn why and how, register for the SUMMIT today.
Melanie Lockwood Herman is Executive Director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. She welcomes your ideas about any risk management topic, feedback on this article and questions about the Center’s resources at Melanie@nonprofitrisk.org or 703.777.3504. The Center provides risk management tools and resources at www.https://nonprofitrisk.org/ and offers consulting assistance to organizations unwilling to leave their missions to chance.
“First let me congratulate you on a conference well done. I had a great time at the Nonprofit Employee Benefits Conference and walked away with some valuable tools and questions that we’ll need to be addressing in both the short and long term. Thanks to you and your staff for all you do to provide us with quality resources in support of our missions.”
— Scott Brown, Mohonk Preserve
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— Sidney Abrams, BBYO
“Melanie Herman has provided expert, insightful, timely and well resourced information to our Executive Team and Board of Directors. Our corporation recently experienced massive growth through merger and the Board has been working to better integrate their expanded set of roles and responsibilities. Melanie presented at our Annual Board of Director’s Retreat and captured the interest of our Board members. As a result of her excellent presentation the Board has engaged in focused review which is having immediate effects on governance.”
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— Jodi Spataro, Community Foundation of Elkhart County
“The board and staff of the Prince George’s Child Resource Center are extremely pleased with the results of the risk assessment conducted by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. A thorough scan revealed that while we are a well run organization, we had risks that we never imagined. We are grateful to know that we have now minimized our organizational risks and we recommend the Center to other nonprofits.”
— Marti Worshtil, Prince George’s Child Resource Center
Great American Insurance Group’s Specialty Human Services is committed to protecting those who improve your communities. The Center team has committed to delivering dynamic risk management solutions tailored to nonprofit organizations. These organizations have many and varied risk issues, hence the need for specialized coverage and expert knowledge for their protection. We’ve had Melanie speak on several occasions to employees and our agents. She is always on point and delivers such great value. Thank you for the terrific partnership and allowing our nonprofits to focus on their mission!