An Empirical Vision for Organizational Renewal: Utilizing Self-Reflection and Self-Awareness to Prompt Deep Transformation

Abstract

Though it would not be disputed that individual contributors within the organization are pivotal to organizational innovation and change, there seems to be a disconnect between the organization’s design as it pertains to systems, structures and policies and those in leadership who determine the realities, norms, and behaviors for how innovation is to take place. Often, the implicit leadership influence in regard to this is unspoken and separate from the established organizational culture. For this reason, before an organization has this ability to renew on a product and innovation level, deeper renewal may be required. This renewal process utilizes principles of self-reflection and self-awareness to gain greater understanding of how the many dimensions of the organization work together. This method of organizational renewal can be extremely beneficial regardless of the current state of the organization. The key is to consider renewal as a form of strengthening the very core for greater sustainability and future readiness. This article provides an empirical framework to illuminate ways in which an organization can engage in the renewal process. The process involves discussing the importance of renewal at all levels of the organization, providing the foundational concepts of self-reflection and self-awareness in the context of renewal, highlighting the various aspects of the organization requiring renewal, and bringing it all together into a cohesive framework.