“Change is inevitable, but transformation is by conscious choice” (Heather Ash Amara, US writer) One of the many surprising trends during the last two years of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the huge disruption in the global workplace, which some people have called the “Great Resignation” as millions have quit thankless and unsatisfying jobs. But coming out of this turmoil could there be the possibility of a “Great Transformation”? When the term “The Great Transformation” was first popularised in a 1944 book of the same name, the author Karl Polanyi was criticizing the development of the market economy in the 19th century as being socially divisive. This time around it could have a much more positive impact on society as a whole, on the workplace, on organizations and their leaders and workers as the balance of power shifts away from the few to the many, especially as new generations take over a younger workforce. Early in the pandemic, Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, a professor of Public Affairs at Columbia University in New York City, conducted a survey that showed that, “most Americans want workers to have more voice in the workplace, especially compared to their employers.” This sentiment has only grown in the last two years, not just in the USA but around the world and here in Rwanda too. “I held out for as long as I could while I was working from home but going back to the office was the final straw for me,” says one former employee of a professional services firm here in Kigali, who preferred to remain unidentified and I will call ‘Diane’ instead. “I had changed but nothing else had changed. The managers and the system were still the same. I had to go,” Diane added. So the challenge now is for conscious leaders here in Rwanda and beyond to turn something that is potentially destructive and counter-productive into something constructive and sustainable. If they believe the saying, “true transformation begins within”, leaders will do their own self-work first, as outlined in the previous Leading Rwanda column on March. Then they need to engage the people around them in a new way, recognizing this shift in power that has happened and will continue to happen in the workplace, so that a high-performing employee like Diane can be retained, valued and developed instead of being discounted or ignored. Clearly, such traditional aspects of leadership as Confidence, Charisma, Command and Control will be less relevant going forward. Other “C” words, such as Character, Connection, Compassion, Competence, Co-Creation and Commitment - that were discussed in a Leading Rwanda column on ‘Preparing Others for a New Normal’ in June 2020 - are still important but may not be enough to achieve a “Great Transformation’. Transformative leaders will also need to focus on a new selection of “C” words, which come from an unlikely source: Chemistry. This was this columnist’s weakest subject of study in high school but Dutch philosopher, Jaap van Brakel, who wrote the ground-breaking “Philosophy of Chemistry’ in 2000, claimed that it is the “science of transformation.” Chemistry A recalibration of relationships between leaders and those around them will be the key to this transformation. How well do the leaders know their staff? How well do the staff know them? Will leaders show more humility, curiosity and vulnerability with their co-workers? Will that sincere role modelling create more inclusion, belonging and harmony within the team – not just in terms of physical but also psychological and emotional safety? Can the enforced trust established during the Covid-19 period of working from home be translated into a more voluntary and deeper sense of trust in a more hybrid working environment? Will leaders allow and even encourage team members to have more control of when, where and how they work, communicate, perform and succeed? Catalysis Can leaders relinquish their traditional role as the all-knowing, all-powerful experts? They may still have more experience, more expertise and more nominal power than those around them but maybe they can use it in a different way now? Instead of just making decisions on their own and then telling people what to do, they can become prime movers and ‘catalysts for change’, who will - as appropriate - disclose information, lay out challenges and maybe propose some ideas that lead into open brainstorming and then shared solutions, commitments and implementation. Crystallisation To grow high-quality, durable crystals, it can take a long time. As much as 10 million years in some cases. Meaningful and sustainable transformation in the workplace may not be allowed that long but a good amount of care, patience and perseverance will be required as the whole team co-commit to action and then share accountability for success, failure, review, learning, course corrections and, hopefully, steady and sustainable improvement. In this way, according to the Canadian writer, Robin Sharma, “Each tiny effort builds on the next, so that brick by brick, magnificent things can be created.” And he has some additional advice that might apply to individual leaders, “Yes, your transformation will be hard. Yes, you will feel frightened, messed up and knocked down. Yes, you’ll want to stop. Yes, it’s the best work you’ll ever do.” The views expressed in this column are entirely those of the writer who can be reached at jeremy@jeremysolomons.com editor@newtimesrwanda.com
