richmento Evaluational knowingManagement Skills and KnowledgeThe control environment was suited for much of the 20th century, but beginning in the early 1970’s its effectiveness began to erode. Vaill (1998), explains, that today’s environment is comparable to "white water rafting." The techniques that worked then simply will not work now. In order to survive in the 21st century, companies will be forced by the ever-evolving marketplace to shift to a creativity/differentiated orientation.This poses a significant challenge for many managers. Most people in positions of leadership today gained their success through their mastery of traditional management techniques and approaches (Kanter in Huczinski and Buchanan, 1991). The transformation of their organisations will carry with it profound changes in how they will have to lead.In the mechanistic command-and-control culture, hierarchy and clear lines of authority are the "load-bearing structures" that keep the company intact. Consequently, the fate of any change rests on the shoulders of a few key people. They are expected to select a winning strategy, develop detailed operating plans, direct the activities of subordinates, be more intelligent than anyone else, know more than anyone else, and leap tall buildings in a single bound. It impossible for change to succeed this way, these expectations are an impossible burden. In a Cultivation Organisation, the load-bearing structure is the system’s ability to self-organise. The role of managers then, shifts to activities that promote the richest possible environment for changes to occur. A strong, well-understood core ideology is vital to change. It is through shared beliefs and intentions that people are able to act autonomously and remain in accord with the whole—thus drastically reducing the need for external controls. Bureaucratic organisations typically ignore this area and experience resistance that can be completely...
