The Psychology of Organisations…….

I have been working quite a bit with banks, the public sector and some large corporate businesses recently. These experiences provided an insight that I thought you might also be interested in. These organisations all had a strategy (of sorts….) processes, controls, KPI’s and policies, the usual stuff. The bit the majority do not get is that success seems to come from nurturing the spirit and soul of the business.

The pride that people share in working in an organisation that produces results beyond expectations consistently. The pride the Australian cricket team get from wearing their baggies (green caps) or my favourite client Keepmoat who are obsessed with becoming a billion pound business – 10 times growth in a very short period.

I see it in people’s eyes…..the passion, the pride and the commitment to the shared goals. It’s not about bonuses, job titles, egos or fancy cars; it’s about a shared purpose which people genuinely believe in.

Most large organisations in my experience really struggle to understand this so they try to buy it through over-generous salaries and bonuses (banks) plus fear – “We get rid of the bottom 10% every year” (corporates) or rules and policies (public sector).

So Mr Cameron and business bosses, put the psychology of the organisation on your agenda if you really want to improve the performance of UK Plc. Make it a priority to nurture the pride and soul of your organisations……the skill to do this is called LEADERSHIP.