Imaginarium
Engaging Leadership Commitment and Action
Leaders
Diane Burrus, Senior Consultant, WFD Consulting
Perry Christensen, VP Human Resources, Healthpoint Biotherapeutics
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The Work-Life Leadership Gap
The story hasn’t changed when it comes to
leadership commitment to work-life integration…
backed up by words and actions.
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012
The Work-Life Leadership Gap
Business leaders around the world,
both men and women alike, appear to support the
work-life business case, yet still cling to the notion
of the “ideal worker” as always available and
unencumbered with personal commitments.
3
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2012
The Work-Life Leadership Gap
 Over 8 in 10 managers say they support the work-life
business case (recruiting and retaining top talent, employee
satisfaction and productivity) yet they…



believe the ideal employee is available to meet business needs
regardless of business hours;
believe that the most productive employees are those without
personal commitments;
are concerned that employees working flexibly won’t be
accessible to meet an immediate need, that work will fall on
others in the group, and that they will not know whether the
person is getting his/her job done.
Global Study on Men and Work-Life Integration
WFD Consulting and AWLP, 2011
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012
Lessons from Leaders
Rosabeth Moss Kanter – How Great Companies Think Differently
Economic logic is augmented with institutional/social logic

Business is perceived as an integral part of society

Society and people are core to great companies’ purpose

Producing societal value and building enduring institutions
outweigh transactions
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012
Lessons from Leaders
Rosabeth Moss Kanter – How Great Companies Think Differently
 Six facets of institutional logic alter leadership behavior:

Common purpose and alignment of values (personal and
organizational)

Long-term view

Emotional engagement

Community building through public-private partnerships

Innovation

Self-organization

People are trusted to make effective choices about when,
where and how they work
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012
Lessons from Leaders
Stew Friedman (Director, Wharton Work-Life Integration Project)
 Openness to experimentation
 Align values of the organization with health, wellness and work-life
integration
 Language of leadership, performance and results
 The current work-life emphasis on system level change is not where the
real action is. It is at the individual level
Ed Colbert (Global Director Talent Management, Dow Corning and Wharton
leadership program, PhD candidate)
 Care about people on a personal level
 Clearly present the business proposition of work-life and how it can make
leaders more successful and employees more engaged
 Synthesize corporate messages so employees have a clear picture of how
they apply in their day-to-day jobs
 Be transparent, sharing as much information as possible with employees
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012
Lessons from Leaders: Driving Performance and
Work-Life Integration from Two Converging Initiatives
(Leslie A. Perlow,
Jessica L. Porter)
Work Efficiency
How Work
Is Done
Performance/
Results and
Work-Life
Integration
Work Effectiveness
What Work Is Done
(Stew Friedman, Sharon Lobel, Perry Christensen, Lotte Bailyn, Rhona Rapoport, etc.)
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012
Work-Life Leadership Success Stories
Classic Examples From Our Past
Fel-Pro and First Tennessee Bank
 Description
 Why is this company a good example?
 What have they done that’s different? Why?
 What are the outcomes for people, the business,
community, society?
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012
Work-Life Leadership Success Stories
Stories of Endurance
IBM and Marriott
 Description
 Why is this company a good example?
 What have they done that’s different? Why?
 What are the outcomes for people, the business,
community, society?
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012
Work-Life Leadership Success Stories
Marriott International
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012
Work-Life Leadership Success Stories
Big Names, Low Profile
Costco and IKEA
 Description
 Why is this company a good example?
 What have they done that’s different? Why?
 What are the outcomes for people, the business,
community, society?
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012
Work-Life Leadership Success Stories
Edgy, Innovative Giants
Zappos
 Description
 Why is this company a good example?
 What have they done that’s different? Why?
 What are the outcomes for people, the business,
community, society?
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012
What do these stories tell us about
creating lasting value?
Part I: Small Group Exercise (40 minutes)
 Why were/are these companies successful?
 What leadership characteristics and behaviors
contributed to success?
 How do these success stories relate to your own
organization and experience?
 What are the implications for closing the work-life
leadership gap?
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012
Engaging leadership commitment
and action
Part II: Small Group Exercise (40 minutes)
 If the business case for work-life has been made, why
doesn’t it compel action? (10 minutes)
 What do we need to do to break through leadership
barriers, and create organizational cultures that drive
work-life integration as a priority for competitive
advantage? (20 minutes)

What’s required to move from awareness to action?
 Report out on highlights of your discussion. (10 minutes)
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012
Preparing to Tell OUR Story
 What are the most viable strategies and
potential solutions we want to share with Forum
participants? (30 minutes)
 Who will tell our story?
(5 minutes)
 How will we tell our story in a creative and
compelling way? (15 minutes)
WWW.AWLP.ORG/FORUM 2012