22
BUSINESS MAGA ZINE ON INNOVATION, LE ADERSHIP, STR ATEGY AND VISION
GLOBAL GRAND TOUR: SENIOR MANAGERS MEET WORLD AUTHORITIES
“ LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IS A CxO Redactie
CONTACT SPORT”
Global organizes, in partnership with CxO Magazine, The Grand Tour. During this annual event in Brussels, senior managers have the opportunity to meet world authorities of the best European business schools: Insead, London Business School, Saïd at Oxford University, London School of Economics and HEC Paris. We spoke with Derek Deasy, Affiliate Professor, Organisational Behaviour from Insead.
YOUR RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IS INSPIRED BY A SYSTEMS-PSYCHODYNAMICS APPROACH. WHAT ARE THE KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS APPROACH?
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY During the Global Grand Tour in Brussels, senior managers have the opportunity to meet world authorities of the best European business schools. CxO Magazine spoke with Derek Deasy, Affiliate Professor, Organisational Behaviour from Insead. info@cxonet.be
WWW.CXONET.BE
Derek Deasy (DD): “The ‘systems-psychodynamics approach take into account how group tasks, organizational structures and cultures are affected by, and affect, individuals’ experience at and of their work. When people work together, they have an overt task, which is rational, can be defined and works towards addressing a perceived external need, observable supply and demand. The group also has covert tasks mainly to do with the processing of anxiety which is often irrational and based in fantasy but is also no less logical. This task of anxiety management creates many defence mechanisms at an individual level (persona management), at an interpersonal level (how do I relate above, below and with peers?) and at a group level (how does the group process emotion: does it chose a scapegoat, does it chose a hero/heroine to save the group, does it create fighting pairs to discharge tension). Systems-psychodynamics attempts to explore how these issues inf luence each other and produce behaviour.
‘THERE IS ONLY ONE STYLE OF LEADERSHIP: YOURS.’ CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS? DD: “Leadership is best viewed as a group dynamic rather than an individual attribute. You can only observe leadership in action which demands connection between leaders and others and equally needs intrinsic motivation of all to work towards a common goal. The quickest way to lose a leadership role is to be inconsistent with the values of the group you are simultaneously a part of and apart from. In order to have enough authority to lead, leaders need the group to see them as representative of the group as a whole and show willingness to invest trust in the leader. If you rely on a set of leadership tools, the group will quickly realise this and authority will be lost. Leadership development is a contact sport. It occurs when there is a meaningful arena to engage with others and opportunitiesto develop the adaptive skills necessary to become worthy of trust and authorisation from others and a safe space to make sense of the experience.”
Derek Deasy, Affiliate Professor, Organisational Behaviour from Insead: “Leadership is best viewed as a group dynamic rather than an individual attribute.”
often based on technical skillsets which are important and necessary. Equally important are behavioural skillsets to engage with and bring others towards organisational goals. In general, the soon to be manager has little opportunity to develop these behavioural skills. So the transition to management can be fraught by the mixed sense of high competence (technical) with low confidence (behavioural). Setting realistic expectations are important and having a trusting relationship with co-workers to foster honest feedback loops are incredibly important in making a good enough transition.”
HOW DO YOU MANAGE TALENT IN THE TRANSITION TO MANAGEMENT? For more information about the DD: “In the transition to manage- next Grand Tour, please visit ment, people get promoted most www.globalmagevents.com
OCT-NOV 2015