fCompartir

Tweet

In our continuing series on the transformation of our institution into a powerful and competitive partner in Industry 4.0 ecosystems, [1] [2] [3] [4] we now discuss the next lesson learned in the review of this process [2] [4]:

Third lesson: Champions for this transformation need to be identified, nurtured, trained, supported, and incentivized at every level of the organization. Transformational leadership will play a key role in this process.

Another common thread among much of the Industry 4.0 literature is the pressing need for finding champions for the digital transformation at every level of the organization. [5] These collaborators not only internalize and champion the changes, but they spread the enthusiasm for doing so among their peers throughout their sphere of influence. [6] Roscoe opines that when faced with change, people generally become critics, bystanders, victims, or change champions. [7] Of these outcomes, the only proactively positive collaborator is the change champion. Of course, these are not the only definitions that exist, but they give us a good context for our discussion.

Any organization has inertia. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as an organization needs to be able to continue to function through the loss of any individual collaborator or even groups of collaborators within teams. The inertia takes on many forms – processes, ideas, ideals, goals, strategy, etc. This inertia can be survival, stability, and strength. It can also be stagnation, failure, and destruction. Following this same inertial imagery, for a change to take effect, a force must operate on the system. These forces can be external to the system (such as pushing on a box) or permeate the system (such as gravity drawing us toward the earth). When the need for change arrives for an organization, this change will also come from internal or external players, or (more likely) both. 

As stated in the third lesson learned, our champions for change must permeate our organization at every level. However, as Roscoe pointed out, the champion is only one of many possible outcomes when collaborators face organizational change. [7] So, how do we identify, nurture, train, support, ad incentivize the right people to give ourselves the champions needed for the digital transformation ahead? Transformational Leadership.

UPAEP has the concept of transformational leadership written into its DNA, from the foundational documents on to the university motto. The university has generated transformational leaders within its ecosystem, but it must do better and redouble its efforts to truly live its calling within all ranks of leadership if we are to survive this digital transformation as one of Mexico’s leading institutions. A challenge that is all too common in Mexico, not just UPAEP, is that leadership may too easily be caught up in the comfortable familiarity of transactional leadership and never venture into truly transformational roles. This is not to say that there is no role for transactional leadership, but rather that it must be employed only where it is effective to do so.

I have provided a much more in-depth review of this concept in an iideas conference (presentation, video). From this review, we can summarize global trends on the issues:

Transactional Leadership

·      Based on objectives, as well as the use of rewards and punishments (transactions) to ensure compliance1

·      Not a good fit for places where creativity and innovative ideas are valued

Transformational Leadership

·      This leader identifies a need for change, crafts a vision that guides the change through inspiration, and fulfils that change with the commitment from the group members

·      Gives collaborators autonomy over specific jobs and the authority to make decisions based on their training

·      Possess courage, confidence, and willingness to sacrifice for the greater good

·      This leader will know his team enough to identify and nurture future change champions, and will have the vision to train, support, and incentivize the behaviors that will lead to the internalization of the vision for change in each of these collaborators.  

Comparing traits between these kinds of leaders is also helpful when considering their effectiveness at fostering the change champions and even the change itself:

If the digital transformation at the university is to have the best chance for success, we will need every player possible on the side of proactive positive change. To budge the institutional inertia, we must combine not only the external influences of leaders but also the energy and enthusiasm of change champions at every level. The seeds for being these champions lie within the hearts, minds, and will of the individual collaborators, but as transformational leaders we can give those seeds the best chance at fully blooming to life.

It will also be necessary to foster and be champions among the leadership. The circles of leadership can become their own insular structures. Leaders can also be comfortable, filled with inertia, and have the same chance as their employees of ending up as critics, bystanders, or victims of change rather than its champions. This area of opportunity must become our first call for champions. If we want to see this change take life and permeate the institution, we must find, foster, and be the champions among our own peers and leadership. One of the first and most important changes will be to focus on unlearning our transactional habits and replacing them with transformational traits.

There will be critics – those unwilling to even begin the attempt at self-reflection and change. We must be able to listen to, understand, communicate, and reason with our critics with respect, kindness, love, and professionalism and maintain an open channel for rapprochement. There will be bystanders – those unwilling or unable to engage with the process and hang on to the status quo. We must be able to enjoin them to leave apathy or trepidation behind and infuse them with our own excitement and eagerness for this new UPAEP. There will be victims - not everyone will be able to handle the transformation well. We must have compassion, empathy, openness, and a collaborative spirit towards those who will feel disenfranchise by these changes as they are unable to become a part of the change itself, and help them to find their own best point of contribution in this new system.

What kind of leader are you willing to be for this institution today? Tomorrow? Every day after that? This is a call for champions – as the University undertakes this next great evolution, will it be able to count on you?

References

x

x

Dr. Juan Manuel López Oglesby, Director, Graduate Biomedical Engineering Sciences UPAEP Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo.