ISSUE 9 – OCTOBER 2015

Football – The Business of the Beautiful Game

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Henley launches Slaves to the Rhythm P4

Diagnosis: Physician Manager or Leader P10

Neuroscience - Regatta Event Celebrates the Cerebral P6

Practical applications of neuroscience to coaching and leadership development P12

Disruptive innovation in the creative industries P8

The HR Doctor asks: are you suffering from Action Paralysis P14

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FOCUSBRINGING YOU THE INSIGHTS YOU NEED TO DRIVE YOUR AGENDA

BE EXCEPTIONAL. THE HENLEY WAY.

WELCOME TO THE LATEST ISSUE OF FOCUS@HENLEY – THE HOME OF ESSENTIAL BUSINESS INSIGHTS!

WELCOME

This issue of Henley Business School’s online magazine is packed with the latest news and insights into management, leadership, strategy, HR, coaching and much more…Amongst the features in this edition:

– The Business of Football

– What Neuroscience is Doing for Coaching, and for Decision-Making

– Slaves to the Rhythm – Henley’s New Business and Music Workshop

– Disruptive Innovation in the Creative Industries: Killer Questions

– The HR Doctor provides a cure for ‘Action Paralysis’

– Research Insight: Understanding Hybrid Roles

– How to protect your data

– The inside track on Professor Andrew Godley

As ever, all feedback is greatly valued, so do get in touch and play your part in continuing to make Focus@Henley essential reading.

Thanks for reading Focus@Henley. We look forward to hearing from you.

Claire Hewitt, Head of Learning Design

+44 (0) 1491 418767 exec@henley.ac.uk

www.henley.ac.uk

2 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation

HENLEY LAUNCHES SLAVES TO THE RHYTHM – A BUSINESS AND MUSIC WORKSHOP

HENLEY SOUTH AFRICA

Slaves to the Rhythm, in partnership with Henley Business School South

Africa, is a new concept in edutainment performed by two internationally acclaimed musicians – Barry van Zyl, drummer for the Johnny Clegg band, and Josh Hawks, bassist for Freshlyground. Josh and Barry have performed worldwide, working with stars including Shakira, Carlos Santana, Peter Gabriel and Aretha Franklin.

Slaves to the Rhythm is an innovative workshop that links music, narrative, audience participation, history, humour and insider stories in an energetic performance that addresses creativity in business.

Discussing the thinking behind the workshop, Jon Foster-Pedley, Dean and Director of Henley Business School South Africa, said: ‘The aim of the Slaves

to the Rhythm lecture is to stimulate business minds to think creatively and to take a different path from the traditional realm of business and education.

‘Barry and Josh have created an outstanding learning event for executives, creators and entrepreneurs. It is dynamic, memorable and uplifting, and a useful educational experience. We are left with new insights, techniques and confidence to bring to our work and organisation, helping us to innovate and provide better value to our customers and clients. I recommend that organisations, businesses and executive teams engage with Barry and Josh and share this experience.’

Barry said: ‘Our workshop is based on the journey of the modern music industry, plus our personal journeys as South African musicians with

international performing careers. Millions of Africans were transported to the new world via the transatlantic slave trade, resulting in a huge loss of talent from the continent. The music that was born out of this period created the music industry as we know it. This was African creativity and innovation at work. The modern music industry was created out of this African innovation.

‘The workshop draws parallels in commercial terms and how this relates to innovation in business. It uses music and other mediums to encourage business people to think out of the box and encourages South Africans to embrace their cultural roots.’

3Focus@Henley

FOOTBALL – THE BUSINESS OF THE BEAUTIFUL GAME

EVENT

The stands were packed at Henley Business School with fans of

football and business alike, for a unique opportunity to see a team of galacticos debate a range of issues facing the ‘beautiful game’.

Introduced by the Dean of Henley Business School, Professor John Board, and with the University of Reading’s Vice-Chancellor, Sir David Bell refereeing, expectations were high for the panel to deliver a skilful performance.

The panel• Professor Adrian Bell is Head of

ICMA Centre at Henley Business School and specialises in the history of finance. Adrian is also a fanatical Liverpool supporter and co-author (with Tom Markham and Chris Brooks) of an article on when to sack a football manager.

• Michael Bolingbroke is CEO of Inter Milan. Michael was formerly at Manchester United, having been a significant player at Cirque du Soleil and the Jim Henson Company before that. Michael originally trained in accountancy at PwC, having graduated from the University of Reading in economics.

