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inside-out or outside-in visioning? 

By  bem_admin

When our backbone is aligned, we walk tall, freely and with no hesitation. We make great progress and can respond to any unexpected influence swiftly and efficiently. Could you as a corporate leader say the same about your business?

inside-out or outside-in visioning

introduction

When our backbone is aligned, we walk tall, freely and with no hesitation. We make great progress and can respond to any unexpected influence swiftly and efficiently. Could you as a corporate leader say the same about your business?

Many businesses display the exact opposite, with lethargy and loyalty superseding productivity, agility and positive response to complexity.

The recent HBR article seen here shines a spotlight on the importance of alignment to achieve real results in today’s complex business landscape. Perhaps on the surface this does not seem so revolutionary, as the corporate world has, for many years, applied techniques such as the Balanced Scorecard to ensure alignment between what we wish the business to be, what we do and the measures we apply. Yet on further reflection, the ‘revolution’ suggested is one that takes alignment to a deeper level, for business to align to ‘noble purposes’, ensuring:

  • stakeholder orientation
  • moral obligation to give back
  • environmental awareness

Could this be another way of referring to ‘outside-in visions’? For years, corporate visions have created separateness – ‘we will be the #1 provider’, ‘we will have the best product’. How do these visions show a commitment to serving those integrated with the product such as the customer and employees. Most definitely these visions serve the investor for greater returns, yet at the expense of whom? Perhaps then the real issue with ‘noble purposes’ or ‘outside in’ visions is measurement and balance.

When creating vision, do we become so focussed on the detail that ‘the what and who’ of measurement is forgotten? Measurement most certainly matters yet in whose eyes? Does the customer care if you have increased sales by 10% or do the staff display excitement by greater profits especially when they may not receive a share?

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Could a form of noble purpose be to put all stakeholders equally at the centre of the vision, ensuring they are at the centre of the experience from the very beginning. The Scandinavian Leadership Group show solidarity in the way visions are defined: ‘how we would like to see our world’, with ‘we’ and ‘our’ representing those we would like to make a contribution to. Collaboration and a mind-set of service to all is at the core of business thinking in these visions:

A utilities company: clear air and water for more people

A hospice: people in our community look forward to growing old in our community

A sports club: young people in my home town lead a healthier life

An association: A society in which everyone wants to do his/her share

When a vision revolves around all key stakeholders, it cant help but be a noble purpose. When this occurs so too the measurement cant help but be aligned with what stakeholders desire, and hence our business activity will most definitely be aligned and serving in nature.

How aligned is your business with those you wish to serve?

Debbie Nicol, Managing Director of Dubai-based ‘business en motion’, and creator and author of the ‘embers of the world’ series, is passionate about change. She works with both traditional and contemporary toolkits that move businesses and executive leaders ahead, whilst working on leader and organizational development, strategic change and corporate cultures.

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Debbie Nicol

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