Central Position of Values in the Requisite Organization System

Summary
- Barry: It is very difficult to work, once you've worked in a requisite organization, to move to one that isn't requisite. He says it is important to look at where are the opportunities to implement Requisite. org. Barry: It takes time to learn the Requisite organization approach and even more time to implement it.

Speaker A Barry, it is very difficult to work, once you've worked in a requisite organization, to move to one that isn't requisite. It's difficult. And I find myself not just thinking about the partic..

Speaker A Barry, it is very difficult to work, once you've worked in a requisite organization, to move to one that isn't requisite. It's difficult. And I find myself not just thinking about the particular, I don't know, initiatives, objectives or behaviors in a non requisite organization, but I think about the values on which requisite organization is based. And very difficult to work in an environment where you are not getting evidence that those values around building trust and transparency and openness, that those values aren't in place, well embedded in the organization. And then on top of that foundation, you have these programs that are effective or initiatives that are effective as a result of, you know, being based on sound values. So it does it becomes becomes really difficult. I find myself when I'm in a non requisite situation, I get focused on the value that's missing or the value that's in place that's not constructive for the people or for the business. I think for most senior managers, HR managers as well as line managers, one of their concerns is the fact that this is a very comprehensive system. We often talked about how important it is to have a vision and mission and strategy and all employees on board. That's very good stuff. But it could also be dangerous because when you need them to switch up and go in a different direction now, it's more difficult to get that quick change. And I think a lot of senior HR people as well as line managers look at Ro and they feel that, jeez, this is really comprehensive, this is a heavy lay on that. It does require a commitment in terms of scope and time that the organization may not be able to carry out. So I think it is important to look at where are the opportunities to implement it in a way that seen by a particular organization as being a practical, constructive way to implement the concepts. And that's not an easy one to work out. I think as a consultant, I certainly do have to listen to the needs and the requirements of the client while at the same time trying to give them more and more information to consider in terms of how to move ahead. I find in teaching requisite.org, the approach that's required. The philosophies or values around teaching isn't different for this material than it is for other content. I think that adults do not appreciate a lot of lecture or a layon of ideas, okay? It's really important to take people from where their current understanding is to introducing these new concepts. And it really means spending a lot of time with people, getting inside of their heads, letting them talk about their experiences and what they know and what approaches they've used successfully, and then to talk about how the Ro approach can make what they already do better, how it can strengthen a lot of their initiatives. So it's not a matter of going in and saying you can't if you go in and say what you're doing is not good or not optimal and I'm bringing you a better solution that's not going to be accepted. What you really need to be able to help people see is where are the similarities between what they're already doing and what Requisite proposes and how can they use Requisite to get even more mileage or better results from what they're doing? And you'll find that the Requisite approach is very comprehensive. So there is a lot for people to learn and it takes time to learn the Requisite organization approach and even more time to implement it. So I've learned not to be frustrated when we actually make some baby steps toward understanding the approach and implementing it. When I say baby steps, you're biting off some small chunks that the organization or that the HR group is prepared to accept and work with difficult to get level fours from various organizations and industry sectors to come together. And part of that is because the conference or the conference content is not there to attract people at that level of capability. A lot of those people are highly focused on understanding their organization's business and the industry's business. And perhaps what some of the professional associations have an opportunity to do is to think about how they might pull together, I don't know, information sessions, training sessions, conferences that bring that industry knowledge and expertise together with the Requisite organization approach. Exactly what that would look like, I'm not sure. But I think senior people could be attracted if they knew that there was an opportunity to experience in some ways either through learning or sharing problems or issues with their peers and getting ideas on how to work them out if they knew that that opportunity existed, may be able to get their attention. I've had experience in trying to introduce other VPs of HR to this approach in a social setting and sometimes it goes well and then other times it doesn't go so well. And I think it comes back, always comes back to the values piece to a great extent. When an individual's values are consonant with the values of this approach, it tends to be obviously easier to explain the approach and build their interest and see them want to learn more. There are others who you're attempting to introduce the approach, they resist it. And the resistance does come from sometimes a lack of understanding of what the approach is about, but also a belief that this is a very command and control. It's a rigid, one way down kind of system in terms of management. And once that belief is in an individual's, that takes a lot of work to get around it's.

Country
Canada
Date
2009
Duration
8:09
Language
English
Format
Interview
Organization
Bygrave & Associates

Major organizations and consulting firms that provide Requisite Organization-based services

A global association of academics, managers, and consultants that focuses on spreading RO implementation practices and encouraging their use
Dr. Gerry Kraines, the firms principal, combines Harry Levinson's leadership frameworks with Elliott Jaques's Requisite Organization. He worked closely with Jaques over many years, has trained more managers in these methods than anyone else in the field, and has developed a comprehensive RO-based software for client firms.
Founded as an assessment consultancy using Jaques's CIP methods, the US-based firm expanded to talent pool design and management, and managerial leadership practice-based work processes
requisite_coaching
Former RO-experienced CEO, Ron Harding, provides coaching to CEOs of start-ups and small and medium-size companies that are exploring their own use of RO concepts.  His role is limited, temporary and coordinated with the RO-based consultant working with the organization
Ron Capelle is unique in his multiple professional certifications, his implementation of RO concepts through well designed organization development methods, and his research documenting the effectiveness of his firm's interventions
A Toronto requisite organization-based consultancy with a wide range of executive coaching, training, organization design and development services.
A Sweden-based consultancy, Enhancer practices time-span based analysis, executive assessment, and provides due diligence diagnosis to investors on acquisitions.
Founded by Gillian Stamp, one of Jaques's colleagues at Brunel, the firm modified Jaques;s work-levels, developed the Career Path Appreciation method, and has grown to several hundred certified assessors in aligned consulting firms world-wide recently expanding to include organization design
Requisite Organization International Institute distributes Elliott Jaques's books, papers, and videos and provides RO-based training to client organizations