Essay Sample: The Three Skill Approach and the Tribe

According to David Logan and John (2008), a tribe is a naturally occurring group of people who share a similar culture in an organization. A clan consists of between 20 to 150 people. Every organization consists of 5 tribal stages. They are, Stage 1 "Life Sucks," Stage 2, "My Life Sucks," Stage 3, "I'm great," Stage 4, "we're great" and Stage 5, "Life is great." In this essay, we study how the three levels of leadership can apply the three-skill approach to move an organization from Stage 2 to Stage 3 of tribal leadership.

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Stage 2 of the tribal relationship, commonly known as "My Life Sucks" consist of professionals who blame their bosses and the tribes above them for their failures. They also believe they are not valued. They are very judgmental and only work enough to retain their job. Stage 3, commonly known as "I'm great," (and you're not) consist of professionals who value their work but complain they do all the work alone (Logan & King, 2008). In this stage, employees form collections of "lone warriors," they want to control and dominate others. In organizations, tribes have the power to steer the company into one direction. They can make an organization very successful and render other decisions from the top management useless.

To move the company from stage 2 to 3, management at different levels will have to apply their skills and make the right decisions to influence the various tribes. A supervisor requires high technical skills, top human skills, and low conceptual skills. They need high technical, social skills to make sure they maintain a good relationship with employees, both professionally and socially. They can ensure things are done well, management of time, and they offer the first-hand solution to a problem occurring. At the supervisory level, it is crucial to schedule work hours and shifts fairly and coordinate job rotations and cross-training once in a while. Supervisors should lead by example and highly encourage growth among employees. They should also reward accomplishments and communicate effectively on all matters. These will encourage employees to work harder, feel appreciated, and make them responsible.

At the middle level, high technical skills are required, top human skills and ordinary conceptual skills. In this level, it's essential to recognize and reward employees according to their efforts. It is very crucial to promote teamwork and cultivate strong co-working relationships. At this level, inspiring employees help them feel appreciated in the organizations. These suggestions will help make all the employees feel valued. They will want to avoid being judgmental and cultivate some passion in their work. Employees who feel motivated, prevent the rest of the crew, and become lone warriors, which graduate them to stage 3 (Lopez, 2015).

At the top level, low technical skills are required, high human skills and high conceptual skills. Leaders barely have time to interact with their subordinates. However, holding meetings and communicating with employees once in a while, uplifts their spirits. In this meeting, they listen to employees concerns, and they suggest how they will tackle their fears. They indicate how they will innovate the company, salary increment, new policies, and employee's contribution (Kumaran, 2012). These make employees feel respected, and their job security is guaranteed. As a result, they work hard and create interest in their jobs.

Conclusion

Every organization experience tribal leaderships. It is crucial for different management levels to know and apply their skills to move the tribes from one stage to another. Tribes have the power to steer the company into one direction. They can make an organization very successful and render other decisions from the top management impractical. It is necessary to appreciate them and guarantee their job security. Respecting them and valuing their opinion will help them corporate in steering the organization towards success.

References

Kumaran, M. (2012). Leadership skills. Leadership in Libraries, 8(5), 105-131. doi: 10.1016/b978-1-84334-658-6.50004-8

Logan, D., & King, J. P. (2008). Tribal leadership. London: Collins.

Lopez, F. (2015). Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization. International Sport Coaching Journal, 2(3), 357-358. doi: 10.1123/iscj.2015-0080