• Dr Tom Markham is a football and finance specialist with an MBA in Football Industries. Tom was the first person in the UK to gain a PhD in Football Finance and is now Head of Strategic Business Development at Sports Interactive, the makers of Football Manager.

• Philip Nash is a chartered accountant and psychology graduate. Philip formerly held senior positions at Arsenal and Liverpool, and was more recently COO at Rangers before becoming a consultant to the sports industry.

The discussion began with the question: has football been spoiled?Michael highlighted the seismic changes that have taken place in football, with the shift in club ownership from founding owners with no ambition to even charge spectators, to global investors. And while French, German and Italian teams are on the same curve, the commercialisation of the English Premier League (EPL) has put it well ahead of other nations.

Philip also noted that the advent of the EPL – in tandem with the introduction of satellite television – has led to a massive increase in broadcast income, commercialisation and huge international fan bases.

Has football has become a middle-class sport?Adrian felt that with the smallest Premier League clubs earning upwards of £100 million annually from TV rights alone, it is inevitable that this will create further competition and demand.

Michael answered the ‘middle class’ issue by suggesting that this was a peculiarly British question, but

pointed out that many more women and youngsters now regularly attend games.

Is it now universally accepted that very few teams will be able to compete at the top level?Tom agreed with this perspective stating that, ‘in the mid-1990s, there were examples of teams winning European trophies with home-grown talent, but while much is being spent on youth development, there is evidence of the top clubs hoarding the best young players.’

For the full article, click here

A panel discussion featuring Michael Bolingbroke, CEO of Inter Milan, plus a team of industry experts.

4 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation

What has been the impact of the Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations?Philip noted that the list of the top 20 teams had changed very little, while accepting that Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germaine have had the backing to break into football’s elite. The FFP regulations require clubs to manage their finance so that they at least break even, and, of the 20 clubs in the EPL, 19 made a profit last year.

Michael added, ‘some clubs still go bankrupt because they haven’t adapted quickly enough… but the money coming into football is generally being better managed.’

Have we reached a point where fans accept that the biggest stars should earn big wages, but are disillusioned with rich, mediocre players?Adrian pointed out that fans don’t care what players earn, so long as they perform on the pitch. Philip agreed, adding that: ‘fans want trophies, and the best players – like pop stars and Formula 1 drivers – are entitled to earn top wages. In general, players’ wages are in line with the market rate.’

Are there are too many professional teams in the English leagues? Tom suggested that there are too many professional teams and that if it were based on the European model, it would only support a two-division structure.

Q&A Sir David then invited questions from the audience, which included:

• Will clubs lower ticket prices?

• With continuing income growth, Manchester United is now a billion-pound brand; is there an end to it?

• Is football just another business?

• Given the rise in popularity of football in Asia particularly, will we see more twinning?

• Could the FIFA situation have wider implications?

• Do clubs have a moral and ethical responsibility to provide affordable tickets?

• Can we ever get away from the soulless lack of terracing?

• Could co-operatives provide a way for fans to gain ownership of their clubs?

• Are managers sacked too often?!

The answers to be found in the full article. Please use the link at the top of the first page of this article.

At the end of a lively discussion, Sir David thanked the panel for their insights and opinions, before inviting guests to take the opportunity to network over drinks and canapés.

Post-event reaction‘Very good, credible speakers, and some fascinating insights.’

‘I’m not really a football fan, but I found it fascinating to hear about the business side of things.’

‘How marvellous to be able to call upon the alumni to create such a high-profile, stimulating discussion.’

5Focus@Henley

NEUROSCIENCE – REGATTA EVENT CELEBRATES THE CEREBRAL

HENLEY CORPORATE REGATTA DAY 2015

Kicking off the Business School’s 70th anniversary celebrations,

Professor John Board greeted a packed conference room at Henley’s Greenlands campus, and welcomed delegates to the 2015 Corporate Regatta Day event.

Steve Ludlow, Head of Executive Education, then summarised what has been a good year for the Business School. ‘We’ve updated our programme portfolio and have recruited a number of new clients on custom programmes, including Roche Pharmaceuticals’, he announced, ‘and we are delighted that our improvements have been recognised by our elevated position in the latest Financial Times rankings.

‘Our 70th year also gives us a good opportunity to look at how Henley’s traditional style of learning, which has evolved into what we now call action learning, in tandem with the benefits of online technologies and our collaboration with the University of Reading, is adding new insights.’

For the full article, click here

Neuroscience and the art of leadershipClaire Hewitt, Head of Learning Design in Executive Education, then introduced the theme of the event: The neuroscience behind the art of leadership by asking Patricia Riddell, Professor of Applied Neuroscience, and Professor Doug Saddy, from the Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, to answer the big question: ‘What is neuroscience?’ and to give some context to it.

