Leaders Must Mobilize the Company’s Hidden Influencers to Fight the Strains of the Corona Virus
Author Bethany AndellCategories Culture/Employee Engagement, Internal Communications, Organizational Change/Alignment
As the Corona virus endures, its impact on corporate work life becomes increasingly profound. In this new “virtual” reality, leaders must now switch from their initial survival mode to a model that releases the energy, creativity and motivation of their workforce. How can a sustainable post-Corona business model be developed?
One answer: Leaders must connect to the hidden social structures of their organizations to thrive.
Innovisor, a leading organizational network analysis service provider, and long-term partner of Houston-based Savage Brands has analyzed work life consequences of the past weeks in more than 50 teams.
After the initial weeks of reacting to the spread of COVID-19, as we all started to work-from-home, the prevailing sentiment was ‘survival mode’. Our mindset was that the situation was temporary and getting the daily job done was the core focus. This included an extreme desire for leaders to deliver work flexibility, as employees were juggling with home schooling, quarantines and other related issues.
As working-from-home has become more routine, the demands on leadership are shifting. Now, leaders must be transparent about a Post-Corona ‘new normal’ business model. The work life data of Innovisor reveals that the influencers that exist within the hidden social structure of the company are the most trusted source of information. The chosen way for employees to make sense of “what is actually going on”.
Read the full article by Bethany Andell and Jeppe Vilstrup Hansgaard on LinkedIn
As President at Savage Brands, Bethany is known for forging powerful connections – connecting people to people and connecting companies with the fresh ideas that make their brands purposeful. In her recent book, "Get Your Head Out of Your Bottom Line and Build Your Brand on Purpose," Bethany conveys to business leaders the importance of leading with purpose.
