A hierarchical structure is shaped like a pyramid. The further you go up the chain of command the less people their are at your level. The reason for this is that it take experience, skill, knowledge, proven track record and desire to progress to move up these type of organisations. Also these organisation nine times out of ten will only promote internally thus ensuring loyalty and also ensuring that programs and structures exist within these organisations to train and skill its most valuable resource. I believe true leadership comes naturally to some people, that being some people are born leader and some people are born to be led. However only in certain extreme situations do these true leaders rise above their status to shape theirs and others destiny.
"I believe true leadership comes naturally to some people, that being some people are born leader and some people are born to be led."
I strongly disagree with this. I know from experience and I was also told in a management course that leadership does not come naturally but it has to be learned. Also before you become a leader you must have relevant work experience as a "non"-leader.
What it is true is that some people have a natural talent of becoming good leaders while others don't. But even those with the talent must learn and gain experience in their relevant domain before they become leaders.
In addition the term leadership in my opinion is abused as many so called leaders are doing to a large extent just a purely administrative non-leadership job.
Recently I have come across a project ran by a consultancy for the company for which I currently work (as a contractor). I am not working on that project but I have to interact with the people that are working on it. The consultancy has provided a Solution Team Lead responsible for looking after the solution developers.
The Team Lead however is an entry level employee in her mid 20s (less than 3 years work experience) and with no technical experience in software development. All she does is chairing status report meetings with the team, keeping track of the tasks being worked on and attending management meetings to report what has been done so far. Is she a true leader? Not in my opinion.
The team also has a so called Technical Architect who is de facto the leader of the team. This architect really makes all the decision and both the developers and the so called Team Lead follow them. He is the true leader of the team not her. I think the only reason she exists on the project and was given the "Lead" role is for the consultancy to be able to charge higher daily rate for her. Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear Adrian
Thanks for your comment
What are the characteristics of this person that led you to say: "This architect really makes all the decision and both the developers and the so-called Team Lead follow them. He is the true leader of the team "
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1 reply by Adrian Carlogea
Dec 22, 2019 2:24 PM
Adrian Carlogea
...
I am not working on his project but I have interacted with him from time to time. He also works for support.
For me it seems that he is the only person that really knows how the entire software solution works. He also guides the developers in their work (he is a developer himself but only writes code for the most complicated tasks).
When the developers have issues in their work he finds the solutions for them. When the requirements come he decides how to be implemented.
The Support Manager to which he reports (also a technical guy) always comes to him for advice when he has to make decisions regarding that particular software solution.
That's leadership in my opinion. The girl that servers as project solution team lead admitted that she is not technical but the consultancy has already provided a PM so they invented this role for her to charge my current organization. She is supposed to be the lead-developer but she can't develop. Incredible isn't it?
A hierarchical structure is shaped like a pyramid. The further you go up the chain of command the less people their are at your level. The reason for this is that it take experience, skill, knowledge, proven track record and desire to progress to move up these type of organisations. Also these organisation nine times out of ten will only promote internally thus ensuring loyalty and also ensuring that programs and structures exist within these organisations to train and skill its most valuable resource. I believe true leadership comes naturally to some people, that being some people are born leader and some people are born to be led. However only in certain extreme situations do these true leaders rise above their status to shape theirs and others destiny.
Dear Luis, Adrian, Peter
Ultimately it is an organisations leadership that implements the type of hierarchy that should exist within an organisation as their style of leadership and its policies will direct an organisation. People do train to become leaders and do fulfil positions of authority but in a lot of case they are a rubber stamp appointment with others pulling the strings. Any meaningful decision is made by others with a lot of operations leaders reliant on the leadership above for the organisation strategy with these leaders being the footmen to implement the orders.
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2 replies by Luis Branco and Peter Rapin
Dec 22, 2019 11:53 AM
Peter Rapin
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A leader must be able to lead not only the team but also those external to the team that can affect the team. In an organizational structure, a true leader is one who can not only lead staff (those below his/her station) but also lead upper management (those above his/her station). Takes different skills - the first can rely on authority the second influence.
Dec 22, 2019 12:18 PM
Luis Branco
...
Dear Daire
Are the people who need to adapt to organizations or are they the organizations who need to adapt to people?
What, in your opinion, is leading organizations to work differently?
Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
Dec 22, 2019 11:16 AM
Replying to Daire Guiney
...
