Have you ever played or watched the game of TUG OF WAR or seen a boat race? If yes, you would know how collective synchronised aligned efforts bring the right results. And if the forces are not aligned, having the best of the team would not guarantee success. The same is true about business; achieving success isn’t only a function of having the right resources or the brightest talent; it’s about aligning these assets effectively. Internal alignment, harmonising resources and human capital within an organisation is one of the pillars of productivity, innovation, and overall success. On the other side, non-aligned resources and human capital can lead to inefficiencies, discord, and, ultimately, business failure.
Much has been discussed and written about the internal alignment that ensures an organisation’s resources, financial might, technological advantage, and operational assets are strategically aligned with its workforce and market demand. They thus reinforce each other, amplifying the organisation’s ability to succeed in its objective.
Employees usually work towards achieving the organisation’s goals and objectives. Every employee understands how their work contributes to the mission and aligns their efforts accordingly. This creates a sense of purpose and commitment, driving the employees to work towards common goals with enthusiasm and dedication.
Still, despite having the right type of people in the right place, we may not achieve the desired result. It additionally needs the right supportive culture and an atmosphere of collaborative teamwork, information sharing, transparency, and adherence to best practices. This gives the organisation agility and adaptability to respond quickly to the external environment.
However, while focussing on these elements, we miss a critical element for internal reflection that can ensure the whole chain is aligned. We rarely create a picture of the entire ecosystem and the personification or archetype maps of people across the chain of command. We fail to map their perceived personification and archetype in multiple internal and external situations.
Just imagine a situation when you have a dominant market share, a cracker of a product, a tiger of excellent sales and an after-sales team led by a Goat. Not the G.O.A.T but Goat- where you needed a Lion, a Tiger or a leopard. And what if this Goat tries to play tiger with the team and is a chameleon of changing preferences and decisions with the top management? If this Goat, though nimble in the challenging market situation, is not as flexible and agile as a cheetah. What if your team is a dreamer led by a magician in a tough market like a desert? You can easily predict where the organisation is headed.
Moreover, if the leadership shows different archetypes or personifications across stakeholders- it is a sure recipe for disaster. What if the sales head behaves like a tiger before the team and meows before the finance head, is seen as a monkey by the management and is a dog out on the field? Maybe it feels like an exaggeration because one has not tried archetyping and personification of teams and leaders across the stakeholder matrix of interaction.
What if the management terms an open democratic interface is seen by the internal teams as a dictatorial stance and a ruthless world of illusions?
Well, it will only lead to misalignment of image, perception and hence reactions to every plan.
It will be an exciting challenge to do a quick personification and archetype exercise at the organisational level to see the multiple masks worn by different people while interacting within the ecosystem. This exercise will help superimpose the findings with the company or brand’s needs and ensure the gap is bridged through training or recruitment.
In today’s fast-paced and hugely competitive business environment, organisations must recognise the critical role of internal human alignment beyond resources and directive understanding in driving success and achieving sustainable growth. Yes, this remains true even while organisations use AI for some of their operations.
In addition to prioritising communication, collaboration, and transparency, articulating a clear vision and mission statement and ensuring every employee understands their role in achieving organisational objectives, they must create a well-aligned team like the Tug-of-War.
NET NET.
Internal alignment of resources and human capital is critical for driving success and increasing organisational output. By aligning goals, incentives, and resources, companies can enhance efficiency, innovation, and agility, enabling them to thrive in today’s competitive business environment. Additionally, the organisation must look at the archetype and personification of the teams and their leaders to create a unidirectional force to pull the company towards its objectives.
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