C3 Leadership Framework
The C3 Leadership Framework gives us a balcony from which we can see the history and dynamics of leadership. With that we can cultivate an organizational climate where achieving excellence is a constant process.
There are three ends in the history of leadership. And there are three levels of performance that result from each of these ends.
- Compliance — Since the dawn of humanity, efforts to achieve a purpose beyond the capabilities of a single person have been marked by a leadership and management focus on compliance.
In an atmosphere of compliance, leaders not only select an outcome, they chart the course, define the processes, choose the tools and dictate how and when they will be used. Everyone else has only one role — to do what they are told. The environment is one of dependence.
Sometimes compliance is necessary. But compliance has its costs — overhead costs, performance costs and opportunity costs.
We call a focus on achieving compliance C1 leadership.
- Cooperation — In the 20th Century, as large organizations became more pervasive, some people noticed that the recurring costs of compliance can be reduced if people actually want to do what has to be done. This ushered in the second stage of management — the Human Relations approach.
In this setting, the leadership task is defined as motivating people to do what is necessary. The focus is on mutuality of interest. A variety of motivators have been discovered and developed, each with varying degrees of success. The environment is one of independence.
We call a focus on achieving cooperation C2 leadership.
- Contribution — As the Information Age has taken shape, some have noticed that C2 leadership does not move an organization to optimum performance. And yet, some organizations make the transition from good to great — and then are able to constantly innovate and adapt to stay there.
How does it happen? No one factor can guarantee that an organization will thrive under all possible internal and external conditions. But we are learning that in order for organizations to achieve excellence as a constant process, they need more than the cooperation of their members. They need the contributions of their members.
Organizations that maintain high levels of performance benefit from the constant contributions of members who continue to grow as long as they are part of the organization. The focus is on common purpose. The environment is one of interdependence.
This sort of dynamic does not develop by chance. Serendipity is not the game plan. Instead, these organizations intentionally build strong Cultures of Contribution where highly-developed feedback systems — operating in environments of high trust — permit the organization to grow, thrive and excel.
We call a focus on achieving contribution C3 Leadership.
Learn how to be a C3 Leader...
- To grow your own organizational Culture of Contribution, whether you are a CEO or a small team member...
- To reap the harvest of high performance from yourself and others...
- To minimize the overhead, performance and opportunity costs of compliance...
- To leverage beyond the advantages of cooperation to a truly high performance Climate of Contribution.
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