The Desired Futures Blog is dedicated to individuals, partners, teams, organisations and communities creating the future they truly want.
Shared vision is a key strategy for creating desired futures and in this inaugural blog I discuss shared vision in the organisation.
Achieving a shared vision can take time but is a core aspiration of great organisations.
In some ways, leading an organisation is like building an aircraft in mid-air. You must act ‘now’ to ensure survival in the short term but also continue to improve with each flight in search of the perfect flight.
In developing shared vision, adopt an approach that matches the current state of the organisation while, at the same time, endeavouring to move towards the best performance possible.
Many organisations spend time in the middle zone which falls between a single person dominating command and controlling the vision, and everyone sharing and – committed to achieving – a compelling vision of success.
The middle zone involves balancing existing skills, acknowledging the history of the people and the organisation as well as striking a compromise between “doing things for today and improving for tomorrow”.
Developing shared vision is often incremental based on starting point:
• Phase 1: executive creates business plan & educates staff;
• Phase 2: workshops with staff to discuss plan before executive adoption;
• Phase 3: leaders form cross-functional teams prepare final plan for executive approval.
What has been your experience in developing shared vision in teams and organisations?
