What is OnFlow?
OnFlow Defined
OnFlow, or Organizational Flow in full, is the ideal state within organizations where people - individually and collectively - thrive and excel. When they do, the organization becomes generative, with everybody engaged in finding the best ways to deliver the future. We've designed our organizational flow services with this in mind, and are passionate about helping organizations achieve this state.
Organizational Flow in many ways is analogous to famed psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of “flow.” Flow is an optimal state of intrinsic motivation, where an individual is fully immersed in what they are doing. This is characterized by a feeling of great absorption, engagement, fulfillment, and skill. For further insights into the state of flow, watch Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s TED Talk - Flow, the secret to happiness.
Csikszentmihalyi’s flow model, depicting mental state in terms of challenge level and skill level.
OnFlow Features
OnFlow defines all the features needed if people within organizations – individually and collectively – are to experience heightened creativity, increased performance, and accelerated problem solving (the benefits associated with flow).
As a holistic design framework for organizational development, OnFlow can be used to diagnose the current state of an organization and envision a desired “to-be” state. When systematically applied with our business consulting firm, OnFlow will ensure an organization is wired to connect and inspire people so they can thrive on change.
We’ve identified 4 qualities of a generative organization and 5 drivers that combine to achieve these qualities.
Purpose, Acumen, Connectivity, and Resilience are qualities that make up OnFlow.
Leadership, People and Culture, Structure, Ways of Working, and Delivering Impact are drivers that play an integral role in making OnFlow a reality.
OnFlow Qualities
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The PURPOSE that drives what should be done & how
As Simon Sinek tells us, “Start with why.” Purpose can be driven by a cause, a competence, or a culture (see What Is the Purpose of Your Purpose?). Whatever the drive, studies show that purpose driven organizations perform better. Being purpose driven removes the need for command and control – instead, engage and inspire, with purpose serving as an organizing principle that shapes decision-making and binds stakeholders closely together. Leading with purpose involves acting with intent, behaving with urgency, commitment, energy, and focus, basing our behavior on a keen sense of who and what we are.
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The ACUMEN essential to standout performance
A generative organization is crystal clear about its main strengths and the critical qualities that pursuit of its purpose demands. A helpful concept is core competence (introduced in The Core Competence of the Corporation), which helps define how value is delivered to stakeholders and what sets the organization apart. Core competencies can indeed be the driver of purpose. A generative strategy will ensure organizations tap into their core competencies, clearly connecting this to what matters most to their stakeholders. Benefits can be delivered through operational excellence, product leadership and customer intimacy (best described in “Disciplines of Market Leaders”). All three disciplines are important, but one will matter most, and this pinpoints where the organization must create lasting Acumen.
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The CONNECTIVITY that moves teams to greatness
Research by Blue Board on the state of workplace connection shows, “Nearly 80% of employees surveyed report that they want to work at an organization where they feel connected to the purpose and the people.” Additionally, “85% of HR professionals agree that employee connection is a critical part of their overall success as an organization.” Connectivity ties heavily into our sense of belonging, trust, and psychological safety, which are all factors in creating a positive employee experience. Equally as important to this concept is an organization’s ability to empower their employees by promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. By doing so, we are better able to foster meaningful collaboration, allowing us to build a collective intelligence grounded in unique skills and perspectives.
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The RESILIENCE to adapt to & thrive on change
Resilience in the workplace is vital in these ever-evolving times. A 2020 global study by the ADP Research Institute showed, “workers who experienced at least five changes at work were 13.2x more likely to be Highly Resilient.” It’s important to know how to proceed when faced with change. And our ability to view challenges as opportunities to grow, rather than things to avoid, has become more essential throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. By becoming fluent in change, organizations are better equipped to adapt as needed. This leads to improved feelings of resilience and a desire for continuous development.
OnFlow Drivers
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Direction | Inspiration | Responsibility
Leaders should consistently live and champion a deep, genuine commitment to helping their people and forwarding their purpose, providing clarity through action and two-way communication. According to research by O.C. Tanner, “62% of leaders communicate what success looks like and 52% make others aware of their employees’ success. Only 57% of employees feel appreciated by their leaders.” Inspiring leaders who put people first, and who understand how to operationalize purpose and innovation, are the most successful at creating Organizational Flow. They also understand and own the importance of taking action towards a more diverse and flexible workplace and are highly tuned into what employees need from them. It’s not just leaders who decide, direct, and delegate tasks who are important within organizations. In fact, generative organizations build leadership at all levels and avoid hierarchy.
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Talent | Engagement | Growth
While a cut-throat environment and a culture of fear can ensure engagement (and sometimes even excitement) for some time, research suggests that the inevitable stress it creates will likely lead to disengagement over the long term, and disengagement is costly. Gallup research has shown that “low engagement teams typically endure turnover rates that are 18% to 43% higher than highly engaged teams.” And as reported by the Center for American Progress, once an employee leaves, it can cost a company anywhere between 16 percent to 213 percent of that lost employee’s salary. Fostering a positive culture is imperative to an organization’s success. Not only does it improve the employee experience, but it also improves the organization’s ability to grow. According to a Grant Thornton LLP and Oxford Economics study, “executives who say their culture is extremely healthy are 1.5 times more likely to report average revenue growth of more than 15 percent over three years.”
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Coherent | Enabling | Adaptable
According to The Josh Bersin Company, “nearly 60% of companies have very simplistic approaches to organization design, with most having no intentional plan at all.” Without coherent structures in place, organizations will not be able to thrive in the new world of work. Research suggests that a lack of alignment between organizational structure and strategy impacts our ability to effectively execute strategy, with only 10% of organizations being successful in doing so. There is a need for clarity throughout the organization in order to meet goals and deliverables. By providing this clarity, organizations are better able to empower their employees, perform at their best, and achieve greater results.
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Collaborative | Streamlined | Digitized
The future of work is flexibility. Since COVID-19 started, many employees have been shifting their priorities, with Microsoft reporting that “beyond pay, the top five aspects of work that employees view as “very important” for an employer to provide are: positive culture (46%), mental health/wellbeing benefits (42%), a sense of purpose/meaning (40%), flexible work hours (38%), and more than the standard two weeks of paid vacation time each year (36%).” Additionally, in the same study, Microsoft reports a 252% increase in meeting time on MS Teams since early 2020. The modern workplace calls for proactive and modern strategies, helping us collaborate and perform more effectively. Our ways of working must shift with these priorities and provide the tools our employees need to succeed in their roles.
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Social | Environmental | Economic
Delivering impact beyond profit is becoming more prevalent in our world. But the relationship between impact and profit can be interdependent. In fact, leading with purpose can generate profit. Research by the Harvard Business Review reports that 58% of organizations who have a clearly articulated and understood purpose have experienced 10% or more growth over three years, compared to 51% of organizations that are working to develop a purpose and 42% of organizations that have not begun to develop a purpose. Moreover, 42% of organizations that have not begun to develop a purpose reported flat or declining revenue, compared to 19% of organizations working to develop a purpose and 15% of organizations with a clearly articulated and understood purpose. But achieving financial sustainability is one piece of the puzzle. To create meaningful change, we must be able to generate creative solutions to the many emerging social, environmental, and economic issues. As a PwC study on the Future of Work showed, 70% of employees want to work for “an organization with a powerful social conscience.” And the 2018 Cone/Porter Novelli Purpose Study found that 78% of Americans believe companies should impact society positively, not just make money. Taking a proactive and future-focused approach is essential to attaining the results organizations need to become forces for good.