Doug explained how the brain and central nervous system control both mental and physical actions, and described how MRI scans enable us to see how the brain responds in a variety of situations.

Patricia then provided a brief introduction to the biochemistry of brain neurons, explaining how the gaps between the synapses provide the brain with its flexibility and how repeated use of the brain strengthens the links.

She cited a recent study of taxi drivers, which found that longer-serving taxi drivers had a larger hippocampus – the part of the brain where locations of memories are indexed.

How and what can we learn from this? A live case study, featuring Haslams Estate Agents

Patricia and Doug were joined by Professor Kevin Money, Director of the John Madejski Centre for Reputation, Andrew Kakabadse, Professor of

Governance and Leadership, and Peter Hawkins, Professor of Leadership, for a panel discussion focusing on the challenges being faced by a local estate agency. The agency, Haslams, is run by Steve Woodford, who bought it 20 years ago when it employed just three

6 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation

people. It now has over 30 staff and has recently relocated to an open-plan office.

Faced with a range of cultural and logistical issues, Steve was looking to the panel to pass on their wisdom and guidance. In his words: ‘I’m in the middle, acting as the ringmaster. And I think I’m going mad!’

A lively discussion ensued, with expert analysis from the panel and valuable contributions and observations from the delegates, covering leadership, culture, the use of language, change management, reward and mentoring.

Following the panel discussion, delegates then had the opportunity of attending one of two active learning sessions.

Session 1: The neuroscience of teams – facilitated by Professors Peter Hawkins and Patricia Riddell

During this workshop, delegates considered the attributes of high-performing teams, and the ways in which behaviour, experience and brain system preferences can contribute.

Session 2: The neuroscience of decision-making – facilitated by Professors Andrew Kakabadse, Kevin Money and Doug Saddy

The Henley team talked about the science of decision-making, highlighting the subconscious decisions we take, and how the brain is a system of conflicts.

They explained different types of decisions – self-driven, social and collective – and examined ways in which the performance of brain function can be influenced.

Following lunch at Greenlands, the delegates were then able to relax and reflect on this complex subject while taking in the beautiful views along the River Thames and the spectacle of the Henley Royal Regatta!

Post-event comments and feedbackFollowing the event, delegates were asked to express their views on the day:

‘A great chance to gain more insights with real experts…’

‘Such a big topic… the only downside was that we didn’t have more time to explore it further.’

‘Very interesting to hear about recent neuroscience insights into how we work as people and leaders, and a great opportunity to network with a variety of people.’

Henley now has campuses and offices in

16countries

Henley is now ranked

#1in the UK for

repeat business and growth by the FT 2015 (EE/2015)

7Focus@Henley

DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES: KILLER QUESTIONS FROM KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

CASE STUDY

Keith Jopling, Senior Vice President at KAE Marketing Intelligence Ltd

There was much to discuss when Henley Business School staged an

event looking at how both start-ups and incumbent market leaders should manage for disruption.

Earlier this year, key industry figures and senior executives from music, film, TV and related sectors joined Henley academics and programme members to debate the major issues facing businesses in the creative sectors. The session was framed around four thought-provoking questions, posed by key speakers and then debated by the audience.

Writing after the event, Keith Jopling discusses each topic, drawing on his experience as Senior Vice President of the strategic marketing consultancy, KAE. Using the music industry as an example, Keith illustrates just how quickly a market can be transformed. As he explains, it took iTunes just five years to become the primary source of music sales in the United States. Over a similar timeframe, Spotify further disrupted the industry by fundamentally changing the way we consume music. Developing the expertise to deal with disruption is therefore a massive but essential challenge for business leaders across all sectors, creative or otherwise.

Introducing the event, George Tovstiga, Professor of Strategy and Innovation Management at Henley, began by describing the disruption challenge as a trichotomy of ‘managing’, ‘disruption’ and ‘innovation’. Tackling this challenge would depend on recognising whether

this trichotomy represented a threat or an opportunity, and identifying who and what was causing the disruption.

Research conducted prior to the event showed that delegates had varied views on the source of disruption in their respective markets, from new competitor offerings to evolving market needs. A spatial representation of these findings pointed to a unique competing space, where a firm could fulfil market needs in the way its competitors could not. George presented the Business Model Canvas as a means of describing how new value propositions could be operationalised, and then, following each question throughout the event used the Canvas to map the pressure points identified and illustrate which strategic issues needed prioritising.

