6 Leading in Organizational Complexity Usefully
Useful
Having a beneficial use; serviceable; Being of practical use. (Source: The American Heritage)
What do we need from our leaders? We need them to be practical, usefully facilitating the creation of the value that the organization needs them to create. In any complex communicative organization, be that organization in Tainui land or in Toronto, that leadership ‘usefulness’ become manifest, becomes real, becomes useful via persuasion.
Our risk awareness and our sense making must lead to persuasive action for an organization to more forward viably, to adapt toward enhanced prosperity, and to sustain such movement. Persuasive action is one of the three fundamental skills, but persuasive action – the tangible, manifest skillful action expressing our sense making – must also be useful. That action must persuade others with direction so to generate movement and adapt fittingly. Useful persuasive action is THE essential condition in a viable organization.
-Dr. James R. Barker-
The lesson videos discussed the importance of persuasion for stakeholders and stakeholder relationships. You can find more information on persuasion and stakeholders in a video from my BUSI 6994 class (Note: Only Dalhousie University Panopto Users can view this video):
[VIDEO] 2-2-1 Complex Stakeholder Relationships
Much of the reading and resources that you will find on managerial persuasion will be based on sales and marketing, such as these resources:
Hubspot: A Guide to the 6 Principles of Persuasion & How to Use Them in Sales
Influence at Work:
You can also find a number of sources on leadership and influence, a term often used instead of persuasion;
Impact Factory: Leadership by Persuasion
Fast Company: Three Keys to Influential Leadership
Have a yen for rhetorical philosophy? Here are links to information on Seneca and Roman rhetoric.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Seneca
Communication Research Net: Roman Rhetoric
The faculty at Waikato University actively study Maori leadership. Here is an example of this present work:
Maree Roache: Five Key Values of Strong Māori Leadership
Deeply symbolic triangular forms appear often in Maori culture, particularly in terms of organizations and leadership. Here is an example:
Otago Polytechnique: Aka Whaika Māori
Māori Strategic Framework
For a useful overview of Narrative Theory, review the Wikipedia site:
Wikipedia: Narrative
