Reflection point with Mike Middleton

We often join organisations with the intent of taking it on a journey of positive change and evolution – or at least what we see as positive change and evolution – and then get disappointed when our endeavours are met with less enthusiasm than we would like.

I did some research on the evolution of corporate consciousness, and turned to Frederick Laloux, author of “Reinventing Organisations” to understand how to evolve corporate culture and especially corporate consciousness. Laloux’s conclusion was that corporate consciousness can never be at a level higher than that of the CEO and that any attempts to evolve it faster than the CEO is willing to embrace will ultimately fail. So evolving corporate consciousness from, for example, autocratic and controlling to self direction and autonomy will ultimately fail without support from the senior leadership.

You may be entertained for a while but if your efforts are seen as causing static in the system, they will eventually be nipped in the bud. Real change is a team effort and needs support throughout an organisation, so be a liberator of change through others rather than trying to be a hero for yourself.