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1-Page Summary of Beyond Measure

Overview

In today’s world of big data, many companies are obsessed with metrics. They only want to know how they can measure things and what action should be taken based on the numbers. However, some things cannot be measured in a quantifiable way.

Relationships are complex. Many companies have relationships that can produce great outcomes, but they don’t always work well. So, let’s take a look at how these interpersonal relationships work and what businesses can do to achieve greatness through small changes.

This article will explain what social capital is, how it can help businesses succeed, why working more hours leads to less productivity, and the amazing results of bringing in an outsider.

Big Idea #1: Creative conflict within companies can be learned through practice and supportive structures.

You’ve probably been in a situation where you’re at a meeting and someone proposes something that doesn’t make sense to you, but because you don’t want to be confrontational, you keep your mouth shut.

Avoiding debates is never helpful. However, there are ways to change this unproductive habit. The key is creative conflict, a skill that can be learned through practice. With constructive conflict comes the willingness to disagree and challenge the general consensus so new ideas can develop. However, many people don’t know how to be productive in disagreement and assume they will do well on their first attempt without any practice or training. But it’s surprising since people recognize that other skills take time and effort to learn, such as learning a language or musical instrument.”

When it comes to creative conflict, your ability to express yourself and stand up for what you believe in will be stronger if you prepare beforehand. The first step is gaining allies so that you have support when dealing with authority figures at the workplace.

A coach helped one of her clients, Luke, prepare for a confrontation with his boss. First, they ran through the situation in their heads to see how it would play out and what each person’s reaction would be.

Luke then sought the advice of his colleagues, which strengthened his position so that he could engage in a productive conversation with his boss.

Luke was confident because he had done his research and knew what to say when the time came. He also knew how to react appropriately in response to whatever his temperamental boss said.

Big Idea #2: Social capital is a prerequisite for constructive conflict and it can be built through small actions.

Have you ever had a group project where everyone involved didn’t know each other? Usually, it’s difficult to get people to work on such projects because they don’t trust and respect one another.

It’s important to establish social capital within your company. Social capital is what allows people in a community to rely on one another and depend upon them for help, which helps the tribe thrive and succeed. It’s also an effective survival tool for companies today, because it improves relationships between coworkers. This leads to more social capital, which builds trust so that people feel more comfortable engaging in creative conflict with one another.

A company used creative conflict to improve collaboration between departments. The CEO launched a project in which each department made short films highlighting the work of other departments.

They didn’t have to make a movie that would win an Oscar, but they did. Instead of making the company members work together, all they needed was for everyone to take small steps towards working together. The project worked perfectly and gave them the opportunity to bond with one another.