An EXcom is not a team like any other: how to lead it through collective intelligence
“Alone, we go faster but, together, further” this proverb applies to many leaders who come to consult me to help them lead their Excom towards the achievement of common objectives. In fact, they have the impression of “running the store alone”, sometimes even against everyone. Often with the complicity of the HR manager, who shares their distress. An Excom team has specific characteristics linked to its composition and its missions, which require particular coordination. To create this collective, we must build a relationship of trust which will make collaboration not only possible, but ultimately desired by everyone. This is what I describe, with examples of application and numerous testimonials, in my book “Knowledge-Innovation, the innovation attitude to adapt to the changing world” (link with the site) and of which I give you some keys in this article.
Partnership, the job of the future
Director of Partnerships is, in my opinion, “the” job of the future.
Much more than fashionable professions such as “data scientist” voted “sexiest job of the 21st Century by the Harvard Business Review, partnerships, relationship professions par excellence, will become the place for strategy and development of all organizations, companies and associations. Seventeenth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), partnerships are an integral part of the strategy and are based on the skills of know-how to innovate, which I describe in my book “Know-Innovate, the innovation attitude to adapt to the world which changes” and of which I give you some keys in this article.
1) SDG 17 “Partnerships for the Global Goals”
In 2015 the United Nations defined seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as the eradication of poverty, the fight for sustainable consumption or against climate change. Last, but not least, is “partnerships for the Global Goals”. This last objective alone defines the mode of operation for achieving these objectives. It presupposes a partnership attitude which resides in the ability to work in a network with various interlocutors sharing the same vision and the same objective. In business we talk about an ecosystem which brings together the different stakeholders, employees, customers, service providers, industrial and territorial relays, NGOs, etc.
2) Partnerships, an integral part of the strategy
The choice of partners is resolutely strategic. In innovation, the definition of the ecosystem is key, and it is carried out from the first step of the process, the clarification of objectives. Having the aim of an exchange of know-how, financial and human resources, the choice of partners must be carefully carried out according to criteria of key skills but also of attitude: loyalty, acceptance of diversity. Relationship professions, partnerships require both the intuition of the heart which allows good feeling, but also strategic analysis.
3) An “all concerned” relationship profession
When a partnership is concluded, the Director of Partnerships must mobilize all the stakeholders to converge their actions towards the same goal. Sharing responsibility between everyone will promote the success of the project. For this it is necessary to show the abilities of a visionary leader but also of a project manager who pays as much attention to the good understanding of the actors on the project as to the achievement of the objective. These relational skills reside in interpersonal intelligence which will be the quality expected to manage partnerships
4) Soft skills of partnership skills
This intelligence of the relationship requires a series of soft skills inherent to know-how to innovate revealed by a study on “soft skills for innovation”. In addition to interpersonal intelligence which covers the ability to create, know how to maintain relationships and function collaboratively, a particular intelligence is essential, the Intelligence of paradoxes. It is about knowing how to combine both transparency and confidentiality, using empathy without going as far as compassion, practicing
Multiple intelligences to develop collective intelligence
“It’s not the color of our skin that makes us different, it’s the color of our thoughts” that’s what Steven Aitchinson was developing in his bestseller on personal development and what neuroscience is deepening today scientifically by digging the trail of Howard Gardner the pioneer of “multiple intelligences”. Thus diversity is expressed well beyond skin color, gender or social class and intelligence beyond classical IQ, but in the “multiplicity of intelligences” that we are discovering! and at the time of collective intelligence, multiple intelligences deserve to be known. Decryption.
Pioneer Howard Gardner and his 9 intelligences
In the 70’s are questioned the 2 types of recognized intelligences: logico-mathematics and linguistics. They are also put in opposition as are the left brain and the right brain and institutionalized through sectors, the scientist and the literary. Howard Gardner, a developmental psychologist, published in 1983 his work on the 9 types of intelligence (**) and the importance of underestimated intelligences in evaluation systems such as intelligences, intra and inter-relational which correspond to “soft skills”.
Who says better ? the 10 intelligences … the intelligence “who am I? “
Today the books flourish on the subject, with an overbid of types and numbers of intelligences. I will only mention the most recent in the catchy title “You are 10 times smarter than you imagine” (***) that decrypts the success of personalities in the business world and show business.
A 10th intelligence appears, that of “the intelligence which-am I?” Which includes the knowledge of oneself through the knowledge of its multiple intelligences! IQ is only a tiny part of self-knowledge, kinesthetic intelligence allowing the emergence of sports champions for example.
