 Bridging the Gap between Vision and Reality
The key to successful human activity is to identify and bridge the gap between our vision of what we think reality should be and reality as it actually manifests itself. Insight, responsibility, acceptance, and ability to take effective action are necessary to transform our vision into reality.
How do organizations themselves create this self-fulfilling gap?
The impersonal dimension
For many leaders the goal is to achieve success within the impersonal dimension, which includes: shareholders’ value, fulfilling the organization’s mission, market conquest, increased profits, growth, and so on.
However, when interviewing leaders and employees we see, time and time again, that instead of an overall mutual clarity and unity about the company’s aim, there are very different interpretations of what the company goals are and how they should best be achieved.
Programs provided by PEOPLE Unlimited support organizations in creating a shared vision, mission and strategy within the impersonal dimension from an integral approach: “Striving to set and achieve shared goals in the impersonal dimension can only succeed (in the long run) when other vitally important aspects are fulfilled”.
The interpersonal dimension
A core finding in Human Psychology is that we are both individuals and social creatures. That sounds simple, and it is, but the implications lead to complex group dynamics! To be enthusiastic and effective both as an individual and team-member, we need to belong to a group that gives purpose and meaning to our lives. It is impossible to attain such a sense of community by striving for success in the impersonal dimension only.
When focusing on the impersonal dimension, we see that before long people become de-motivated and lose their enthusiasm for and loyalty to the organization. They grow to feel alienated from each other and themselves, compete with one another and end up destroying the very success they originally created. This occurs quite commonly in organizations and teams of any magnitude.
In fact, when organizations don’t fundamentally invest in promoting solidarity, cooperation, and mutual respect by creating a community experience for their people, the success of the organization will not be sustainable (in the long run).
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Programs provided by PEOPLE Unlimited generate an innate concern for the human community, increasing employees’ commitment and self-discipline in working together towards a shared vision and sustainable organizational results.
The personal dimension
One fundamental way in which people ascribe meaning to their lives is through work! To keep feeling excited about what they do, to be able to offer the best in themselves for the good of the organization, the community and their team, each member of the group needs to feel and experience that they receive the support necessary to be the best they can be in exchange for their commitment and efforts.
The personal gap and how it is created: Caught in a self-fulfilling trap
When people want to perform better but don’t know how, a downfall in their motivation is generally the result. This costs much time and money and often results in frustration and disappointment. Decreased cooperation and lack of team spirit are some of the other consequences. The outcome is always lower productivity and reduced loyalty to the organization, causing failure to achieve the desired results on the one hand and an increase in sick leaves on the other.
One indication that we are ‘living in the gap’ is repetitive thinking and talking about what we ourselves want to do, should do, need to do, or that others should do. With all good intentions, knowledge and points of view are exchanged, as if desired events are actually taking place. However, when checking the actual reality, we see that we have not put theory into practice: we’re caught in a trap.
How to close the personal gap
Without personal development, organizational growth lags behind. Leaders need to open possibilities, create opportunities and provide new horizons for themselves and for their people, in order to expand their lives.
PEOPLE Unlimited’s programs are specifically designed to enable participants to use all previously gained theoretical knowledge and (work-)experience more productively.
How to close the organizational gap
When organizations and teams integrate the impersonal, the interpersonal and the personal dimensions, individual and corporate visions fuse into a shared reality.
PEOPLE Unlimited
We are committed partners, passionate about actively supporting organizations, entrepreneurs, teams and individuals in transforming their vision into reality.
Doing that, our vision becomes reality.
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