Leading outside the lines: How to Mobilize the (in)Formal Organization, Energize Your Team, and Get Better Results

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS

Most people do well in the work that excites them and where they have the right support—including emotional support. Unfortunately, most jobs are not always exciting and most leaders are better at providing rational support. The benefit of the informal organization comes in situations where you’re not particularly energized about the work you have to do, or where the challenge of the assignment overwhelms the knowledge and resources you have at your disposal, and you really need some help in relieving emotional stress. Those situations are commonly overlooked by the formal organization, which presumes that people are mainly motivated by formal metrics and the monetary rewards of the job, and that the resources assigned ...