Unique competing space

Balancing strategy and operationsMatt Wilkinson, Head of Brands at Mirriad, posed the first question of the day: how can disruptors balance strategy and operations when in high-growth execution mode?

Matt outlined the challenge facing Mirriad, a company that integrates branded imagery into video content. He described how a major new contract had resulted in a rapid scaling up of operations, and how this risked derailing the company from its long-term strategy. Following further questioning, the audience concluded that Mirriad had been right to take the deal, but now needed to focus on recruiting the right people into the business.

(Tovstiga, 2013)

For the full article, click here

8 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation

According to Keith, the focus should be on planning to avoid uncontrolled growth. However, in order to keep pace with fast-moving digital markets this has to be based on short planning cycles.

Developing a partnership mindsetThe second question was introduced by Will Page, Director of Economics at Spotify: how can large incumbents be encouraged to shift their mindset about openness and partnership, when this approach is so natural to disruptors?

For Will, data was key for proving the benefits of collaboration, and he gave the example of a partnership between BBC Radio 1 and Spotify that resulted in both parties benefiting from increased demand for content. The audience discussion identified two different cultures at play, an incumbent culture that is closed and fearful of competition, and a start-up culture that sees competition as healthy and a potential source of mutual benefits.

Presenting his perspective, Keith explains that, at KAE, they often recommend a partnership approach to incumbent businesses, to minimise the risks of innovation and to gain new expertise. He also suggests that key, measurable activities can result in win–win outcomes for partners and consumers, so data-driven evidence is to be welcomed.

Optimising distributionThe next question was relevant for all custodians of content and was presented by Simon Presswell who asked whether content owners should license OTT (‘over the top’) providers, such as Amazon and Netflix, or keep their own channels.

One strategy, Simon suggested, would be for content producers to self-cannibalise, in the way Sky had done with NowTV. The audience consensus was that content creators had more to gain than lose by taking a liberal approach to distribution and exploiting the long tail of demand. Unlike the music industry, however, the TV marketplace is more of a mish-mash of networks, platforms and

Clockwise from top left: Matt Wilkinson, Will Page, Ben Drury and Simon Presswell

services, and a more sophisticated way of understanding audiences would be required to optimise distribution channels.

Based on the KAE experience, Keith believes the value proposition is the key to multi-channel strategies and that in television there has been an increased commitment to content. He also advises that powerful, real-time analytics are required to support portfolio management. Keith raises another important question about the value of the brand: while brand equity is important for TV producers such as Sky and the BBC in order to sell content in a global marketplace, is it of relevance to the consumer?

Are we there yet?The final question of the day concerned the music industry and aimed to assess how much more disruptive innovation was possible: is this the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning?

With almost 20 years’ experience in digital music, Ben Drury, Chief Strategy Officer at 7digital, gave an overview of technology-driven innovation in music and noted that the historical focus on products and audio quality had been replaced by a more ‘experiential’ focus on discovering and arranging music collections. The audience believed that there was more change to come. Potential innovations could focus on fairer revenue shares for artists or on more incremental developments, such as playlist sharing, a wider range of payment models and more multimedia content.

From Keith’s perspective, the shift to digital formats represents a replacement in demand rather than growth. The opportunities are now to be found in live performance with greater collaboration between the recorded and live sectors.

ReferenceTovstiga, G (2013) Strategy in Practice, 2nd ed. John Wiley & Sons

Business Snippets

Organisations have become leaner in the wake of the financial crisis in a bid to save costs, according to CEB. Having such a corporate structure has, however, has emerged as one of the main reasons British workers leave their jobs.

A lack of career opportunity was cited by 50 per cent of UK respondents as a key reason for finding employment elsewhere, CEB suggested, and they claim the issue has consistently topped the list of employee attrition drivers since the annual survey started in 2011.

‘With upper management positions cut and no signs of returning, there are fewer roles that enable employees to familiarise themselves with management responsibilities gradually,’ the report states. ‘When someone is

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Flat organisational structures may be driving employees away

eventually promoted, the lack of step-by-step preparation and training leaves them ill-equipped to perform in a more senior role.’

Brian Kropp, HR practice leader at CEB, claimed that the tools in the modern manager’s armoury are increasingly limited: ‘Apart from money, there are few motivators to offer employees within a flat hierarchy.’

‘A flat corporate structure comes with many advantages, but it also makes it harder for people to see a clear path for their progress up the corporate ladder’, Kropp explained.

