Pitfalls When Doing Business Abroad

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Anders Moller
(not a XING member)

How to motivate employees by understanding their VABE’s
In order to affect lasting and effective changes in peoples’ behavior, we need to go beyond the “carrot and stick” (or reward and punishment) style of motivation (a.k.a. Level One Leadership). We need to understand and sometimes influence their Values, Assumptions, Beliefs and Expectations or VABE’s (a.k.a. Level Three Leadership).

Three Leadership Styles

1. Behavioral-focused
This is a very basic type of leadership. It relies on control, e.g. “if you do something good I’ll reward you; if you do something bad I’ll punish you”. On the positive side, it’s easy for the manager to learn and use this style. On the negative, it doesn’t utilize the full potential of the subordinate, since he is being externally motivated.

2. Thought-focused
Here the leader tries to influence the thinking of people, e.g. “don’t worry about that, focus on this instead”. Positive: can be a simple way of solving a problem. Negative: Free-thinking people may sooner or later question the ideas given to them.

3. Values, Assumptions, Beliefs and Expectations or VABE-focused
In order to create lasting and parallel goals between the organization and the individual, they both need to have similar VABEs. E.g. The sub values neatness. The manager discusses with the sub and tailors the job to incorporate some form of neatness aspect that also aligns with organizational goals. Positive: An individual that is doing something in harmony with his VABEs is using his full potential. Negative: Takes more time and is more difficult to learn for the manager.

Why is VABE-focused leadership effective?

Since childhood we have developed our VABEs, based on the sum of our experiences from family, friends, and society in general. By about age ten, most of our VABEs are fixed for life, if we don’t consciously work to modify them. Our acquired VABEs steer most of what we try to do, even if they are built on incorrect or outdated information. When our actions and VABEs don’t align, we do one of three things: i) we use a defense mechanism to explain our action, ii) we change our action, or lastly iii) we modify our VABEs.

If a leader understands VABE theory, he can be alert to these behaviors, and can make some sense of “what is going on “ inside the other person. He can look below “the tip of the iceberg”, and learn to understand and maybe modify the VABEs. If he successfully aligns the organizational and individual VABEs, the employee will be more motivated at a deeper level, and will produce more.

This is built on the fact that people are individuals, within several group and sub-group levels. Much is culturally bound.
- 15 Mar 2006, 12:00 am
Anders Moller wrote: > In order to affect lasting and effective changes in peoples’ > behavior, we need to go beyond the “carrot and stick” (or reward and > punishment) style of motivation (a.k.a. Level One Leadership). We > need to understand and sometimes influence their Values, Assumptions, > Beliefs and Expectations or VABE’s (a.k.a. Level Three Leadership). > > Three Leadership Styles > > 1. Behavioral-focused > This is a very basic type of leadership. It relies on control, e.g. > “if you do something good I’ll reward you; if you do something bad > I’ll punish you”. On the positive side, it’s easy for the manager to > learn and use this style. On the negative, it doesn’t utilize the > full potential of the subordinate, since he is being externally > motivated. > > 2. Thought-focused > Here the leader tries to influence the thinking of people, e.g. > “don’t worry about that, focus on this instead”. Positive: can be a > simple way of solving a problem. Negative: Free-thinking people may > sooner or later question the ideas given to them. > > 3. Values, Assumptions, Beliefs and Expectations or VABE-focused > In order to create lasting and parallel goals between the > organization and the individual, they both need to have similar > VABEs. E.g. The sub values neatness. The manager discusses with the > sub and tailors the job to incorporate some form of neatness aspect > that also aligns with organizational goals. Positive: An individual > that is doing something in harmony with his VABEs is using his full > potential. Negative: Takes more time and is more difficult to learn > for the manager. > > Why is VABE-focused leadership effective? > > Since childhood we have developed our VABEs, based on the sum of our > experiences from family, friends, and society in general. By about > age ten, most of our VABEs are fixed for life, if we don’t > consciously work to modify them. Our acquired VABEs steer most of > what we try to do, even if they are built on incorrect or outdated > information. When our actions and VABEs don’t align, we do one of > three things: i) we use a defense mechanism to explain our action, > ii) we change our action, or lastly iii) we modify our VABEs. > > If a leader understands VABE theory, he can be alert to these > behaviors, and can make some sense of “what is going on “ inside the > other person. He can look below “the tip of the iceberg”, and learn > to understand and maybe modify the VABEs. If he successfully aligns > the organizational and individual VABEs, the employee will be more > motivated at a deeper level, and will produce more. > > This is built on the fact that people are individuals, within several > group and sub-group levels. Much is culturally bound.
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Anders Moller
(not a XING member)

Re^2: How to motivate employees by understanding their VABE’s
Yes Jenny,

I see what you mean (I think). In the first two, the leader may take for granted that his people have the same VABEs as he. In the third, he tries to understand the other persons VABEs as the basis for his leadership style. Is that what you mean?

Best,
Anders
- 19 Mar 2006, 11:40 pm
Anders Moller wrote: > Yes Jenny, > > I see what you mean (I think). In the first two, the leader may take > for granted that his people have the same VABEs as he. In the third, > he tries to understand the other persons VABEs as the basis for his > leadership style. Is that what you mean? > > Best, > Anders
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Pitfalls When Doing Business Abroad

How to motivate employees by understanding their VABE’s

Re^2: How to motivate employees by understanding their VABE’s