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

THE MAGIC OF THE INFORMAL

The informal isn’t as easily defined as the formal, because it does not have the clear structural boundaries that the formal has. Its elements often overlap and don’t follow the clean principles of “mutually exclusive, comprehensively exhaustive” that analytical thinkers prefer. In essence, the informal is the aggregate of organizational elements that primarily influence behavior through emotional means.

And, unlike the formal elements, the informal elements of an organization rarely appear as written instructions. Even so, they can still be identified and named. They include

• Shared values. These are the shared beliefs and norms for taking action and making decisions as demonstrated individually and collectively. ...