Adapted from an article by Shane Schutte on the Real Business website: http://realbusiness.co.uk/article/31174-flat-organisational-structures-may-be-driving-employees-away

9Focus@Henley

DIAGNOSIS: PHYSICIAN, MANAGER OR LEADER? Understanding hybrid roles

RESEARCH PAPER

Dr Dimitrios Spyridonidis, Lecturer in Leadership, Subject Area Leader, Leadership & Change, Henley Business School

Health policy reforms have resulted in new arrangements for governing

the performance of physicians and in structural changes that encourage physicians to take on managerial roles. Here, identity theory is used to examine how physicians negotiate, develop and maintain these hybrid roles.

The context for this study was one of the ‘Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care’ (CLAHRC), introduced into the English National Health Service (NHS) to promote the use of evidence-based practice. Historically, physicians played a dominant role in the NHS, but reforms have led to more collaborative working and new models of governance. As a result, new hybrid roles of physician–manager have required physicians to accept new constraints on their professional autonomy.

The ‘physician identity’Identity is central to an individual’s sense of self and highly relevant to their values and goals. Being a physician represents a cross-cutting identity as it ‘cuts across’ whatever else that person does. Nested identities are the multiple identities that are also subjectively important to an individual and represent the different roles enacted in the workplace (Ashforth & Johnson, 2001).

For physicians, professional autonomy is central to their identity and based on their medical knowledge, a source of significant power that underpins the ‘physician identity’. As a physician’s nested identities change during their career, whether they embrace or resist these changing roles can be explained through identity theory.

Identity salience can be used to look at the interplay between cross-cutting and nested identities. Salience is a measure of subjective importance and situational relevance (Ashforth, 2001). Some physician–managers assign salience to their nested managerial identity; others perceive that it undermines their cross-cutting physician identity.

The studyThe study examined one CLAHRC, which created project teams led by a new hybrid physician–manager role. Under the governance of a senior team of local NHS managers and academics, these roles (CLAHRC managers) formally assigned management tasks to the physicians appointed.

Interviews were conducted with 62 CLAHRC managers and with senior team members. Interviews covered the individual’s involvement with CLAHRC, their understanding of its aims and objectives, their role and what it meant to be an effective CLAHRC professional. Follow-up interviews focused on how individuals made sense of their developing roles. Meetings, workshops and development events were observed and associated documents evaluated.

Data analysisInterview transcripts were used to identify any discussion of identity and the themes coded. Professional identity emerged as a key theme and Pratt et al’s (2006) concept of identity work was used to explore this.

Codes were categorised and theoretical explanations for the questions arising from the data were developed. Three aggregate categories emerged:

For the full article, click here

1. redefining professional identity in relation to the new organisation

2. identity salience shifts between nested identities

3. crafting a new identity

FindingsMost physicians felt their identity developed through their involvement in management activities and accepted the redefinition of their nested identities; however, shifting between multiple identities was not easy and took time and practice.

Depending on how they perceived their CLAHRC role and how they’d negotiated this, three categories of physicians emerged:

Innovators emphasised the positive aspects of their new role and minimised the conflict between their management and physician identities by aligning evidence-based medicine with CLAHRC’s evidence-based practice approach, giving salience to their hybrid role. As a result of taking on more responsibility, they perceived the new nested identity as enhancing their status.

Sceptics never fully engaged with CLAHRC and attempted to make their new role resemble their existing one. Financial incentives ensured some level of engagement, but sceptics emphasised their separateness from CLAHRC. Their identity work focused on maintaining control over their work and reinforcing their original physician identity.

The large majority were disengaged initially and resisted the managerial tasks required of them, but became more engaged as the project progressed.

Dr Dimitrios Spyridonidis,

10 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation

They perceived that their physician role had been devalued and their clinical competence was not appreciated. The CLAHRC manager role was perceived to lack distinctiveness and, as an identity, was less salient than their physician identity.

Creating a new identityTo address the resistance identified, the senior team introduced new clinical leadership roles that had a greater association with professional autonomy and clinical expertise and, thus, eliminated the identity threat of the earlier manager role. Reframing the roles in terms of leadership provided physicians with a sense of belonging to a group distinct from CLAHRC and the freedom to

• Identity comprises nested and cross-cutting identities with flexible boundaries, but complex processes are required to manage multiple identities and address perceived threats to them.

• Developing identity salience takes effort – here, the status afforded to the clinical leader role gave it saliency.

• Physicians differed in whether they perceived taking on a management role as a threat and in how they reconciled their conflicting identities.

• The ability to form an aligned sense of self may be as a result of the power and autonomy of physicians and, therefore, may apply to other professional groups.

