There is no simpler and more thoughtful way to understand life than through fables. Perhaps that is why I remember the story of the little worm that, despite the criticism and complaints from the rest of the group, decided to follow its "impulse" and without fear of what it was leaving behind, it locked itself in a cocoon. Everyone believed that he was crazy and they were thinking about the comforts that he abandoned… What would the community be astonished when, shortly after, they found the broken cocoon and a beautiful butterfly that was leaving the place.
In this story, attention can be focused on three fundamental points: the community of worms (including the intrepid little worm), the cocoon and the butterfly. The first is nothing more than society and, therefore, our organizations from which the leaders arise, the risky characters who are not afraid to break with the comforts and routines that surround them. The second (cocoon) is only a means for the great change, without which it would not be possible and the last is nothing more than the result of having accepted that change.
Giving real meaning to this story, we could compare the jerk to Information Technology and the intrepid little worm to the leader. Both key factors and drivers that influence the development of organizations (the worm community).
To understand why these elements are so significant today for organizations and society in general, we have to delve into what they represent and their importance. Obviously one conditions the other, but if we analyze them separately it will be easier to understand them.
About Information Technology
From our daily slang there are repetitive expressions such as: "new computer technologies", "digital age", "information age"… among other terms that are not unknown to anyone. This is possible because they describe the process in which we are immersed.
If we go back to history to better understand what is currently happening, we can show that revolutions have occurred at various times and have marked determining patterns in the evolution of the world. However, we must admit that the revolution brought about by digital technology has had a broader impact than many of the advances referred to above.
This is mainly the result of the psychological effect that it has caused. In less time and with more force, as a result of globalization, there have been cultural and mental changes in society. Technological advances affect the way of living, working and doing business. We appreciate that customers (introducing business language as a topic that concerns us) have modified the perception of their lifestyles, purchasing criteria… which forces companies to meet the needs of their markets in so-called “real time”.
It is practical to know, first of all, that new technologies comprise a series of applications of scientific discoveries, the core of which consists of an ever-increasing capacity to process information.
On the other hand, Technology has resulted in the fall of barriers, especially economic and social, as a result of digitization eliminating the distance, making the economy and the market unique, in such a way that competition knows no borders. But this has also caused economic instability and social crises.
However, it must be recognized that the use of information technology is essential in the creation of value, since it saves time, which is key to the competitive advantage of the organization. In short, we can identify this era that runs with name and surname: Technological Change.
Like all changes, those that occur in the area of technology are a source of uncertainty, with the aggravation that at present they have an unusual, global and complex speed, but if fears are overcome and you learn to deal with it, each development can be the starting point for multiple opportunities. Not forgetting that this constant speed and transformation forces companies to constantly question whether I am doing the right thing.
It is significant to emphasize, before continuing, that the evoked "age of knowledge" is not the result or consequence of computers and data processing, but rather of what this has unleashed the Internet, as the most important channel of business (call it e-commerce) or professional development in general; as well as the emergence of new sectors such as biotechnology, bioinformatics, among others.
Although the repercussion that technology has had in today's world is evident, it has encountered great resistance (the worms in the story that fear to leave their usual space), which caused the death of very good companies. It is undeniable that technology, for many, represents a threat to their security, which causes discomfort and fear, which translates as “technological anguish”.
But, despite all this, there are many voices that have highlighted that it currently makes little sense to raise the problem of new technologies in the world of work in terms of rejection or acceptance or in terms of their convenience or inconvenience, since it is a fact demonstrated that for the subsistence of the companies in the competitive world the application of these technologies is a basic factor. This means that you have to be able to succeed with technology and not in spite of it.
Informatics and organizations
It has been shown that the introduction of new technologies brings with it great transformations not only infrastructural but, and much more worrying, psychosocial. In other words, they have a great impact on people, social life and society in general, which is not unknown to the world of organizations.
There are many and diverse technological applications that are influencing work processes and today's organizations themselves. Therefore, new computer technologies affect all aspects of working life, which can be seen in the great changes that have been brought about by their application. In general we can find:
1- Impact on the job and performance. The activities and tasks carried out within the organization have been affected (more flexibility is required, among other things), thus changing jobs (more autonomy, level of challenge, etc.). Therefore, the abilities and skills, that is, the competencies required for those jobs will not be the same, even the physical environment of the job is affected, for the better, by these changes. On the other hand, there are new forms of work, such as “remote work”. Obviously these changes lead to higher productivity obtained by the worker.
