Understanding Organizational Awareness

A well-run organization comprises people who each bring valuable skills and talents. Those who are able to see how multiple systems work together have good organizational awareness. Read on to learn about this invaluable leadership skill.

What Is Organizational Awareness?

In the simplest of terms, according to the NIH, organizational awareness “identifies and understands how internal and external issues (e.g., economic, political, social trends) impact the work of the organization.” A person with this skill may exhibit some or all of the following behaviors:

• Understands the organization’s mission, function, and responsibilities
• Sees the organization’s strengths and weaknesses
• Demonstrates the ability to see nuance
• Understands the organization’s relationship to other agencies inside and outside the field
• Can adjust behavior and make decisions based on this knowledge
• Can perceive the feelings of team members in a group and make changes
• Understands social rules and can react based on social cues
• Communicates effectively in a way that resonates with different people
• Knows how to be discreet in confidential or sensitive matters

Why Is Organizational Awareness Important?

At the forefront of the field, psychologist Daniel Goleman’s writings on organizational awareness help us understand why this attribute matters. “Organizational awareness,” he says, “means the ability to read a group’s emotional current and power relationships, and identify influencer networks and the dynamics that matter in making decisions. A leader who can recognize networking opportunities and read key power relationships will do a better job at leading. Such leaders not only understand the forces at work in an organization but also the guiding values and unspoken rules that operate among the group.”

He outlines four desirable outcomes for leaders to:

• Influence
• Effect change
• Achieve high performance
• Be competitively successful

Though some leaders may possess these attributes and influential qualities naturally, it’s also possible to develop organizational awareness through practice. 

How to Develop Organizational Awareness

Talented leaders with organizational awareness exhibit attributes of emotional intelligence. Goleman’s theories outline five areas of awareness: empathy, effective communication or social skills, self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-motivation. Let’s look at each of these.

Empathy

Empathy is “understanding a person from their frame of reference rather than one’s own” and attempts to see others’ experiences as if they were their own. In a business context, this attribute asks leaders to invest energy into understanding the challenges, stressors, and triumphs of colleagues up and down the organizational tree. Empathetic leaders:

• Give validation to struggles
• Match problems with solutions
• Offer mentorship
• Make adjustments to teams or work schedules to improve time at work
• Provide a listening ear
• Offer conflict resolution

You can practice empathy in a business setting by being available for hard conversations, along with celebratory moments and everything in between. You can gather resources that address common concerns and connect people to what they need on the spot. You can follow-up to see if the resolutions you’ve implemented are working.  

Effective Communication

Effective communication is about more than just writing a good email. Leaders who are good at communicating are approachable and show they are willing to have both positive and difficult conversations. Maybe the most vital part of good communication is active listening – “the act of fully concentrating on what’s being said.” There’s a difference between waiting your turn to speak and listening with the intent of understanding. You can practice by:

• Making eye contact, avoiding distractions like looking at your phone
• Using affirming body language
• Never interrupting
• Confirming what you’ve heard, e.g. “What I’m hearing you say is. . . “
• Asking clarifying questions, e.g. “Is it true that [x] is your biggest concern?”
• Observing the body language of the other person: are they frowning? Do they seem defensive? Cater your response to what you see or hear
• Taking a break if needed; it’s okay to spend time thinking of an appropriate response rather than filling space with words

Self-Awareness

Being self-aware means knowing your strengths and weaknesses. It can come from deeply introspective experiences like mindfulness, meditation, or therapy. Self-awareness can lead you to see your actions in terms of behavorial models and know what motivates your decision-making, leadership style, and communication preferences. You can boost your own self-awareness and help colleagues with theirs by employing personality tests like Meyers-Briggs or The Enneagram. Open conversations about these personality traits can boost morale and give colleagues ideas on how to communicate well with all kinds of people.

Self-Regulation

Similar to prioritizing self-awareness, once you know yourself you can find ways to respond appropriately to all kinds of situations. Self-regulation is a set of tools to manage your emotions and help others manage theirs. It’s the skill of adulthood that helps us show up at work when we’re tired, keep deadlines when we’re under pressure, and work towards our goals when other activities are calling. Self-regulation helps us behave according to our deepest-held values. As a leader, you can motivate others by reinforcing personal and company values and finding ways each person can embrace those principles in their own way.

Self-Motivation

Understanding your personal values helps you develop a framework for how you work and lead. It helps you set healthy boundaries for work and leisure time, and help workers set those same boundaries. That said, you’re not required to model generally accepted motivation techniques; you can forge your own path. 

​​“‘Hustle culture tells us that we should work harder and longer to get what we want,” says business coach Ben Beardsley. “I’m suggesting something different; I recommend working, ideally, in alignment with our body’s natural energy ebbs and flows.” He suggests mapping out your day to see when your energy levels are typically highest. Once you have that data, “see if you can arrange some of your work to match your natural energy level. The match won’t always be perfect or possible, of course, but you may find you gain greater motivation by going along with your energy levels, rather than fighting against them.”

Organizational awareness is a set of skills and attributes that great leaders inhabit, but they’re not out of anyone’s reach. Developing skills of emotional and situational awareness can yield great success.