What do executives do, anyway? (2019)
a year ago
- #leadership
- #organizational-culture
- #management
- Executives define and enforce company culture and values, and ratify good decisions rather than making them.
- The decision-making algorithm involves leads presenting a unified decision to the lowest common executive for ratification.
- Executives must enforce company values strictly, correcting or removing those who don't align, to prevent cultural decay.
- Strategy in large organizations is not set by executives but emerges from enforced values that guide employee decisions.
- Small companies operate differently, with founders often deeply involved in decisions and strategy still being formed.
- Major strategic changes require new values, often leading to executive turnover and significant organizational disruption.
- Effective organizational values involve clear tradeoffs, not generic statements, to guide decision-making under pressure.
- Government inefficiencies mirror corporate issues when values aren't enforced, highlighting the role of propaganda in shaping public values.