The Clarion Call : Balancing Tensions at the Top

Spring 2006 Issue

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Balancing Tensions at the Top

	Introduction by John Boyle & Charles Andrew, Partners, The Clarion Group

Do you ever feel that work is like walking a tightrope? While juggling multiple tasks? Then you’ll relate to the executive on this issue’s cover. At The Clarion Group, when we talk about top management, we find that metaphors help to describe the dynamics of complex challenges. In our recent publications, we have likened management territory to a spider web and to the ever-changing view in a multi-layered kaleidoscope. Our cover illustrates just how hard it is to do the balancing act that top management requires. Picture yourself on the business tightrope. You are suspended between the past and the future. In order to maintain your balance in the present, you must keep moving. And you must do that by deciding, over and over, when to lean toward the activity on your left or the one on your right. Off either side is a long fall – the fate of any executive who fails to find the balance between, say, creative strategic decisions and flawless day-to-day execution. In our work with clients, we have found that ambidexterity – the ability to achieve and maintain balance between the opposing tensions – is a critical skill for all top-level managers. In this issue of The Clarion Call we discuss the balancing role of the ambidextrous executive, talk about the particular challenge of identifying and developing executives with ambidextrous skills, and present three brief examples that help explain ambidextrous management. We invite you to join us in exploring the concept of ambidexterity in the context of real-life challenges from some of our client organizations. As always, we welcome your feedback.

Top Execs Must Be Ambidextrous

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Are we shooting ourselves in the foot by operating too short term?

Are we so focused on big ideas and new markets that we’re not getting the basics right?

Should we be more centralized or more decentralized? How do I manage the tension between being strategic and operational?

Questions like these challenge C-level executives in virtually every organization. We’re often brought in to help CEO's and their teams wrestle with such issues. In working with them, we have seen that a substantial challenge for all corporate leaders is finding the appropriate balance between seemingly opposing options.

C-level challenges are complex. It’s rarely a simple matter of choosing one alternative or the other, for example, centralize or decentralize, focus short term or focus long term. In today’s increasingly competitive environment, top executives must constantly find the dynamic balance point where they can manage both alternatives.

One CEO with whom we work embraces these dynamics as opposing tensions that co-exist and must be managed to achieve and maintain effective balance for an organization. We agree – successful executives must be ambidextrous. For example, they have to be strategic with one hand while maintaining strong execution standards and consistent follow-through with the other hand. And this challenge goes beyond corporate boundaries: Senior executives must also demonstrate their ambidexterity externally – to analysts, customers, shareholders, and board members. Key leaders must continually assure Wall Street that the firm will meet its immediate earnings targets, while at the same time instilling confidence that the organization is growing and can sustain its growth.

Let’s focus the spotlight on a few of our client organizations who have dealt with balance and tension issues.

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