In managing and handling proactive change in an organization, organizational awareness is one of the most important key elements. Organizational awareness could help in decisions making, communication, teamwork, culture, and leadership effectiveness. It can establish competitive advantage and creating consistent results which could lead to increase in revenue and profitability.

 

According to Daniel Goleman (2016), organizational awareness means having the ability to read a group's emotional currents and power relationships, and identify influencers, networks, and dynamics within the organization. In other words, Organizational awareness is about understanding different aspects and elements of the organization including workings, structure, and culture of the organization. It also consists of the understanding of political, social, and economic issues affecting the organization.

 

In advertising industry, having a good organizational awareness means an advertiser is required to know and acknowledge the objectives, policies, and structure of the organization and corporate with other person in order to work effectively to achieve a certain goal or target. When recruiting new employees, employers always consider organizational awareness as an important aspect, because it is the role of organizational awareness to acknowledge the company, understanding job roles and structures, and adapting to the culture within the company. Moreover, organizational awareness also indicates the commitment to the job.

 

Knowing and understanding organizational awareness is one thing, but how organizational awareness enhance our skill in workplace? According to Kate Leto (2018), someone with high organizational awareness will be able to:

 

1. Make more informed decisions based on tangible and intangible data. They know what the appetite for a decision is, who needs to be influenced, why, and how.

 

2. Develop a clear strategy to getting things done because they know the internal (and external) landscapes. They can identify the right person or team for the right job at the right time.

 

3. Communicate in a way that resonates. They know the unwritten language and tone of their organization.

 

4. Build a coalition to get things done. They have the ability to motivate others to work towards a shared goal.