Management through Meaning

“Total self-absorption or lack of empathy” and “lousy interpersonal skills” are the least desirable behaviours of leaders.

The management of meaning is central to leading organisations in the current climate of discontinuous change (Limerick and Cunnington, 1993:224-225).  Managers should have very meaningful objectives but if these are not communicated little will be realised.  The ability to translate visions into meaningful actions or attitudes for followers through a mastering of communication is inseparable from effective leadership (Peters and Waterman, 1982:67-73). Vision plus communication results in shared purpose (Nanus, 1992:156).

There are a number of issues listed by Darling (1992:6) relating to effective communication:

·     an essential factor is the ability to foster shared meanings and interpretation of reality so that action is coordinated.

·     communication methods vary enormously.  Despite this “every successful leader is aware that an organisation is based on a set of shared meanings which define roles and authority, procedures and objectives.”  “The distinctive role of leadership is the quest for the “know-why” ahead of the “know-how”.

·     communication is the primary way any group of individuals, small or large, can become aligned with the goals of quality in an organisation.

·     empathy is essential:  “successful leaders are open and sensitive to the needs and differences of others, and look at relative viewpoints rather than absolutes.”

·     effective communication requires accepting the fact that every human being is a distinctly unique individual.

Reimann (1992:44) holds that “total self-absorption or lack of empathy” and “lousy interpersonal skills” to be the least desirable behaviours of leaders.

The importance of employees finding meaning in work is summed up by Knowles (1990):

People are finding meaning in their work which is powerful and fulfilling.  Understanding things more fully, and seeing how we fit into the larger picture, allows personal growth to take place.  Now as we are moving into an environment where people see that what they are doing makes a difference, they begin to feel much better about themselves and their work.  Discretionary energy (the increase in energy a person puts into work over and above that required to keep the job) is released and people become more creative - a significant increase in the organisation’s capacity to do work takes place.

The synergistic impacts that finding meaning could have on organisational success can be an important motivator for leaders to improve their functioning as communicators.

Management through meaning alone is not enough - see related post on having a compelling vision

Darling J R (1992)  Total quality management: the key role of leadership strategies.  Leadership & Organisation Development Journal 13(4):3-7

Knowles, M.S. (1990). The Adult Learner: a Neglected Species 4th edition, Houston: Gulf Publishing Company, Book Division

Limerick D and Cunnington B (1993)  Managing the New Organisation: A Blueprint for Networks and Strategic Alliances. Chatswood, NSW: Business & Professional Publishing

Nanus B (1992)  Visionary Leadership: Creating a Compelling Sense of Direction for your Organisation.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Peters T and Waterman R H (1982)  In Search of Excellence.  New York: Harper and Row.

Reimann B C (1992) The 1992 Strategic Management Conference.  The Planning Forum 20(4):38-46