Margaret “Magi” Graziano, the founder/CEO of KeenAlignment and author of “Ignite Culture,” emphasizes the importance of emergence in achieving success in business. Emergence is defined as the process of coming into being or becoming important or prominent. Graziano breaks down emergence into each letter of the word, starting with the ultimate intent or North Star of the organization. This intent serves as the foundation for developing an ecosystem, generating ideas, inspiring collaboration, and turning challenges into opportunities, ultimately leading to the agility and endurance of the organization.
The first aspect of emergence is the ecosystem, which encompasses the human system within the organization, including culture, environment, architecture, stakeholders, energy, interactions, communication, workflow, and cooperation. Motivation plays a crucial role in this ecosystem, as empowering employees to connect their intrinsic motivation to the organization’s big picture can lead to increased engagement and contribution. Empowerment is about enabling self-actualization and personal freedom, allowing individuals to self-regulate and operate at their highest level while working towards producing tangible results and achieving high self-actualization.
To achieve emergence, there needs to be fertile ground for innovation, teamwork, and motivation, fostering a culture of generative collaboration where everyone’s contributions come together in service of the ultimate intent. Employee engagement is a key factor in the success of any organization, as connecting individuals to their intrinsic motivation and reminding them of their contributions to the organization’s ultimate intent can lead to higher levels of engagement and productivity. Endurance is about standing the test of time, adapting to volatility, uncertainty, chaos, and ambiguity, and taking advantage of opportunities to remain emergent, even in the face of change.
Creating a culture of emergence requires a strong North Star that guides the organization’s purpose and motivates employees to bring their hands, hearts, and minds to work. By emphasizing the importance of contribution, communication, and understanding of one’s role in moving the organization forward, organizations can empower individuals to shift from simply completing tasks to generating ideas and improving processes. Enduring organizations adapt to challenges, take advantage of unique opportunities, and remain emergent through effective leadership, strategy, and cultivation of all aspects of emergence.
