Posted: Oct 16, 07 4:52pm

Informal Leaders and Group Dynamics.

Edited 10/17/07 for clarity!

Within organizations, groups, tribes, and clubs there are elected or appointed leaders who must be swayed to influence the entire group. Official leaders are usually obvious to the outsider by simply referring to a an organizational structure diagram. If you look no further you will have considered but part of the leadership structure,and may be overlooking key personalities. Informal leaders have a strong influence on group opinion and cooperation. Even though these people hold no office, others listen to them. Their opinion is sought on a variety of subjects. Before voicing an opinion or adopting a position on any issue, people will wait to see what they have to say. As a consultant, you must consider these social dynamics when designing your engagement strategy.

In Iraq, and much of the Muslim world in general, tribal affiliation will affect the political process more so than sectarian differences. To an outsider, sectarian considerations are more obvious and easier to understand, and seem to pervade the medias coverage. Whether a person is Shi'a or Sunni is not as important as their family alliances. Tribes in Iraq usually have members from both religious sects. Tribes also cross national boundries. These families were there long before anyone drew lines on a map.

This tribal structure overlaps political and religious structures and usually plays a bigger role in the outcome of any decision process, whether it's determining who may marry who, or whether or not to cooperate with or oppose official government policy. Al-Qaida in Iraq (or more correctly tanzim qaidat al-jihad fil bilad al-Rafidayn, the qaida organization for jihad in the land of the two rivers) has exploited this structure by marrying key operatives to women of certain families, thus creating a bond with the community. Al-Qaida has employed this strategy successfully in several other countries.

It may be backfiring on them in Iraq, and the revolt of the tribes may have started with a dispute over women. In Iraqi society, marriage to outsiders is not the custom, and attempts to force this play have resulted in violence and switched loyalties. (A Sheik forbids a women to marry a foreigner, foreigners murder the Sheik, the tribe retaliates.) The tribal leaders and the "foreign fighters" both see each other as useful idiots, and their conflicts are sometimes settled with bloodshed. This is a case of Al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) being astute enough to use the population for support and cover, but naively ignoring the informal leadership structure.

Lets say you have a client who wants you provide a software solution to a particular business problem that involves multiple departments. Naturally, you'll arrange meeting with the various department heads to map the key processes, software currently in use, forms, and reporting requirements. You'll review policies and procedures and use this information to determine what questions you need to ask in order to insure the software fits their needs (and accomplishes the job management hired you to do.)

Often, formal leaders aren't the ones who actually use the software or forms. They're interested in the reports which are based on all of this other activity. When you want to know how a department really works, it helps to talk to the informal leaders, be they assistants, staff, whatever. Identifying them and including them in your analysis is essential.

You can get a better feel for how the office really works by talking to the bosses assistant, or an astute staff member in a bullpen cubicle. Going to lunch with a few of them is a good way to identify and classify personalities, and choose candidates that meet this criteria. In an informal setting, watch for people to whom others defer. Don't be fooled by the strongest personality. Often, the one who is normally quiet will have the most impact when they speak. Seniority or time with the company effects this dynamic. This is true within almost any group, religious, civic, or corporate.

Direct questions are another way to identify informal leaders, and if you ask enough of them, patterns will emerge. You might hear "You should talk to Cheryl about that one, her office is the at the end of the hall." Someone else may chime in "Just look for the one with stacks of XYZ files spilling out the door," which may get a chuckle or a few nodding heads. Cheryl may lack organization skills, but good natured ribbing in this manner more than likely means Cheryl has a big workload, and many important things have to go through her office. When several people mention Cheryls inportance in what goes on in the office, talking to her may be a good idea, no matter where sh falls on the organizational chart.

Good questions elicit more than yes or no. Allow the interviewee to complain, praise, brag, and blame. Nod your head, smile in acknowledgment, and show shock or empathy when the news is dire. It helps to find some common ground or interest when you walk into their office. Look at the pictures on their desk and walls, certificates, diploma's, degree's, their coffee cup, etc. If the person is really busy they may resent taking the time to talk to you. If so, don't waste too much time with fishing stories, pets, or who they think will win the big game.