• Cross-cutting and nested identities follow a hierarchy based on salience. Flux in professional identity is influenced by the salience attached to conflicting roles.

ConclusionsPublic policy programmes can encourage collaborative working among different professional groups by creating roles that make sense to professionals. Understanding why some physicians are more effective in engaging with management issues can influence policy and practice of future health policy reforms. While NHS leaders can use this research to understand how physicians adapt and enact a hybrid role, these insights can also apply to other public and private organisations. Identity salience shifts should be researched in other contexts and with different professional groups to test the generalisability of the themes of this study.

ReferencesAshforth, B E (2001) Role Transitions in Organizational Life: An Identity-Based Perspective. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum

Ashforth, B E & Johnson, S A (2001) Which hat to wear? The relative salience of multiple identities in organisational contexts. In M A Hogg & D J Terry (eds) Social Identity Processes in Organisational Contexts. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press, pp31–48

Pratt, M G, Rockmann, K W & Kaufmann, J B (2006) Constructing professional identity: the role of work and identity learning cycles in the customization of identity among medical residents. Academy of Management Journal, 49 (2), 235–62

delegate aspects that lacked salience for them, resulting in higher overall levels of salience.

DiscussionSalience was crucial for the hybrid role to be enacted. Through a process of negotiation, senior members ultimately constructed a leadership role that appealed to physicians by addressing their sensemaking.

The contributions these findings make to the literature include:

• Identity salience shifts can be used to examine how interpretations of professional identity evolve during organisational change.

11Focus@Henley

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF NEUROSCIENCE TO COACHING AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

COACHING CORNER

By Dr Patricia Bossons, Director of the Henley Centre for Coaching and Behavioural Change and co-author of a new book on the impact of neuroscience on leadership coaching

What can we do differently, as development practitioners in the

field, as a result of the information we are gaining from the rapidly developing area of neuroscience? In this series of articles, I will be taking some of the fascinating insights we now have available to us about activity in our brains and relating them to practical experiences in the coaching and leadership development field.

There are some caveats around the direct application of neuroscience to coaching and leadership development. While MRI scans allow us to see where the electrical activity is in the brain, it is only when a person is responding to the types of stimuli that can be given to

someone in an MRI scanner. We can’t effectively monitor brain activity when someone is going about their daily leadership work or being coached, as they don’t stay still enough!

So all we can do at the moment is generate more informed and sophisticated hypotheses than previously, when we had only our observational experiences to work with. Nevertheless, it is still an exciting invitation to hypothesise, explore, experiment and adapt our current

practices to build on these new insights.

As a taster, I have selected some of the most common issues brought to us as executive coaches by people who are in senior leadership positions and

illustrated why these are issues that usually competent and effective people have found so problematic that they want to bring them to coaching.

The first few issues we will look at include:

• Why is it sometimes so tough to be a leader?

• How are decisions made in conditions of risk and uncertainty?

• How do we decide when to take a complete change of direction?

• How can we cope with stress and build resilience in the workplace?

• What conditions enable people to be more innovative?

Let’s just take the first of these: ‘Why is it sometimes so tough to be a leader?’

When this is unpacked in a coaching conversation, the issue often emerges as the difficulty between focusing on the task – the facts and the objectivity needed to lead the business – and at the same time engaging and building relationships with teams, staff and colleagues.

We traditionally gain insight into this issue through psychometric tests, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, where individuals with such an issue may report as having a high score either on the feeling end of one of the dimensions, or on the thinking end.

This indicates a preference for approaching their work in either a very

Dr Patricia Bossons

12 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation

rational, objective and analytical way, which may disregard – or not notice – the emotions of others, or a preference to be very people-focused, concerned about feelings and relationships, and somewhat subjective by allowing personal values and emotions into decision-making.

Each preference has its inherent problems for someone in a leadership position, and a coach’s job is to help the individual recognise how their thinking preference influences their behaviour, and how this impacts the people around them. Then work on appropriate behavioural changes can begin.

Neuroscience provides the evidenceThis remains a core coaching topic. What neuroscience brings to this, however, is ‘evidence’ that what is behind the dichotomy of these behaviours is actually rooted in the functioning of our brains and not just down to some failure on the part of the coachee.

It is now clear that the reason it is so hard to find a leader who can lead from

the heart as well as the head is because activation of the brain areas involved in task-oriented leadership causes repression in the brain areas involved in the socio-emotional networks, and vice versa. Therefore, left to our own devices, it is highly unlikely that we will easily develop into leaders who will effectively use both types of behaviour.

