Creating Organizational Agility Through Diversity and Inclusion: The Role of the HIPPO Leader;

23-May-2024 13:25 - 13:55

To create agile teams and organizations, leaders have to be able to help their teams fluidly transition between moments of open discussion and debate and more command-and-control structures to execute and navigate crisis. Our research and consulting suggest that effective leaders, or hippos (the highest paid person in the organization, or an actual hippopotamus, the second most deadly animal in the world), help their teams to achieve this ability by being able to know when to show their power (being a hippo out of water) and when to let others speak (going underwater, with just their eyes above). They are able to help their teams be equally comfortable going ‘underwater’ together to inclusively brainstorm and debate (leveraging the diversity of the team to make better decisions) and falling into rank to executive or manage crisis with one hippo leading from the front. We’ll discuss how to design and lead diverse teams that can achieve this agility.

Speakers

Professor for Management
and Organizations, Ross School of Business -
University of Michigan

Lindred (Lindy) Greer is a Professor for Management & Organizations at Ross and the Faculty Director of the Sanger Leadership Center. Her research focuses on how to lead high-performing teams, with specific interests in leadership skills in..