Try to put them at ease, but don't over do it. Stay away from politics, religion, and polarizing issues. In my engagements, I'm very interested in what people do, how they do it, and why. But I'm also interested in what they think of what others do and why. That's where personalities emerge, dirty laundry shows, and you tap into the grapevine. I'll always ask a few questions such as these.

1. What do like best about all of this?

2. If you could change anything that you see going on around here, what would it be?

3. What is number 1 biggest problem?

4. Who do you think knows more about this office than anyone else?

Ask follow-ups as needed, and note the persons facial expressions and body language. How confident are they in their answers. How carefully did they choose words when answering question 2.

Try to place questions in the trade vernacular. Making a silly mistake by using a trade-term or process improperly usually prompts people to point it out, and let's them show off.

You can briefly place them in a comfortable position of authority over you. Most will quickly seize the opportunity to show you how much they know and question you about why you are really here, questioning them and talking about changing things! You'll have to steer them back to your subject of interest at some point. Don't be surprised if they talk your ears off about anything and everything. You want them to leave feeling they impressed you, so they won't fear future sessions with you, or warn others about perceived sinister motivations.

By allowing people to feel they have some control, I do not mean that you allow them to usurp the situation. It is important that they understand that you are negotiating with them from a position of authority, even if its only inferred by your association with their superiors. Having the support of management is essential, but it takes more than that to keep people from "digging in."

You will encounter employees with a bunker mentality who see consultants as a threat and they may try to thwart you for selfish reasons. Identifying these personalities is essential. I once had a client whose purchasing agent had been with the company a long time and had the ear of upper management. He had a reason for why everything they'd tried previously never would have worked. They were all good reasons too, but what was lacking in our conversations was why nobody followed through with alternative solutions. As it turned out, he liked his position of control over inventories and material prices used in the bid process. He was a central figure in many important decisions. Anything that took him out of that role made him uncomfortable. It was about job security, and he had carefully crafted his bunker over many years of loyal service.

Figuring out who these players are, and nailing them down requires careful manipulation and protocol. The man in my story wasn't an informal leader for any reason other than politics, and years of careful design. He could make work pretty difficult for anyone who who tried to go around him.

Anyone who's done much consulting knows the value of having secretaries and assistants as allies, as they frequently fall into the informal leader category. She or he is usually entrusted with knowledge of the most sensitive nature, and with their access to the boss, can make or break an unsuspecting low-level managers career. She may just type letters, answer the phone, and make appointments, but the respect she garners from other employees is apparent from the distance they stand from her desk, how they address her, and all the other little things such as whether they include her order in the lunch run to the local deli.

Administrative assistants are a gold mine of information, but getting it out of them is a challenge. Most of the ones I've run across at executive levels, consider themselves second only to their immediate boss, or the president himself, and some wear this on their sleeve. They're frequently to busy to answer questions or discuss anything. You're liable to get a " Well I'm just the secretary, and don't have anything to do with all of that stuff." If you run into this, just have to let them slide, you'll probably get all you need to know from the people around them.

A persons true roll in the group isn't just what they say about themselves, or what's in a job description. it's also defined by what others say about them, and sometimes, by what's not said by either. If an employee owns a forty-foot sailboat, and regularly invites people from the office to go sailing with him, those guests of his might be very reluctant to send any heat his way. Heck, he's the skipper on Saturdays so they might be more apt to listen to him than they do the boss!

Informal leaders are easily overlooked, but their impact on organizational change is significant. When you influence an informal leader, you frequently influence many others. Their opinion of you will be reflected in others who respect them, or look to them for advice. Any consultant would do well to consider their influence throughout the engagement.

References:

Anatomy of a Tribal Revolt - Dave Kilcullen, The Small Wars Journal, August 24th, 2007