2- Impact on psychological well-being and quality of work life: Here the previously mentioned concept of “technological anguish” enters with force. This arises as a result of all the psychological transformations in which workers are involved with the introduction of computing (insecurities, dependencies, ignorance, feeling of backwardness, among others). However, if they analyzed the concept of "quality of working life", they would understand that there is a contradiction, since the latter is affected, in general, in a positive way. This is easy to corroborate with the changes that have taken place in the conception of "job", such as the appearance of virtual offices and many other modalities that allow doing business "at a distance". Also the worker's hours are made more flexible, allowing,in many cases, working at home. The organizations of today are called, in this case, to seek a favorable relationship between these two concepts.
3- The impact on interpersonal relationships and teamwork. On this point, it is worth highlighting the value and relevance of communication in today's world, since it is through it that greater influence is exerted on people and changes are promoted. However, the way of communicating, that is, of relating interpersonally, has also been transformed in that the frequency of contacts and the type of interactions between people (through the network) have varied. This implies that the capacity for influence between people or groups is determined, for the most part, by the technological factor. Supervision and control functions have been transferred from people to machines, raising new needs in these areas.
4- Impact on the organizational structure and processes. It is evident that organizations are not the same, therefore, just as people must change, the organizational structure must also adapt to the new conditions, in a way that facilitates the incorporation of these changes in the work environment. The "way of doing" things must also assume and incorporate technology as the center of the process.
The influence that the appearance of Informatics has had on the organizational world and the need to assume it as part of it for its adaptation to the environment has been briefly characterized. However, although these technological advances are the fundamental basis of current development, we must ask ourselves to what extent we can generalize and centralize, only, the progress of humanity from these times to the emergence and evolution of this Information Revolution.
Returning to the fable, digital technologies are a means (cocoon), not an end in themselves, from which it can be deduced that the central place of all the development of humanity is occupied by man (worm / butterfly); since he is the creator of the means of social enrichment. This has allowed him to deploy “new capacities”, which make it easier for him to adapt to the changes that he himself originated.
But, as the same story showed us, we refer to that person who breaks with the comforts and the everyday to enter the unknown, that is the future butterfly that drives change in others and promotes advancement, always starting from their experience.
This intrepid worm is given the nickname of Leader. And as it was said at the beginning, it is the other fundamental element for the competitiveness of current organizations, since they favor and promote the development of those “new capacities” that evolution calls for. Digging back into history, one cannot lose sight of the fact that behind all change there is good leadership.
About the Leader
Already with the first philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Machiavelli, we discovered the first positions on leadership, which today are still taken and reaffirmed. Obviously, as times go by, we have put aside some of those first ideas about the leader, such as F. Nietzsche's conception of the leader as a superman. However, others are in force and currently have gained more strength, which is given by the crisis of beliefs that exists in the modern world.
It is for this reason that it is difficult to conceptualize a leader from the activity he performs, thus turning to the inner search of the person as a means to understand the essence of leadership.
It has been shown that the leader will only inspire confidence, the basis for unconditional follow-up, through the invariable integrity of his person. For that, you must know how to control yourself, know your capabilities and limitations, and how to make proper use of both. It is through this inner knowledge that he becomes an effective leader, which translates into something essential for him: that people have confidence and hope.
Now, we cannot just focus on the personal characteristics of the leaders, as we would be making the mistake of simplifying their value. Would you consider a person, such as Hitler, a leader ?; we would probably answer that if, ultimately, supposedly, he meets all the leadership parameters. But what did these characters bring to humanity?
It is not enough to have followers and “achieve” the proposed dreams, since the legitimacy of them must be validated. That is why we should only refer to a true leader as one who brings growth to society, not destruction, leading from knowledge and not from power. This helps us not to fall into the temptation of seeing the leader as the savior of the world in turn, because it is not like that, the man is not perfect and that statement is not alien to the leaders, demystifying them is the first step to discover and understand them.
Analyzing leadership from another angle, we find Vision, a core element that identifies the leader. Vision plays a fundamental role in the success of good leadership, as it is the main engine that drives man to seek new paths and is also the point of contact with other people. Ultimately, it is the vision or dream that is shared and for which it is decided to walk together, in addition to the personal characteristics of the leader.
Much could be said about vision, but what J. Kotter raises in his book is very revealing. The author argues that Vision is the one that surpasses the forces that sustain current conditions. And as a vision, if it cannot be shared, it has no real value, then it must be: imaginable, desirable, feasible, focused (clear for decision-making), flexible (it must accommodate the individual and changes), communicable. It may require sacrifices to make way for a better future, but it does not ignore the long-term interests of any of the people involved in it.
