With performance improvement critical to success in these difficult times, we must identify the areas where a whole brain approach can have the greatest impact.
Are you struggling, as many others are, with an increased workload but fewer resources? The solution rests not in using our brains more (we don't have unlimited capacity), but in using them more effectively.
Author and thought leader Charles Handy asked CEOs what percentage of the brainpower was actually used in their organizations. The response: about 35 percent. Most audiences I work with agree, with many citing numbers as low as 2 percent. Clearly there is an opportunity for improvement (being mindful rather than mind-full) by tapping into the brainpower available to us.
So, the third critical takeaway we need to understand is that a whole brain approach helps us get more from our collective brainpower. Whole brain thinking can build bridges between functions, generations, and levels, and between any "disconnects" that exist in an organization. This in turn contributes to reaching greater productivity, innovative solutions, increased speed, and even cultural transformation.
With a common understanding of thinking preferences and the benefits of whole brain thinking, people see the necessity and utility of diverse thought. At that point, we can begin fully leveraging the individual and collective brainpower of the organization.
This is an approach that IBM has used to achieve many successes within its global leader development program.
IBM's globally integrated workforce gives it a competitive advantage in serving clients, says Rich DeSerio, manager of the IBM leadership development programs' Global Design Team.
"To be truly global requires that all IBMers be culturally adaptable in all its forms," says DeSerio. "This extends beyond just understanding our cultural diversity to using this diversity to extend that competitive advantage. Whole brain thinking allows us to understand, appreciate, and most importantly, leverage the diversity of thought that naturally exists in our company."
Whole brain thinking also shows us that we all learn differently, have access to different thinking preferences, and flex our thinking when the situation demands it.
Ascent is a learning and development organization focused on maximizing mid/senior leadership, motivation and performance in the areas of Management, Personal and Youth Development, Sales and Service, Teambuilding and Organizational Design. To find out how Ascent can help your organisation visit www.ascent-world.com, email us at
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, call us on +971 4 3344627.
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