Leading in a boss-less company

Sep 13 2016 by Dawna Jones Print This

Dawna talks to long-time W.L. Gore Associate, Michael Pacanowsky, about the company's trust-based culture and the benefits that distributing power brings with it.

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Leaders and bosses are not the same - as Michael Pacanowsky explains in describing the trust-based culture inside W. L. Gore. In this environment, everyone sees themselves as a leader - and that’s something that every organization should take seriously if they want their culture to be part of their strategic advantage.

In this podcast, Michael and Dawna discuss:

  • Can you keep hierarchy and still distribute power?
  • How does a fundamental belief power a thriving organization?
  • What is culture?
  • Why senior executives close to retirement refuse to adapt their company’s business culture to face today’s market.
  • The competitive advantage of retaining front-line workers.
  • Using cognitive bias to work with diversity consciously.
  • How decision-making changes in a trust-based workplace.

Michael Pacanowsky worked and consulted inside W.L. Gore & Associate for 29 years and has now returned to academia as the Gore-Giovale Chair in Business Management at the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business at Westminster College.

He’s active in the business innovation community and behind the upcoming Collaborative Cultures conference September 28-30th in Park City, Utah . To hear a first hand experience of moving from a command control environment to GORE, listen to this episode with Kevin O’Brien on letting go of control.

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Evolutionary Provocateur

Dawna Jones
Dawna Jones

The Evolutionary Provocateur bi-monthly show is for executives, managers, and supervisors (OR for leaders at all levels) who have noticed that it is not what you know but who you are that has the biggest impact.

Dawna Jones, the show's host, believes that by raising awareness and understanding we can make a quantum leap to a new level of innovation in business - but it has to be done collectively.

What better way to do it than by provoking the evolution of how you see yourself and your role!

Find out more about Dawna at www.FromInsightToAction.com