CREATE INTEGRATION
WHY IT MATTERS
Because they have a higher vantage point in the organization, leaders can see how everything that happens should fit and work together. They know that integration isn’t something that happens without an instigator. They know it is their responsibility to ensure that what should be connected gets connected. Leaders that create integration take their organization to the highest levels of efficiency and productivity because the right people, projects, processes, and tools are all appropriately woven together to provide the greatest impact. Leaders that fail to create integration between their people and their work invite duplication of effort, wasted resources, disharmony, and misalignment.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that excel at creating integration see their work and world as an interconnected and interdependent system of multiple parts and pieces that should fit together and form a single whole. They see the larger vision of what is happening around them and help others see how they fit into the integrated world of work. They see the big picture and dive into its most detailed levels to sort through and design the most common-sense way to do work.
Leaders that create integration understand intimately every aspect of their organization. They know how all the disparate parts of the organization work together to create end value for the customer. They know the role of each work group, process, department, and discipline. They know that before you can integrate people and work you have to understand in depth what they are doing and how it relates to others.
Leaders that integrate work see each work activity as a component of a process that can be documented, outlined, studied, redesigned, and improved. Rather than hoping integration happens by chance, they design integration to happen. They assess the procedures, processes, and practices of the organization to find where to combine, incorporate, and build bridges between them. They identify areas where duplicate work exists and determine how to create single solutions.
Leaders that excel at creating integration don’t see problems as singular events. Instead, they try to connect problems together. They apply the principle of cause and effect. Rather than jumping directly into a problem when it arises, they analyze the factors that contributed to its origination to identify its real root cause and determine the best solutions.
Leaders that excel at creating integration connect to other people. They find opportunities to partner with other people and groups inside and outside their organization. They look for what people are doing elsewhere that could be leveraged for their benefit and vice versa. They get people to work together, think together, and function as a team.
Leaders that create integration open up channels of communication and information across the organization. They want everyone to know what is happening, when it is happening, and how it is happening. They form collaboration networks to make it easy for people to learn from, connect, and work with each other.
BELIEFS
BEST PRACTICES
SELF-REFLECTION
WORDS OF CAUTION
Because they have a higher vantage point in the organization, leaders can see how everything that happens should fit and work together. They know that integration isn’t something that happens without an instigator. They know it is their responsibility to ensure that what should be connected gets connected. Leaders that create integration take their organization to the highest levels of efficiency and productivity because the right people, projects, processes, and tools are all appropriately woven together to provide the greatest impact. Leaders that fail to create integration between their people and their work invite duplication of effort, wasted resources, disharmony, and misalignment.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that excel at creating integration see their work and world as an interconnected and interdependent system of multiple parts and pieces that should fit together and form a single whole. They see the larger vision of what is happening around them and help others see how they fit into the integrated world of work. They see the big picture and dive into its most detailed levels to sort through and design the most common-sense way to do work.
Leaders that create integration understand intimately every aspect of their organization. They know how all the disparate parts of the organization work together to create end value for the customer. They know the role of each work group, process, department, and discipline. They know that before you can integrate people and work you have to understand in depth what they are doing and how it relates to others.
Leaders that integrate work see each work activity as a component of a process that can be documented, outlined, studied, redesigned, and improved. Rather than hoping integration happens by chance, they design integration to happen. They assess the procedures, processes, and practices of the organization to find where to combine, incorporate, and build bridges between them. They identify areas where duplicate work exists and determine how to create single solutions.
Leaders that excel at creating integration don’t see problems as singular events. Instead, they try to connect problems together. They apply the principle of cause and effect. Rather than jumping directly into a problem when it arises, they analyze the factors that contributed to its origination to identify its real root cause and determine the best solutions.
Leaders that excel at creating integration connect to other people. They find opportunities to partner with other people and groups inside and outside their organization. They look for what people are doing elsewhere that could be leveraged for their benefit and vice versa. They get people to work together, think together, and function as a team.
Leaders that create integration open up channels of communication and information across the organization. They want everyone to know what is happening, when it is happening, and how it is happening. They form collaboration networks to make it easy for people to learn from, connect, and work with each other.
BELIEFS
- Nothing exists in a silo. Everything is connected to and influenced by everything else around it.
- To see where you can create integration you need to take the time to dive into the details of how work gets done.
- Every action you take will cause an effect to someone or something else, you just have to find out how.
- Integration means identifying the causes and effects that exist between people’s role and their work.
- Integration isn’t just about connecting work so it is done in the best way. It is about connecting people so they work in the best way.
- Always ask the question “what else is what I am doing connected to, or what else will it influence?”
- Integration is not natural. Left alone, everything moves towards chaos. Integration needs to be created and maintained.
- Integration can’t be left to chance. Integration can be designed into the work so that it is the only way in which work can get done.
BEST PRACTICES
- Share information across the organization.
- Learn how other’s work interfaces with yours.
- See interdependencies in the work.
- Learn other’s purposes and goals.
- See opportunities where synergy could occur.
- Form interdisciplinary work teams.
- Learn how different functions interact.
- Leverage cross-organization projects.
- Assess work processes to find ways to integrate.
- Help people see their impact on others.
- Look for efficiencies to be gained in partnering.
- Design work to happen in a connected way.
- Think through the impact of your decisions.
- See work through a systems view.
- Be looking for new connections.
- Refuse to do your work alone in a silo.
- See the larger flow of information.
- Ensure communication flows smoothly.
- Create partnerships with others.
- Know what is happening everywhere.
- Form alliances with others with mutual goals.
- Network with others regularly.
SELF-REFLECTION
- Do I see my organization as one interconnected system, or do I silo every part of it into its own little box?
- Do I sufficiently understand each part of the organization, or do I fail to dive into the needed level of detail?
- Do I design the work to happen in an integrated way, or do I permit it to carry forward without being integrated?
- Do I identify ways to combine, incorporate, and build bridges between work, or do I let work exist independently?
- Do I find where work is being duplicated and combine it into single solutions, or do I allow duplication to persist?
- Do I think the work is as integrated as it possibly could be, or do I always see room for improvement?
- Do I see what is happening elsewhere in the organization and integrate with it, or do I fail to create links where I could?
- Do I make integration an organizational expectation, or do I neglect to make it a priority?
WORDS OF CAUTION
- Don’t be so focused on integration you invest time and energy trying to integrate things that shouldn’t be integrated.
- Don’t think integration will always mean simplicity, when sometimes it can mean more short-term complexity.
- Don’t think integrating two bad things will produce a good thing, when sometimes you just have to start over.
- I don’t mind sharing my talents and tricks with others.
- Working efficiently is essential.
- Everyone on a team needs to work together for the team to be successful.
- Taking a step back helps me focus on my next steps.
- Everyone’s job in an organization is equally important.
- Feedback from others helps me become a better person.