Page 170 - Harnessing the Strengths

Dilemma 7: Push Versus Pull ■ 153

What the optimal synthesis is, is largely culturally
depen dent. American and northwestern Europeans seem
to have a preference for courageous leaders, while Latin
American and Asian cultures tend to start from a position
of caution. Caution forms the basis from which courage can
be demonstrated: the same dilemma, with different starting
points.

Push Versus Pull
Another core quality of today’s servant-leaders is their capa-
bility to integrate market feedback into technology that was
developed by the company and vice versa. A choice between
“technology push” and “market pull” is not very fruitful.
The leader knows that a technology push will ultimately
lead to a dead-end niche (that part of the market without
any consumers). On the other hand, an exclusive focus on
the market will leave the company at the mercy of clients.
The solution, again, lies in making a connection.
In the business world, there is more and more talk about
added values. But does this work in light of this particular
dilemma? Servant-leaders do not add values; they combine
them: fast and safe cars, good and easy-to-make food. No
one is suggesting that combining values is easy, but it is pos-
sible. A computer that makes complex calculations can also
be user-friendly—it only takes creativity and the capacity to
let go of certain thinking patterns. Indeed, the most complex
value systems form the context in which international lead-
ership can show its merit.
To illustrate this, take Dutch electronic giant Philips as
an example. This company faced two different dilemmas
of innovation. To start with, there was an obvious tension
between the push of technology and the pull of the market.