Collaborative Wisdom: From Pervasive Logic to Effective Operational Leadership

by Greg Park

Why do some corporate superstars collapse dramatically, while others survive and prosper over many decades? Is the fall primarily caused by ’technical factors’, such as poor products and pricing, financial management or market choices, by self-aggrandisement, or perhaps by poor leadership attributes and capabilities? Greg Park argues that ultimately organisational survival and optimal performance over the long term is dependent upon collaborative wisdom. Within the dominant coalition of a successful community or corporation there is an inherited, pervasive, commonly and collectively held dominant logic, comprising leadership principles, perspectives and priorities, based upon universal values which are understood and accepted as satisfying the requirements and aspirations of each stakeholder. This collaborative wisdom ensures cohesive and consistent behaviour across and within every function of a complex, fast-moving organization. Its practical application is reflected in the daily operational decisions of leaders within the organisation, be they divisional, departmental heads or supervisors. Without collaborative wisdom organisational collapse is the inevitable result, primarily through the disintegration of belief, confidence, motivation, cohesion, advocacy and energy within and between key stakeholder groups. Collaborative Wisdom examines the nature and criticality of wisdom as a leadership attribute, how effective operational leadership is not just about knowledge and experience, but more fundamentally about a cognitive mental process which considers and consistently applies fundamental values, principles, perspectives and priorities in an analytical and affective manner. This ensures effective operational leadership and optimal organisational performance over the long term, informed by experience, instinct, intuition, but also by insight, judgment and ultimately, wisdom.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Greg Park was born in 1967 in Provo, Utah, and spent much of his youth fishing the Provo River and hiking and hunting in the Wasatch Mountains with his father and brothers. In 1986, he served a two-year mission in Osaka, Japan, then attended Brigham Young University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in Media Education.

He currently teaches English and Japanese, and courses in creative writing and science fiction literature at Timpanogos High School, in Orem, Utah. Still an avid outdoorsman, he spends much of his time fishing, hunting, and camping with his wife and children in Utah's backcountry.