All this argumentation about leadership shows that "the key to creating and sustaining the kind of successful organization of the century is the leader." Leadership is the factor that gives greater autonomy to the workforce and therefore determines whether an organization succeeds or not. Even if the strategy fails, the culture or the processes change, if the company has good leadership, it holds the key to progress.
Since today's world is constantly changing, motivated mainly by technological factors, we cannot conceive of the development of social and more specifically organizational life without the involvement of technology, but neither can we conceive that this development takes place without the presence of technology. of a leader, who is the facilitator of these changes.
Limiting ourselves to this last statement, let us see what “sine qua non” conditions must be met by the leaders of the new economy, which facilitate the acceptance and implementation of change (especially information technology) in current organizations. As John P. Kotter puts it, "The process of change is not used effectively unless it is driven by a high-quality leader and not simply by excellent management."
The leader and the organizations
First of all, this time of rapid change leads us to question whether the human capacity to lead will be in tune with the needs and capacities that are offered. Every organization has a lot of information, but that does not mean that it knows how to search, receive, process and filter that data logically. That is why a good manager must know how to distinguish between the information society and the knowledge society, since with the latter the human factor is incorporated.
Thus, the business leader must be endowed with logical intelligence that enables him to rationalize business, linguistic intelligence to favor communication and interpersonal intelligence to be able to work effectively in teams, always counting on intrapersonal intelligence that gives him the tools from his own person, knowing his strengths and weaknesses.
From the gifts that allow the leader to effectively manage current organizations, we can delve into how the leader consolidates and manifests it in organizations.
1- Business rationalizer
In order to be a good business rationalizer, the leader must be able, in the first place, to establish two basic criteria within his organization that give meaning to the work, such as quality and dedication. The first is linked to our experience with the value and meaning of life, "it is the quality of the goal pursued, the moral superiority of the ultimate goal."
Good leadership is called upon to reorganize the economy, which, in capitalism, has historically been organized outside of the people, seeking profit as its sole purpose. That is why it is essential that, without ever forgetting that the leader seeks the organization's profitability, we bear in mind that this will be achieved as long as human capital is committed to the organization's objectives and also taking into account customers and consumers. In this way, social responsibility is fulfilled, a primary factor for the welfare of the people. For this reason, values such as commercial honesty, freedom and justice should be created in this exercise of profit, especially when it comes to distributing wealth.
Behind each name there is a personal story. When we care about other people, not just based on their performance, we become human leaders. This means that the leader must be a source of growth and motivation for them, he must make the subordinate feel linked to the results.
The leader must not only accept risk, but must also commit to it and to innovation. However, as a businessman, you should never lose your fear or gloat in your success, for in trust lies the danger.
Leaders, to be a source of sustainable competitive advantage, must constantly learn and encourage learning for the organization as a whole. This allows leaders to be effective, since it is not enough only to have the vision but also to know how to manage it.
The leader must have the ability to attract others, which is taxed in his extraordinary concentration on commitment to his vision, not mystical but linked to the results and needs of the organization and others.
In such a complex and technologically sophisticated society, most projects require many talented people to work together, making it essential to promote horizontalization or participation. Given this circumstance, the numbers "Two" appear in the organizations, which we currently name as co-leaders. That is why it is essential to create a good management team for the success of the company, since they have a broader scope than the leader can achieve alone.
But to acquire the correct functioning of these teams, organizational coherence and focus are needed, becoming a fundamental part of leadership the ability to think and act strategically, so that it is flexible and adaptable to the situations that arise in its environment. This advocates the need for a unified leadership, which not only favors group work but also encourages “group thinking” in decision-making, where, therefore, a leader is identified who does not hinder the development of the organization.
2- Linguistic Intelligence and Interpersonal Intelligence
Today's organizations have the need to build a common language that fulfills the identity functions of the body, that is, that represents the unifying system of all the parts that make up the organization. That task is in the hands of the leader and only through effective communication can the leader achieve tune the entire organization with its objectives.
For this, the leader must explain very well the reasons for the change and why it is necessary (make it clear to others), only in this way can it be shared and understood by everyone, and we are not just talking about clarifying or explaining something, but about creating meanings. In this way, it will not be taken as a threat to the professional integrity of the worker and resistance to change would be avoided. In the case of computing, we would reduce “technological anguish”. In their hands is to make people feel part of what is being created, and thus influence themselves to achieve goals in groups.
