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How is it that we are self-organized and need leadership simultaneously?

manuel-profile - Manuel Küblböck

Manuel Küblböck

Manuel is committed to creating businesses that are about more than a means of income for its employees and about more than profit for its shareholders.

He promotes environments of meaning, community, and personal growth.

At better ventures, he facilitates the co-creation of how the company operates as an eco-system of autonomous teams.
His work life led him from software development, via team coaching to org design.

He lives and works in Munich. He is also a coffee snob.

Organizational Agility - 21st August

How is it that we are self-organized and need leadership simultaneously?

It’s time we talk about hierarchies and power. When self-organization is introduced in companies some other concepts tend to get burnt at the stake. Often among them are hierarchies, power, and leadership. In this session, I will make the case that this is a crucial mistake which will cause unnecessary uncertainty and frustration. I claim that — when implemented in a way that fits the context — power and leadership are essential ingredients of self-organization.

It’s time we talk about hierarchies and power. When self-organization is introduced in companies some other concepts tend to get burnt at the stake. Often among them are hierarchies, power, and leadership. In this session, I will make the case that this is a crucial mistake which will cause unnecessary uncertainty and frustration. I claim that — when implemented in a way that fits the context — power and leadership are essential ingredients of self-organization.

We’ll answer common questions like: How is it that we are self-organized and need leadership simultaneously? How can we be both effective and inclusive? What is a leader’s job? Can leaders tell others what to do? Do they need to? Should they? Who gets to pick who is a leader? How do we lead effectively and in line with self-organizing principles?

The first part of the session defines the concepts of hierarchies, power, and autonomy. It’s a lot to take in, but I think you’ll find it valuable as a foundation to build on for the rest of the session. Building on that, in the second part I describe what leadership and followership mean in a self-organized organization and how that is reflected in decision-making and titles. The third and last part translates this into concrete mandates and leadership roles.

Presentation - 20 min + 5 min QA