The High-Level Clique

Things to think about: Can a group be too tight? Can that closeness hurt the organization in any way? Should others be brought into the inner circle to pacify the folks who are concerned?

There are numerous advantages to having a close-knit group of people at the top of an organization. Synergy. Momentum. Speed of decision-making. Ease of conflict resolution. Good humor. At the same time though, as Tom Valerio of CIGNA says, such a tight group can end up "selling each other hats" - thinking that the ideas they generate are great, but not putting them through the requisite checks and balances. "That´s a lovely hat you have on." "No, yours is equally lovely." "No, yours is truly better." "No, yours is really superior." In other words, they run the risk of being so attuned to one another, and doing so much thinking in sync that they lose perspective.

Annie has lived this situation. And, as she puts it, "It´s hard to resist the temptation simply to relax and enjoy the trust and closeness. It makes it great to go to work each day, knowing that you´re aligned with your colleagues. The problem is that being so insular can distance the group from the realities of the organization at large."

Bringing others into the inner circle can help in cases like this. But there has to be a meaningful business reason for them to be there - something definite that they can contribute. Otherwise, they´ll have a hard time breaking in - even if the group understands the situation and wants to help.

A better approach might be to create another inner circle that intersects with the one in question. Or at least to broaden the group´s perspective (and connections with the organization at large) by deliberately building bridges to different parts of the company. Encourage them to call on a regular group of people outside the circle to offer their expertise and informed opinions on a variety of issues.

One top executive we know of - a member of just such an insular group - created his own advisory board, independent of the circle, to try to ensure that he was more attuned to the perspectives of those outside "the circle." He encouraged the others at the top to do the same. It was an effective maneuver.

Rob Galford and Anne Seibold Drapeau are the authors of The Trusted Leader (The Free Press, January 2003). More information on the book is available at http://www.thetrustedleader.com.