‘Hot Spots’ are places and times that are energising, vibrant, buzzing, flowing, and joyful while ‘Deep Freezes’ are draining, exhausting, with much non-cooperation, passivity, and aggression. This is how Lynda Gratton , professor of management practice at London Business School, describes the two extremes of cooperation, network and purpose within companies.
Her stimulating book, Hot Spots: Why Some Teams, Workplaces, and Organisations Buzz with Energy – And Others Don’t, backed by research into 57 teams in 17 international companies, will bring her a keen readership among business leaders for her concept of ‘hot spots’, when creativity and purpose flourish among groups of people at work, and how to foster the co-operative culture that makes them possible.
‘Hot spots’ occur when a co-operative corporate mindset, working across boundaries, is ignited by a common purpose. People “become energised and excited about sharing knowledge and what they might learn from others.” The ignition often sparks when a leader asks a big question: Gratton cites Lord Browne in earlier days asking BP staff: “How can we, as an oil company, become a force for good?” This led to a spurt of employee-driven innovations in renewable energy “beyond petroleum.”
Such creative combustion is smothered when a declared corporate ethos of teamwork and co-operation is undermined by ‘unwritten rules’ of competitiveness and self-interest. New recruits quickly learn to talk one way but act another. The co-operative mindset is learned from others, and behaviour at the top, especially mentoring, is one of the most important factors. Here are Gratton’s nine steps to encouraging hot spots:
- Value Creation
- Ignition and Leadership
- Emergence
- Rhythm and Timelessness
- Relationships
- Boundary Spanners
- Signature Processes
- Commitments
- Purposeful Conversation
Value within companies is created by exploiting what is already known through strong bonds. Novelty and innovation emerge through exploration, facilitated by relationships and network of relationships that cross boundaries.
Co-operation is ignited with a spark. It could be the spark of a compelling vision, the stimulus of a question, or the excitement of a complex and meaningful task. The responsibility of the leader is to ensure that this spark is created.
Hot spots emerge; they cannot be ordered forth or directed. People choose freely to give of their human capital (whether intellectual, emotional or social).
A hot spot is marked by periods of intense activity that fuels its productive capacity. The creative output of a hotspot is fuelled by periods of reflection and timelessness. Without these moments, the hot spot burns out.
The value of hot spots is created in the space between people. Hot spots are fundamentally relational, whether the relationship is between close friends or acquaintances. The focus of resources with regard to support and development needs to be on the individual and on the network of relationships.
Hot spots become moribund without boundary spanners, people who bring insights from outside the hot spot group. Gratton says that “boundaryless” organisations encourage relationships across boundaries because value is produced by both the exploitation of the current knowledge of people, and exploration and novel combinations of this knowledge.
Much can be done to create an environment in which ‘boundaryless’ co-operation will emerge. But while bringing in best practices is important, it is not sufficient alone. The new rule is to move beyond best practices to signature processes [those that can't be copied by another organisation].
Hot spots are formed at the nexus of a network of commitments that establish what actions will be taken and by whom. It is the responsibility of hot spot participants to make and keep the commitments public, voluntary, and explicit.
Conversation is the source of igniting purpose. Leaders support and shape conversation with insightful data, an emphasis on values, and space for reflection.