Neuroscience shows us that we get better and better at doing the things we do most often, by building more neural networks for our habitual behaviour. For those behaviours we only perform infrequently, it is more likely that we simply won’t have the brain equipment to be able to do them at will. New neural pathways will need to be laid down to build new behaviours.

The good news is that we can now see that building new neural pathways is absolutely possible – old dogs can learn new tricks – but it takes work and practice. And this is where focused coaching can be a very real help.

What the insights from neuroscience help us do here is to remove the judgement, blame and frustration that the coachee may be experiencing and

turn it into the kind of challenge that someone can work on alongside their coach.

This can be a very liberating experience, and much more motivating. Neuroscience also shows us that positive people have a higher level of resilience to stress, enabling our coachees to work on a behavioural change issue from a positive perspective, increasing the likelihood that it will be effective.

Once we begin to make the links between the new insights about brain function and how this translates into behavioural change interventions in a practical sense, we can move the whole field of coaching and leadership development forward in fascinating ways.

Watch this space for more insights!

The Neuroscience of Leadership Coaching by Patricia Bossons, Patricia Riddell & Denis Sartain was published in August 2015 by Bloomsbury.

13Focus@Henley

ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM ACTION PARALYSIS? IF SO, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THERE IS A CURE…

HR DOCTOR

Visiting Professor Nick Holley, Co-Director, Henley Centre for HR Excellence | @Nick_Holley

In the latest episode of Nick Holley’s tongue-in-cheek series exploring

common HR problems, the HR Doctor looks at one of the most prevalent afflictions: Action Paralysis…

What are the symptoms?HR thinks it is doing lots of things, but actually it is seduced by the appearance of activity, including:

• placing too much emphasis on consensus, by which time it’s too late

• overcomplicating matters, rather than creating relevant solutions

• aiming for perfection and never getting round to actually doing anything

• pursuing irrelevant benchmarking, without recognising the context or the practicalities.

As with so many of these diseases, action paralysis can be caused by overdoing something good.

Spending your whole time analysing and never coming to a conclusion results in the related disease of analysis paralysis.

And what is the impact?HR never delivers anything of value because it’s too tied up with running around chasing its own tail. But eventually someone with power notices and outsources HR.

For example, a consultant told me that she couldn’t believe how much time we spent managing stakeholders,

delivering solutions that the business would sign up to, but months late. And I was racking up Air Miles, trying to get people to agree to constantly changing plans.

So what are the cures?• The Pareto principle shows that 20%

of what we do creates 80% of the desired outcomes. Therefore, learn where to focus, and when enough is good enough.

• Aim to have ‘strong opinions, weakly held’. The danger with overanalysis is that you take too long to form an opinion but then won’t change it to fit an emergent and unexpected reality.

For the full article, click here

• The military have a saying: ‘no plan survives contact with the enemy’. So plan as close to reality as possible but only up to the point where you get the first feedback on what is actually happening. By letting go of the urge to control by detailed planning in advance, HR can have greater control.

• Business is moving ever faster, so HR has to learn to move at the same speed as the rest of the business. This means prioritising time on the vital ‘few’ and focusing on making things simple enough, though no simpler.

Visiting Professor Nick Holley

14 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation

LISTMANIA

One of the key things that keep CIOs awake at night is worrying

about the loss or leakage of sensitive information from user devices.

Here we look at the importance of identifying the right balance for your organisation, and the practical steps you can take at each of the four levels of workplace information security: system protection, access management, data security and audit-proof protection.

1 Use smarter passwordsIf thieves do get hold of a device – either digitally or physically – you need robust identity and access management. Choose strong passwords – a different password for each important account – and change passwords regularly.

2 Better still, use biometrics – even smarter than passwordsIf you really want to prevent unauthorised access, fingerprint sensors offer a more secure alternative and improve the user experience by replacing multiple passwords with single sign-on capabilities.

3 Back up your data and eradicate data on used drivesOne of the key information security vulnerabilities is data stored on old hard drives. An audit-proof record of the deletion can be copied to an external USB drive to demonstrate compliance.

4 Stop thieves getting hold of your dataWith severe consequences for data breaches, it’s essential to use anti-theft technology on all client devices. Advanced theft-protection solutions can track devices and issue tamper alerts; automatically or remotely erase sensitive data; disable the notebook completely, rendering it useless until recovered; and help local police to recover it.

5 Stay up to date and keep on patchingIt’s vital that anti-malware and anti-virus software is constantly updated and set up for automatic updates to the operating system, software, drivers and BIOS to eliminate known security vulnerabilities.

