Inspiration for leadership and change.

The idea behind the “week of impact“ organised by the Kardinal König Haus in Vienna is to offer a setting in which leaders from private and public sector organizations have the opportunity to reflect on the effects of their work and what they intend to achieve. The aim is to find inspiration for new approaches with respect to change, leadership, political and economic frameworks. There is also time for discussion and dialogue, as well as different workshops on more specific subjects related to “impact/effectiveness“.

The Kardinal König Haus aims to address not only the rational aspects of the subject; it also offers contemplative elements and the opportunity to work on personal issues related to “impact/effectiveness“.

One of the lectures is “Courage for simplifying organizations in a VUCA world. Learning from Buurtzorg Nederland” by Sharda S. Nandram. She is Associate Professor at Nyenrode Business Universiteit within the Center for Entrepreneurship & Stewardship in the Netherlands and founder of Praan Solutions for alternative economic practices. In this lecture, the practices of the organization Buurtzorg, one of the most talked about cases in community care, will be presented as a model for simplifying organizations. Sharda S. Nandram has developed a new organizational theory, which has given direction and inspiration to many people working for Buurtzorg.

The presentation will focus on simplifying organizations, especially for navigating volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity through the approach of “Integrative Self-Management”. It aims to answer the question of how to transform existing systems into an integrative and holistic self-managed paradigm.

Established organizations have already built up a lot of legacy, history and leadership. Any small change is a step too much for them. Solutions that have worked effectively elsewhere are not accepted. It needs courage to let go of existing frameworks and explore new approaches. Learning from the practices of Buurtzorg Nederland allows the discovery of alternative ways of organizing management. Challenges of Self-Management and the opportunities it gives will be explored while celebrating the local context of organizations.

Another lecture given by Dr. Tomáš Sedláček and Oliver Tanzer deals with “Effectiveness – from Illusion to Reality”. The doctrine of economics, since Aristotle first made the attempt to describe the
effect of economic action, is to systemize and control reality. As always, when man tries to pass from singularities to generalized knowledge, he has to put forward assertions, thesis, theories and mathematical (logical) representation.

The criticism – that these logical concepts fail to describe reality – is generally known and widespread. The concepts of common sense and behaviourism are normally seen as possible solutions to the problems of mathematized economics. However, we think, they might also prove insufficient.

In order to better understand the controlling elements of economy and society, we have to get beyond the classical path and analyse the unconscious and irrational elements of economic deeds. Only by exploring the psychological background, can a sound diagnosis be made, and measures be taken to change the system.

In the face of multiple distortions of globalization, we see that neither simplifications nor rationalizations (providing us with an efficiency-order), are leading to a world and society, that we long for. It does not even produce what it pretends to produce: personal and social happiness.

On the contrary, empty promises and unfulfilled desires lead to multiple depressive elements of growth-capitalism. In this sense, effectiveness has become an illusion: The benefits capitalism produces today, are benefits to uphold the system of growth for growth’s sake. In this sense the system does not respond to its creator but only to itself.

To eliminate the multiple weaknesses and refocus on human and societal benefits, we need a new concept of effectiveness, combining economic knowledge with psychological analysis.