Dear Luis, Adrian, Peter
Ultimately it is an organisations leadership that implements the type of hierarchy that should exist within an organisation as their style of leadership and its policies will direct an organisation. People do train to become leaders and do fulfil positions of authority but in a lot of case they are a rubber stamp appointment with others pulling the strings. Any meaningful decision is made by others with a lot of operations leaders reliant on the leadership above for the organisation strategy with these leaders being the footmen to implement the orders.
A leader must be able to lead not only the team but also those external to the team that can affect the team. In an organizational structure, a true leader is one who can not only lead staff (those below his/her station) but also lead upper management (those above his/her station). Takes different skills - the first can rely on authority the second influence. Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dec 22, 2019 11:16 AM
Replying to Daire Guiney
...
Dear Luis, Adrian, Peter
Ultimately it is an organisations leadership that implements the type of hierarchy that should exist within an organisation as their style of leadership and its policies will direct an organisation. People do train to become leaders and do fulfil positions of authority but in a lot of case they are a rubber stamp appointment with others pulling the strings. Any meaningful decision is made by others with a lot of operations leaders reliant on the leadership above for the organisation strategy with these leaders being the footmen to implement the orders.
Dear Daire
Are the people who need to adapt to organizations or are they the organizations who need to adapt to people?
What, in your opinion, is leading organizations to work differently?
...
1 reply by Daire Guiney
Dec 22, 2019 12:36 PM
Daire Guiney
...
Dear Luis,
A organisation and leadership is structured according to the resources available to it and not necessarily one leads the other. I think a lot of it goes back to the dot com bubble and unrealistic valuations being put on technical companies that had not even produced anything of intrinsic value. Nowadays a company can be built around an app such as uber and be call it a technology company. Comparing uber to the likes of Intel is not a fair assessment. Investors looking for yield and return have distorted the organisation of the market, sector and organisations. Before organisations worked in yearly cycles, both for financial and product release. Now quarterly does not seem to be adequate for a lot of investors. Organisations that see the bigger picture, look to long term product release and avoid the bully's of wall street have whethered the financial storm. One example is the Boeing Max that was rushed into production in order to directly compete with Airbus and now you have a company with half of its production unit idle.
Dear Daire
Are the people who need to adapt to organizations or are they the organizations who need to adapt to people?
What, in your opinion, is leading organizations to work differently?
Dear Luis,
A organisation and leadership is structured according to the resources available to it and not necessarily one leads the other. I think a lot of it goes back to the dot com bubble and unrealistic valuations being put on technical companies that had not even produced anything of intrinsic value. Nowadays a company can be built around an app such as uber and be call it a technology company. Comparing uber to the likes of Intel is not a fair assessment. Investors looking for yield and return have distorted the organisation of the market, sector and organisations. Before organisations worked in yearly cycles, both for financial and product release. Now quarterly does not seem to be adequate for a lot of investors. Organisations that see the bigger picture, look to long term product release and avoid the bully's of wall street have whethered the financial storm. One example is the Boeing Max that was rushed into production in order to directly compete with Airbus and now you have a company with half of its production unit idle.
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1 reply by Luis Branco
Dec 22, 2019 12:53 PM
Luis Branco
...
Dear Daire
Thanks for your feedback
We are living in times of change ... ie VUCA World, which implies that organizations change
These changes are a consequence of technology and people (increasingly skilled, easy to access information, wishing what they do has meaning to them and wishing to live experiences)
Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dec 22, 2019 12:36 PM
Replying to Daire Guiney
...
Dear Luis,
A organisation and leadership is structured according to the resources available to it and not necessarily one leads the other. I think a lot of it goes back to the dot com bubble and unrealistic valuations being put on technical companies that had not even produced anything of intrinsic value. Nowadays a company can be built around an app such as uber and be call it a technology company. Comparing uber to the likes of Intel is not a fair assessment. Investors looking for yield and return have distorted the organisation of the market, sector and organisations. Before organisations worked in yearly cycles, both for financial and product release. Now quarterly does not seem to be adequate for a lot of investors. Organisations that see the bigger picture, look to long term product release and avoid the bully's of wall street have whethered the financial storm. One example is the Boeing Max that was rushed into production in order to directly compete with Airbus and now you have a company with half of its production unit idle.
Dear Daire
Thanks for your feedback
We are living in times of change ... ie VUCA World, which implies that organizations change
These changes are a consequence of technology and people (increasingly skilled, easy to access information, wishing what they do has meaning to them and wishing to live experiences)
...
1 reply by Peter Rapin
Dec 22, 2019 1:54 PM
Peter Rapin
...
