Personal Effectiveness in the
Evolving Workplace
Lucia Strazzeri has more than
15 years of experience in human
resources and organizational
development, facilitating success
among work groups ranging from
the shop floor through the C-Suite.
She has held numerous consultative
and leadership roles in her field,
serving as a primary organizational
development resource for international
and domestic companies of all sizes.
Lucia holds SPHR and SHRM-SCP
industry certifications, as well as an
MS in human resources from Fordham
University.
© Business Expert Press 978-1-94897-600-8 (2018)
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A Practical Guide to Thriving at Work through
Highly Ambiguous Times
Lucia Strazzeri, MSHR, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Abstract: This article aims to provide practical tools,
tips, and everyday guidance to support the pursuit of
personal effectiveness in ambiguous, evolving work
environments. ACCORD, a model comprised of six
­
­essential elements that underpin personal effectiveness,
is offered here to assist with developing personally effec-
tive workplace attributes, and their associated desirable
traits, habits, and behaviors. Qualities and attributes pur-
sued within ACCORD include Agility, Confidence, Col-
laboration, Optimism, Resilience, and Determination.
Keywords: ambiguity at work, dysfunctional
organizational or corporate culture, effective
organizational or corporate culture, organizational
accord, personal effectiveness
A Brief Review of Organizational Ambiguity
in the Twenty-First Century
Given how “connected” we all are at this point in busi-
ness evolution, there is a certain irony to the simulta-
neous pervasiveness of ambiguity that dominates many
organizational cultures. If we look at this more closely,
however, it is fairly easy to see the cause-and-effect
­relationship here. In order to better address the issue at
hand, let us look at a couple of fictitious situations that
may likely read as painful realities for many of us.
In mid-size to large environments, technology has
gifted us with the ability to have highly disbursed work-
forces and a clear abundance of information. But what
happens when the information we need is residing sev-
eral time zones away, secured within incompatible soft-
ware via complex password protection in a department
with high staff turnover, where the department manager
just resigned, and the mother tongue is not the same as
that of the parent company? Ambiguity happens.
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 Personal Effectiveness in the Evolving Workplace

This can also occur in smaller, more
­localized offices, given the functional flex-
ibility that is usually required of workers
in small organizations, which is often due
to budgetary constraints. Staff—especially
leadership staff—can be spread very, very
thinly. So, where language and location
are not in the laundry list of causal fac-
tors, simple overwork combined with an
unavoidable inability to interact regularly
enough with the working group can regu-
larly drive ambiguity.
Importantly, in workplaces of any size,
dysfunctional organizational cultures where
employees feel as though they must always
be on the defensive with colleagues and su-
pervisors alike can result in stunted, siloed
environments where vital resources and in-
formation go unshared. These may be the
most difficult kind of ambiguous environ-
ments in which to pursue effective work
and desirable results.
Personal Effectiveness via ACCORD
It becomes clear that we need to equip our-
selves with the right interpersonal tools to
guide ourselves through and work effec-
tively in any given workday.
ACCORD, a model comprised of six es-
sential elements for success in this arena,
is provided here. The model is designed cy-
clically, so that all elements can function
synergistically and in an ongoing manner.
The harmonious aspect of the acronym
used is deliberately meant to dovetail with
the overall sense of positive productivity
that permeates healthy workplace cultures.
Each of ACCORD’s essential elements is
comprised of various personal traits, any of
which may or may not come naturally to ev-
eryone. Next, we will examine each element
not only to better define it in the context of
personal e­ ffectiveness, but also to see how we
can best develop and enhance those ­elements
that did not come to us via our own DNA.

ACCORD: Six essential elements for personal effectiveness

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 Personal Effectiveness in the Evolving Workplace
Element One—Agility
The qualifications that initially capture a
job opportunity tend to be more generally
distributed than the attributes that help
differentiate an organization’s culture. For
­example, marketing skills could seem fairly
transferable, at least on the surface.
Depending upon the individual, however,
where those marketing skills are actually
put to work can make a massive difference
in terms of how effectively someone can
perform there. Organizational values are
critical to general operations because they
shape the culture. And as the old adage
goes, culture triumphs over all else.
To better illustrate this, let us refer to our
example of marketing skills. A startup non-
profit firm’s successful fund development
executive may come to the table with that
qualification, as well as healthy doses of nat-
ural altruism and personal candor. But con-
sider that it is very possible that this particular
combination of skills and attributes would
not be as beneficial to the same individual if
he or she worked in a bank with hidebound
policies and generally conservative leanings.
Ideally, we can leverage both our learned
qualifications and the attributes that come
naturally to each of us in an optimal way
and within the dominant organizational
culture of our everyday work life. But
even under ideal circumstances, globaliza-
tion and technology will eventually force
us into organizational cultures where the
workaday norms can appear downright
alien at times. Beyond that, there may also
be layers of underlying interpersonal com-
plexities percolating in the mix.
This is why agility is so important. It is
our starting (and restarting) point because
at this moment in business history, we need
to be equipped with it right out of the gate.
Let us take a look at what goes into agility.
Components of Agility
Open-mindedness
If there is an underlying belief that all the
knowledge necessary for success is already
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in one’s head, it can become incredibly
difficult to learn what is required to move
forward as circumstances continually and
inevitably evolve. Having a closed mind
is perhaps the biggest ­potential derailer to
agility, because on its own, it can shut a
person down to any kind of effective prog-
ress at work, right at the seedling stage.
Strive to keep an open mind.
Systems Thinking
When things do not work out as we would
like, it can be a natural reaction to blame
ourselves or other people involved in the
project. Remember that physical, environ-
mental, and technical factors influence
­effectiveness tremendously, because taken
together, they comprise the actual system
that we must work in. Analyze what may
be wrong systemically, and then identify
whom and/or what can be of the most help
for correction.
Risk Tolerance
Risk aversion can be very handy in terms
of avoiding ineffective and unwanted
­results. The key to greater risk tolerance
is to do the detailed research up front and
­exhaustively identify where the risks are.
Following that, put mechanisms in place
that will either eliminate or ameliorate
such risks to a degree deemed acceptable
for the organization and its goals.
Innovation
When it becomes clear that whatever
needs doing never gets done fully, prop-
erly, or even at all, it’s time to engage
innovation. Study the situation, identify
­
the gaps, and address them in new and dif-
ferent ways.
Adaptability
Even with our best and most progressive
approach, things may not work out in ways
that are fully up to the standards necessary
to be personally and functionally effective.
Be ready to continually adapt.
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