Likewise, the leader also communicates to the extent that he creates pressing goals that employees worry about achieving (since they must be projects that challenge their talent). Thus people organize themselves through a purpose and work to achieve it, maintaining their individuality. It is very important that they feel that their leader demands of them, because that shows that they trust the talent of their subordinates. It must be clear that with inadequate communication our expectations will be very different from the results obtained after the process is finished, so it is necessary to feed the feedback, which ensures that the processes go as planned. This does not mean that you have to be masters of the word, perhaps the absence of it is the best way to communicate.
The leader, in his attempt to unify criteria and positions for the common good and the company, must also know how to face the scenarios that arise as a result of this effort and his relationship with the changing and plural environment. Thus the conflict appears as another aspect that most affects current leadership. Faced with the ineffectiveness of orders through a chain of command and the need to work in a group, sharing the role of leaders, contradictions appear that are normal when there are human relationships, but that increase stress and tension at work. These conflicts should not be seen as enemies, but on the contrary, as signals that indicate where the leader must apply his linguistic and interpersonal capacities with greater wisdom.
3- Intrapersonal intelligence
It is suggested that man is both an actor and the author of his own story. Therefore only by assuming this historical responsibility in his daily existence, does he find himself and realize himself as a person. That is why, as a free being, he has to choose even the inevitable, the only way to make any human project his own, with the capacity to transform the imposed conditions. This transformation only makes sense through the adherence and choice of certain values.
These values are the basis for the construction of the company that these times require, since its ultimate goal is to improve the quality of our lives. Senior management is in charge of promoting them to the entire organization and creating commitments to those values. Leaders are called to make each individual exercise their responsibility, to lead their own lives, since it is a personal vocation.
In this way we recognize that we are all potentially leaders of our destiny, therefore it is not necessary to wait for others to move forward, that is where our freedom and individual and social responsibility lie. Although the questions are universal, the answers are personal, we are called not to get carried away by the current, which is fleeting, and look for our own direction, which will have in store for us a beautiful butterfly as a result of entrepreneurship.
Finally, if we wanted to discover what some of the effects of good leadership in the organization can be, we see them manifested in:
1- Employees feel important
2- They discover the value of learning and ability.
3- In the organization, everyone feels part of a "community"
4- The work is exciting.
About Organizations
The world of organizations is constantly boiling and the main characteristic that defines them is uncertainty, as a result of the fact that these times demand speed, flexibility and customer orientation from them. This requires, not only knowing and accepting the new paradigms that are being imposed by society, but it also implies a deep and sincere effort to try to change and make it part of the organization itself, without leading it to lose its integrity and individuality..
So, if as a result of globalization and the rapidity with which new technological discoveries appear we cannot cling to the supposedly safe things, we must accept change as a new challenge for man. It is in our hands to look at it and use it as an opportunity to challenge our capacities and develop our potentialities that contribute to the efficiency of the organization.
Going back to the story that we started at the beginning, it may be that in our organizations we find positions very similar to those adopted by the group of worms: that fear of facing the unknown, of leaving aside comfort, beauty, safety, the known… and go in search of a "chimera". That is why brave and responsible young people with their concerns are becoming more and more essential for the success of organizations in today's world, which once again shows us that it does not matter to go against the current if the fruit of the decision transforms you into what you always dreamed of, the risk that this implies does not matter.
But what we must not forget are the means that lead us to that change. It is through them, in this case computer technology, that we can better achieve those dreams, as long as we know how to find the exact limit in which we must abandon them, because we can confuse the reason why we are inside the "cocoon", turning it into the goal.
This shows us that we must be vigilant, because if in the exploration of these new conditions to lead we forget who we are, motivated and influenced by a few interconnected cables, we can assume that we have lost the path to success and from that moment we would be destined Again, to failure or in the best of cases we would find a new "routine" to cling to and enslave ourselves. Because although it is undeniable that the technological advances that brought us here have created a series of basic principles positioned in modern man that can lead us, when we know how to use it, towards a more dignified and complete life, it has been found that, paradoxically, the distances between men have increased, its current use being questionable.
Thus, we commit a crime by admiring works without recognizing that they were engendered by a greater greatness: man. The leader must be in search of the virtues and the best use of our creations. That is why we call on the leaders of the present and for the future, our success will be determined in the measure in which we pay, as P. Drucker puts it: «more attention to the most powerful machine, the most advanced technology, the best software developed, and the basis of every invention made: the brain.
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