6 Lock devicesMake devices more difficult to steal; security locks on notebooks offers a practical way to prevent theft, while customising devices with your company logo makes them less attractive to thieves.

7 Protect encryption keysEncrypt all valuable files and sensitive information, but if the encryption key is stored within the device, it can be hacked and used to decrypt your data. Smart card technology is ideal

for generating and storing encryption keys and, in combination with PIN or fingerprint sensors, it can be used for access protection.

8 Encrypt the whole driveFor maximum security and minimal performance overhead, full disk encryption is the answer, ideally within the BIOS rather than the operating system.

9 Manage security on user-owned devicesAs more user-owned devices access corporate data and services, new security holes open up. So a robust mobile device management system is needed, such as a virtual desktop infrastructure solution, in which sensitive data is stored on a secure server instead of client devices.

10 Identify vulnerabilities and create your action planAssess your current information security to establish where protection can be strengthened, and where cost savings can be made.

You can then define what needs to be done to achieve best-practice information security, establishing an equilibrium between the tighter security you’re aiming for and the seamless user experience that employees need to collaborate and stay productive.

Adapted from www.workplacefujitsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Top-Tips-For-Data-Protection.pdf

©Fujitsu Technology Solutions GmbH 2014

Contact: fujitsu.com/fts/contact

LISTMANIA TEN TOP TIPS FOR DATA PROTECTION IN THE NEW WORKPLACE

15Focus@Henley

PROFESSOR ANDREW GODLEY HEAD OF SCHOOL, LEADERSHIP, ORGANISATIONS AND BEHAVIOUR. DIRECTOR, HENLEY CENTRE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Despite his current position, Andrew freely admits that, as a child, he

was ‘a terrible student’ who was totally disengaged from formal learning, and scraped through his exams by the skin of his teeth! But a deep innate curiosity for economics eventually emerged, and the intellectual stimulation he derived from economic history, in particular, drove him along a path that led to him becoming one of the most senior and influential members of the Henley Business School team.

Born in Sheffield, Andrew went on to study economic history at LSE, although even during his first two years at university, his tutors all but gave up on him. But Andrew then experienced something of an epiphany, and was ‘gripped’ by the subject. Such was his enthusiasm in his final year that his tutors suggested that he go on to take a PhD. And looking around for a subject to research, Andrew drew inspiration from people he had seen and met in his local area – Stepney Green in London’s East End – and proposed a study of the role of culture in influencing the comparative entrepreneurship of Jewish immigrants arriving in Britain and the United States.

Andrew says he was ‘amazed’ to receive news that he was to be given a scholarship for this work, but it proved to be an award-winning project,

PROFILE

scooping the accolade of Best PhD from the American Economic History Association, and subsequently being released as a book, which continues to be highly cited.

Even before he had completed his PhD, however, a chance meeting with a former tutor led to Andrew being introduced to Mark Casson at the University of Reading. Andrew attended a series of Mark’s seminars and, inspired by him, took up a role as a lecturer at Reading in 1991. This proved to be a defining move for Andrew, who looks back at the decade as a ‘golden time’, during which he was ‘surrounded by outstanding researchers and future global stars in international business, entrepreneurship and business history’. ‘It really was a fascinating and extraordinary moment in time, and incredibly stimulating,’ he adds.

But several of these intellectual giants were tempted away from the Reading faculty by global institutions in Europe and the United States, including Harvard and Rutgers, and the 2000s saw something of a transition for the University as it – alongside most other UK universities – struggled for funding.

Significantly, though, a core of the faculty team stayed together and when the University merged with the then Henley Management College, they provided core faculty for the Business School. Today, Henley is

renowned for its business history research, and the past few years have seen a real resurgence in its position and reputation as a world-leading Business School. ‘There’s something very special emerging,’ says Andrew, ‘and it’s a very exciting time. All the signs show that what we are doing is really working.’

And what of the future? At a personal level, Andrew relishes the challenge of seeing his four children through to adulthood. But the goals for the Business School continue to stimulate his professional ambitions: ‘Henley is back in the Premier League of Business Schools, although we desperately need more space to ensure that this progress continues. The Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship has become a leading player nationally since we set it up in 2007, and we need to extend its impact globally as a central component of Henley’s ambition to belong to the world’s elite business schools for years to come. We also need to resolve how university and executive education is delivered, and find the right balance between the expensive campus-based learning model and online delivery.’

For someone who was so ‘detached from formal learning’ in his formative years, Andrew has come a long way!

Professor Andrew Godley

For more about Andrew’s academic career, click here

16 www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation