Interconnectivity, Flow, and Balance: A Fresh Perspective on Organizational Culture

Yvette Bethel's latest book, Interconnectivity, Flow, and Balance Model (IFB) introduces an operating system that functions in the background of organizations, families, and multiple other types of communities. Like computer operating systems, IFB is ever-present, not always perceived, and prolific. It arranges your organization’s internal ecosystem around inherent rules of behavioral, change, and other systems that guide daily activities, meaningful change, and innovation. When IFB malfunctions, the organization can still operate but there can be disruptions, unintended results, or delays.

The IFB Model is an evolving, multipurpose tool that can stimulate the growth of your organization and give it the flexibility it needs to succeed in increasingly uncertain times. It is a model that takes the whole organization into consideration, balancing the development of leaders and teams with strategic needs. The model better equips leaders to enhance collaboration, improve internal communication, strengthen performance, and inspire innovation.

Another invaluable use of the IFB Model is to improve engagement. The 2017 Gallup State of the American Workplace report found that 67 percent of American workers are either not engaged or are actively disengaged. Internationally, 87 percent of workers fall within these two categories.

In response to low engagement numbers and the risks associated with this trend, organizational decision makers are paying closer attention to engagement levels because they understand the intricate link between engagement and team performance. Gallup research indicates companies with engaged employees outperform their competitors by an impressive 147 percent. This is useful because during volatile times an engaged workforce is more important than ever, especially as leaders seek to create a competitive advantage through their people.

Engagement is linked to trust, and together they create a powerful driver of performance. The IFB Model is valued-based, centered on trust. Edelman’s 2018 Trust Barometer points out that in 2017, the world faced a global crisis of trust because of the combined and cumulative actions of the media, government, and corporations. As a result, a battle to find the truth has emerged, making trust an increasingly valuable commodity.

Leaders need to find ways to make use of people’s natural talents that seek expression within organizations. It takes time to develop and refine the skills required to create a change-based organization, powered by IFB. A change-based organization treats change as a constant, and this is an inherent trait of the IFB Model. IFB is not an instant fix that will solve all your challenges, but it can transform your organization when used effectively.

The IFB Model keeps change at the top of mind, treating it as a constant, perpetual state that requires deliberate balancing; it includes discrete change initiatives but is not limited to them. While the book, Interconnectivity, Flow, and Balance is primarily designed for organizational decision makers seeking meaningful change, others can use it effectively as well. On a practical level, it can be used as a resource by middle managers expected to implement changes using IFB principles, it can be used to strengthen teams, or it can be used to build communication. It is a model built to work over the long-term, and when implemented correctly, it can up-level the competencies of your entire team. The more your team members understand and embrace the concepts of interconnectivity, flow, and balance, the more likely it is that they will develop the modern skills they need for successful implementation.