Collaborative Wisdom: From Pervasive Logic to Effective Operational Leadership

Collaborative Wisdom is identified by Greg Park as an attribute usually present in those few businesses that survive and consistently prosper over long periods of time. Park argues that it is the absence of collaborative wisdom that has brought corporate superstars to their knees. The dramatic destruction of some organizations lies not in greed, corruption, cronyism, or in the wrong choice of markets, products, pricing, liquidity, capital allocation, or other 'technical' factors. It results from a fundamental change in the logic of the leadership coalition, frequently as a result of the appointment of leaders who lack the requisite attributes. The perspectives and priorities of teams of executives and the consequent nature of their decisions, often brings failure and collapse through the disintegration of confidence, motivation, cohesion, advocacy and energy within and between key stakeholder groups. For the author, collaborative wisdom is the existence within the dominant coalition of a family, tribe, community, or corporation, of an inherited, pervasive, commonly and collectively held dominant logic, comprising leadership principles, perspectives and priorities. This is what can ensure cohesive and consistent behaviour across every function of a complex and fast moving organization. Its practical daily application is reflected in the operational decisions of departmental heads, supervisors and individual employees at all levels. This book examines the nature and criticality of wisdom as a leadership attribute; the importance and positive impact of collaborative wisdom within an organization; and how effective operational leadership is not just about knowledge and even experience, but more fundamentally about analysis and action informed by instinct, intuition, judgment and ultimately, that wisdom.