Book review: Leading the Listening Organisation
A new book Leading the Listening Organisation advocates for organisations to adopt a culture of active, empathetic listening to employees to drive better business outcomes.
Leading the Listening Organisation by Mike Pounsford, Dr Kevin Ruck and Howard Krais is a guide to the role of listening in the modern workplace, particularly in the light of post-pandemic changes and innovation.
Listening is linked to commercial benefits, including higher employee engagement, better employee experience, effective change management, innovation, and improved trust.
The book advocates for organisations to listen to their employees through active engagement. Case studies of organisations including Johnson Matthey and Philips, that have embedded listening as a part of management progress are included in the book.
Pounsford, Ruck and Krais emphasise the importance of listening in establishing fairness, belonging, and trust within the workplace. They present the concept of the ‘listening age’ and urge senior leaders to adopt a culture of listening to enable their organisations to thrive.
The authors argue that effective listening is integral to creating a work environment where employees feel valued, included, and engaged in organisational changes. In the wake of the Post Office crisis, it is an almost activist text.
Leading the Listening Organisation explores the complexity of effective listening, stressing that it encompasses both methodologies and leadership behaviours. The authors advocate for a balanced focus on listening methods and leadership traits to ensure that insights are effectively gathered and acted upon.
The book also distinguishes between organisational culture and process, advocating for a shift from passive listening or monitoring to active listening, emphasising openness and empathy in management and leadership roles.
The process and technologies associated with listening, such as employee apps, social media, and platforms like Glassdoor, are relatively mature. The management task is much more complex but nonetheless leads to better business outcomes.
The book is a mix of theory and practice. Its theoretical basis is drawn from research literature and collective research projects by the three authors. The final chapters are a how-to guide to technology and management.
The book addresses the common barriers to effective listening, pointing out that while leaders acknowledge its importance, there's often a lack of shared understanding of what constitutes good listening.
Pounsford, Ruck and Krais call for a clearer definition and development of leadership listening capabilities coupled with continuous listening systems and processes.
Leading the Listening Organisation joins a growing body of literature in this area, notably Prof Dr Jim Macnamara’s book Organization Listening, which has just been published in a second edition.
Richard Bailey posted a review of both books earlier today, which spurred me to write this summary and publish a review on my blog. You should also check out his perspective. Thanks, Richard.
Leading the Listening Organisation
Mike Pounsford, Kevin Ruck and Howard Krais
Routledge, January 2024
£31.99