VULCA - volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Although fairly recent terminology, VUCA has not changed over the last century. The only real difference is the explosion of information lead by the ever increasing hyper-evolution of technology. Maybe the average person is finding it harder and harder to cope, maybe the "cope-threshold' is getting unattainable by more and more people. We are not evolving mentally and socially as quickly as technology, we are being left behind. Historical organizations are being left behind as well being replaced by new players. Take Uber, instead of the taxi business evolving (they had the market) they were unable to cope and the void allowed a newbie in. Same with Amazon (mail order) - not a new thing just that the earlier players (Sears) were unable to evolve.
So, change is not new - it may be faster. VUCA is not new, just more obvious. Evolution is not new, just that technology is outstripping the human ability to cope.
In my opinion, organizations are second to people. Organizations are there to serve the people of the organization (the people of the organization are the owners, managers, staff and customers). The organization that forgets that is on its way to extinction.
Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
Dec 22, 2019 12:53 PM
Replying to Luis Branco
...
Dear Daire
Thanks for your feedback
We are living in times of change ... ie VUCA World, which implies that organizations change
These changes are a consequence of technology and people (increasingly skilled, easy to access information, wishing what they do has meaning to them and wishing to live experiences)
VULCA - volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Although fairly recent terminology, VUCA has not changed over the last century. The only real difference is the explosion of information lead by the ever increasing hyper-evolution of technology. Maybe the average person is finding it harder and harder to cope, maybe the "cope-threshold' is getting unattainable by more and more people. We are not evolving mentally and socially as quickly as technology, we are being left behind. Historical organizations are being left behind as well being replaced by new players. Take Uber, instead of the taxi business evolving (they had the market) they were unable to cope and the void allowed a newbie in. Same with Amazon (mail order) - not a new thing just that the earlier players (Sears) were unable to evolve.
So, change is not new - it may be faster. VUCA is not new, just more obvious. Evolution is not new, just that technology is outstripping the human ability to cope.
In my opinion, organizations are second to people. Organizations are there to serve the people of the organization (the people of the organization are the owners, managers, staff and customers). The organization that forgets that is on its way to extinction. Saving Changes...
What are the characteristics of this person that led you to say: "This architect really makes all the decision and both the developers and the so-called Team Lead follow them. He is the true leader of the team "
I am not working on his project but I have interacted with him from time to time. He also works for support.
For me it seems that he is the only person that really knows how the entire software solution works. He also guides the developers in their work (he is a developer himself but only writes code for the most complicated tasks).
When the developers have issues in their work he finds the solutions for them. When the requirements come he decides how to be implemented.
The Support Manager to which he reports (also a technical guy) always comes to him for advice when he has to make decisions regarding that particular software solution.
That's leadership in my opinion. The girl that servers as project solution team lead admitted that she is not technical but the consultancy has already provided a PM so they invented this role for her to charge my current organization. She is supposed to be the lead-developer but she can't develop. Incredible isn't it?
...
1 reply by Luis Branco
Dec 22, 2019 3:56 PM
Luis Branco
...
Dear Adrian Thanks for your comment
I agree with what he wrote: "Organizations are there to serve the people of the organization (the people of the organization are the owners, managers, staff and customers).
An organization only makes sense if it is to satisfy an existing need and / or desire in the market. Market = Customers ".
I believe the changes that are happening and the speed with which they are happening are disrupting the way we do business, how we work, and how companies meet our customers' needs and wants.
Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dec 22, 2019 2:24 PM
Replying to Adrian Carlogea
...
I am not working on his project but I have interacted with him from time to time. He also works for support.
For me it seems that he is the only person that really knows how the entire software solution works. He also guides the developers in their work (he is a developer himself but only writes code for the most complicated tasks).
When the developers have issues in their work he finds the solutions for them. When the requirements come he decides how to be implemented.
The Support Manager to which he reports (also a technical guy) always comes to him for advice when he has to make decisions regarding that particular software solution.
That's leadership in my opinion. The girl that servers as project solution team lead admitted that she is not technical but the consultancy has already provided a PM so they invented this role for her to charge my current organization. She is supposed to be the lead-developer but she can't develop. Incredible isn't it?
Dear Adrian Thanks for your comment
I agree with what he wrote: "Organizations are there to serve the people of the organization (the people of the organization are the owners, managers, staff and customers).
An organization only makes sense if it is to satisfy an existing need and / or desire in the market. Market = Customers ".
I believe the changes that are happening and the speed with which they are happening are disrupting the way we do business, how we work, and how companies meet our customers' needs and wants. Saving Changes...