Emotional intelligence
Difficult not to focus on emotional intelligence propelled on the front of intelligences and popularized through the works of Daniel Goleman (****); awareness and knowing how to manage one’s emotions will be one of the keys to leadership and well-being and measuring one’s EQ (Emotional Quotient) becomes a must.
Collective intelligence needs all intelligences
The intelligence is not to add knowledge but to know how to combine its different forms of intelligence, by identifying and developing them. Because they feed on each other: logical intelligence (the scores are a mathematical language), those of time (with the rhythm, kinesthesia (placement of hands, fingers, breath). with the teams, composed of multi-intelligent beings and to allow all forms of intelligence to meet (team building, to express oneself (culture) and to develop (coaching) …
(*) “Multiple intelligences” Howard Gardner
(**) “You are 10 times smarter than you imagine” Christophe Bougois-Cotantini
(***) “Emotional Intelligence” Volume 1 and 2 Daniel Goleman
(****) “Innovation, the manager and develop creativity” Sylvie Brémond Mookherjee; paper version and e-book available on www.carnetsdecom.com
Innovation Culture : between ‘Legacy’ & ‘Digital’ ! HR in charge of past & future
L’innovation génère ce paradoxe de créer de la valeur et d’en détruire dans le même temps (la fameuse « innovation destructrice » de Schumpeter). D’où la différence, entre des start up qui ont tout à inventer « from scratch » (et donc rien à perdre !) et les entreprises pérennes qui ont à gérer ce dilemme : que garder pour prolonger la tradition – en terme de culture, d’organisation, de répartition des ressources… ?
Et que sacrifier pour faire émerger les idées nouvelles et leur permettre de se transformer en projets ? Quelle est la place du DRH pour gérer ce dilemme ?
Quand l‘ innovation est une tradition !
Pour bon nombre d’entreprises françaises, l’innovation est inscrite dans leurs gênes …que ce soit au travers d’une saga scientifique ou pour maintenir un niveau d’excellence de service par de l’innovation d’amélioration continue.
L’évolution de l’innovation peut être freinée par le poids de cette histoire…et ce d’autant plus quand elle est leader de son marché. Dans ce cas la tradition s’inscrit dans la continuité et la sécurité, tandis qu’innover sur des marchés nouveaux, avec de nouvelles méthodes pour de nouveaux produits, représente plutôt un risque.
L’arrivée du Digital, une bonne occasion de booster sa culture innovation!
Tout en tenant compte des valeurs de chaque entreprise et de son cœur de métier, l’innovation peut profiter du mouvement digital et développer (*) : l’ouverture pour « l’innovation ouverte » avec des partenaires ou le « crowdsourcing », la coopération interne par la multidisciplinarité en créant des ponts entre métiers, la participation en sollicitant le « bottom » mais aussi les clients. Et que peut aujourd’hui le fameux syndrome du NIH (Not Invented Here) face au foisonnement d’idées à portée d’un click sur la toile ?
Faire des innovateurs les ambassadeurs de la culture d’innovation!
Si l’arrivée du digital est considérée comme une aubaine par une poignée d’« early adopters »,il faut l’étendre à tous les innovateurs. Elle passe par ces 4 piliers (*): opérations de sensibilisation, identification de profils de préférences, formation aux nouveaux outils et méthodes et coaching pour un nouveau « savoir-être » ouvert, transverse et coopérant.
Le DRH partenaire du directeur de l’innovation !
Pour mener cette transformation dans ses équipes le Directeur Innovation a besoin du soutien des RH. Identification des profils, vivier de talents, développement des compétences créatives…Si le Directeur Innovation repère dans l’entreprise et dans son écosystème certains profils et qu’il manage ses équipes d’innovateurs directes et indirectes, l’expertise de recrutement et de développement des compétences des équipes RH lui sera très précieuse.
Garant de la culture générale de l’entreprise, le DRH permettra aux équipes d’avancer dans leur transformation de la culture innovation tout en s’appuyant sur un historique et des valeurs qui concernent l’ensemble des champs et fonctions de l’entreprise…
Voire au risque de leur laisser gérer des paradoxes comme concilier « sécurité » et innovation donc capacité à prendre des risques et bien entendu « gérer l’existant » et innovation donc capacité à anticiper demain…à leurs tour ce sont les innovateurs qui peuvent être de précieux partenaires pour le DRH notamment pour la vision prospective des métiers .
(*) « L’innovation, la manager et développer la créativité » Sylvie Brémond Mookherjee ; version papier et e-book disponibles sur www.carnetsdecom.com
