Flamholtz's Leadership Molecule Impacts Organizational Development and Financial Performance

LOS ANGELES - Aug. 23, 2013 - PRLog -- Dr. Eric Flamholtz  has designed a survey to assess whether a Leadership Molecule™ exists in companies, and to test its correlation with Organizational Development, using measures that have been shown to link to financial performance.

It is a “core leadership team” (in true sociological sense) with defined but overlapping and complementary roles. Typically the roles of vision, culture, operations, and overseeing systems development, are performed by one or more individuals comprising the molecule, while the fifth task of strategic leadership (leading and managing innovation and change) is performed as a collective team.

Formation of the Leadership Molecule™

A team can either pass through these stages by (accidental) “natural evolution” or by design through team building activities. Team building can help accelerate the process of creating the molecule. For example, he helped create this Leadership Molecule ™ at Starbucks (without calling it that or thinking of it in those terms) through role definitions and team building activities.

A Marker of a Molecule’s Existence 

A “marker” of the existence of such a molecule is typically (but not always) that an organization has assigned a “nickname” or label to the molecule, such as:

• “H2O” and “H2O2 (at Starbucks) 

• “The three Musketeers,” (at PacifiCare)

• Batman and Robin (Steve Jobs and John Scully at Apple), 

• “The Troika” (at Google)

Also where the molecule is seen as negative, dysfunctional or even toxic by the organization at large,   it can receive a nickname with negative connotations or overtones, such as:

• “Gang of Four,” and

• “The Ghost and the Darkness:” (Dyad)

The absence so a nickname is not conclusive evidence that a molecule does not exist, but it is suggestive. However, the nickname is a “marker” or “DNA” signature for a true leadership molecule (team). 

Conclusion

In any organization that has it, a Leadership Molecule™ is a valuable asset. It is hidden in plain sight, recognized by all inside the company but not susceptible to copying by competitors.  Where it does not exist, it can be developed with the proper ingredients and process.

Further Information

For further information about the leadership molecule and how it can be created, see www.mgtsystems.com/team-building and www.mgtsystems.com/leadership-molecule as well as the above referenced articles.