SHARED VISION

SUHANTI D/O NARASIMHAM

GS 36050
 Many people think vision is the top leader’s job. Individual leader’s visions may succeed
in carrying an organisation through a crisis.

 Creating a sense of purpose that binds people together and propels them to fulfil their
deepest aspirations.

 Catalysing people’s aspirations doesn’t happen by accident; it requires time, care, and
strategy.

 The discipline of building shared vision is centred around a never-ending process,

whereby people in an organization articulate their common stories – around vision,
purpose, values, why their work matters, and how it fits in the larger world.
A vehicle for building shared meaning.

 Shared vision building will be built around several key precepts:-

 Every organization has a destiny; a deep purpose that expresses the organization’s
reason for existence.

 An organization’s deeper purpose can be found in its founders’ aspirations, and in

the reasons why its industry came into being.

 Not all visions are equal.

 Many members of the organization, especially those who care deeply for the
organization, have collective sense of its underlying purpose.

 Heart of building a shared vision is the task of designing and evolving ongoing
processes in which people at every level speak from heart and heard by senior
management.
Networks and community

 Viewing an organisation as a set of overlapping communities formed around

shared meaning.

 Shared vision have a way of spreading through personal contact.

 To link multiples communities together; organization depends on its informal

networks – communication channels where people talk easily and freely and
other informal gatherings.
Vision, values, purpose (or mission), goals.

 Vision : gives shape and direction to the organization’s future. And it helps people set goals
to take the organization closer.

 Values : describe how to operate, on a day-by-day basis in order to pursue vision.

 Purpose or mission : represents the fundamental reason for the organisation’s existence.

 Goals : represent what people commit themselves to do, within a few months.
Challenges to expect when building shared vision

 New challenges for the leader: need to be present and available for talking with,
listening to, and mentoring employees.

 Momentum from previous successes: too long rest, the organisation can lose the
momentum.

 Keeping the vision fluid: visions are always evolving; other possibilities
become clearer as nearing previous vision.

 Aligning the entire work force: people and functions throughout the
Strategy for building shared vision
Stage 1 : telling
 Although “telling” is a traditional and somewhat authoritarian form of instigating change, a “told” vision is still a vision, with
power for galvanizing activity. An effective messages from a boss that clearly and honestly describe a vision and sense of
current reality in positive terms. Tips:-

 Inform people directly, clearly and consistently :

o an effective communication is efficient, revelatory, direct and consistent throughout the organization.

 Tell the truth about current reality

o One central function of vision is to generate creative tension; to make sure people understand the difficulties of
current reality and generate the “pull” that comes from understanding.

 Be clear about what is negotiable and what is not

o Informs subordinates regarding areas where they have degrees of freedom to influence and expected results if
respective manager held accountable by the board.

 Paint the details, but not too many details

o Not detailed vision so that branches or other teams from the organisation may translate that into specific ideas for
action.

 The limits of telling

o Research on verbal communications shows people remember only 25% of a message. This poor communication may
frustrated the leader; and its vital for the leader to “selling”.
Stage 2 : “selling”

 Leaders need to get employees wholeheartedly in order to enrol employees in the vision and enlisting as much
commitment as possible; since employees may say no in many different ways. Tips:-

 Keep channels open for responses

o Follow up speeches about vision with break-out groups to find out how much of the message is “selling”

 Support enrolment, not manipulation

o The process of becoming part of something only by choice. If people see the vision is good for them, even if it
takes a leap of faith, they will tend to sign on.

 Build on your relationship with the “customer” – employees

o Need to value the relationship with the employees and acknowledging employee’s influence.

 Focus on benefits, not features

o Rather than describing the vision, demonstrate how it will serve the needs, desires and situation.

 Move from the royal “we” to the personal “I”

o Leader should communicates why the vision is important to them personally.
Stage 3 : “testing”

 To find out how enthusiastically employees accept the vision and what aspects of it matter to them. The results are used to
refine and redesign the vision. Tips :-

 Provide as much information as possible, to improve the quality of the responses

o Vision is presented with all its ramifications particularly difficulties.

 Make a clean test

o Test should be designed honestly in order to know the answer, if not an opportunity to learn will be lost.

 Protect people’s privacy

o So people can answer without fear for negative answers.

 Combine survey questionnaires with face-to-face interviews

o Question about shared vision are more subtle; which requires person-to-person interviews, group interviews or
large-scale conferences.

 Test for motivation, utility and capacity

o People want move toward the vision, if the vision useful, organisation capability to move toward the vision.
Stage 4 : “consulting”

 This is the stage where leaders acknowledge they may not have all the answers and want to make the vision stronger by
inviting the organisation to be the leader’s consultant. Tips:-

 Use the “cascade” process to gather information

o Brings together small teams at every level. After each meeting the team members discuss the vision with their
subordinate teams and the process continues one step lower. The teams meet again to collect responses from the
bottom teams.

 Build in protections against distortion of the message

o Videotaped the message from leader and updating it protect the message from distortion.

 Gather and disseminate results

o Written comments from participants may be valuable from especially people who do not want to speak openly.

 Don’t try to tell and consult simultaneously

o Leaders should keep suggestions in reasonable territory since any vision should deal with leader’s attitude to
employees.
Stage 5 : “co-creating”
 If the teams begin to work for what they want to built rather than to please a boss, those organisations whose leaders and
members understand it is ready to benefit from co-creating shared vision process. Tips:-
 Start with personal vision
o When shared vision effort starts with personal vision, the organisation becomes a tool for people’s self-
realization.
 Treat everyone as equal
o No one team member should get more votes than any other.
 Seek alignment, not agreement
o Differences should not compromised for reaching resolution but finding the causes.
 Among teams, encourage interdependence and diversity
o Other teams may communicate each other vision.
 Avoid sampling
o Avoid talking to sample of people as representative.
 Have people speak only for themselves
o Do not permit participants to talk about how other people in the organisation may react to their vision.
 Expect and nurture reverence for each other
o When a real diversity opinions occurs in a group, a reverence for each other’s vision will often take hold.
 Consider using an interim vision to build momentum
o Some interim vision will give team members an initial point of reference.
 Focus on the dialogue, not just the vision statement
o Test of a vision is not in the statement but in the directional force it gives the organisation.
Tips from Bryan Smith (author) to CEO.

 Find a partner since a shared vision effort need a strong anchor person to help CEO. The partner will have at least three
key roles:
 Keeping tract of the process while CEO focus on the content.
 Extending channels of communication between CEO and the rest of the organisation.
 Helping CEO to find perspective.

 Assessing CEO oneself:-

 What is my preferred communication method?
 What pressure am I under, and how am I responding to those pressures?
 How much time, and what new skills, will this require of me?

 Tips for moving forward

 Reflect personally and keep it personal
 Don’t create your organizational vision in isolation
 Don’t bruise people
 Be accountable for the vision

 Tips for CEO’s Partner

 How ready are the member of the organization to generate vision?
 The relationship wit the “BOSS”
 Bringing the boss and organization together