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Doing Things Right Versus Doing the Right Things – Operational Work Versus Strategic Work

By Michelle Malay Carter on December 10, 2009 

We can convert the famous Peter Drucker quote about management being doing things right and leadership being doing the right things into requisite work levels speak.

What Drucker was drawing a line between was the operational work levels in an organization and the strategic work levels in an organization.

Doing Things Right aka Current Operations
The work of requisite work levels 1 through 3 is to make the best use of current resources to most effectively deliver today’s products and services to today’s customers.? Theirs is to decide how to make the best of what has been allocated by the executive levels.? This is where the money is made within organizations.

Doing the Right Things aka Strategic Intent
The work of requisite work levels 4+ is decide how current operations needs to change in order to deliver goals that fall out more than two years.? Theirs is to decide whether the organization is doing the right things to be viable in the future.

No Need for Leadership Snobbery
I’ve said before in one of my most visited posts, that innovation must occur at all levels, although it will look different by level.? Leadership is the same way.? If we use Elliott Jaques’ requisite organization definition of leadership:?The ability to set purpose or direction for others and then get them to move in that direction with competence and full commitment; then all managers must be exercise leadership, for that is their role.?

It’s not just executives who are leaders.? I daresay that?minute-for-minute, first line managers spend more time exercising leadership than executives do.

What do you think?

I’m OK.? You’re OK.? Let’s fix the system.

Photo credit: gmeaders_ch

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Filed Under Executive Leadership, Managerial Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Strategy, Talent Management, Work Levels

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