Why having structure in organization is not good enough?

There is no doubt that there is a need to have a structure in the organization, however it is not good enough. Structures help us with how by showing the various functions of the organization but does not clearly address why.

The need is to focus on the purpose and provide explanation of why the organization exists and where it is going. Leaders add an additional dimension of meaning. When staff throughout the organization comes to share in a larger sense of purpose, they are united in a common vision. They have a sense of continuity and identity not achievable in any other way. When the why is not articulated properly then you see the emergence of local optimization in the business verticals, divisions, departments, and groups. The overall purpose of corporate- policies, process, development methodologies, etc., don't get tied leading to duplication of effort in the organization. We see this situation further aggravating in a globally distributed and culturally different setting as compared to co-located work teams.

The people I come across in my work environment

I classify them into 3-types-
1. Move fast and capture- Won't stop until the work is completed. Highly motivated.
2. Eyes open but not willing- Don't see that the work needs to be done. Attitude is to do something and while away the time, just do enough. Lethargic and unmotivated.
3. Move in the opposite direction- They see the work coming and knows that it needs to be done, however find ways to avoid it. Shunning responsibilities.
People in categories 2 and 3 needs to be constantly monitored. They need attention and/or disciplinary action to get them to deliver.
Like to know how you deal with category 2 and 3 people ?

Why the vision never gets met in most Indian IT Companies?

Leaders, start with a clear sense of purpose and vision. However, because of constant internal and external pressures on short-term delivery the focus is on immediate events and deliverables. This in effect means managing the vision and immediate events, and little in between. For the employees in the company it is a vicious circle of- working on an event, resolving crisis, waiting for the next event (reactive). This leads to continually moving from one crisis to another; they have no control over their time, let alone their destiny. In the process the vision never gets met, further leading to deep cynicism about the vision among the employees.

How can leaders motivate and develop highly effective individuals and teams?

People are the biggest assets that any company can have and leaders play the pivotal role in influencing the way individual or team work, behave and develop.

Independent of the culture and geographies people are sensitive and emotional. People react to positive and negative stimuli. Leaders need to acknowledge this as one of the key factor for success and hence good thinking needs to be done in terms of managing the emotions of the people.

Tolerance to failure, enabling and empowering people to take decisions and risks needs to be supported if innovation needs to thrive. Leaders need to device and institutionalize proper rewards and recognition to encourage people towards delivering their best.

The ability of the leader to sense the ground realities in terms of challenges that the individual or the teams are facing internally and externally (competition) needs to be recognized and supported on priority.