The White Space: Where Performance Happens

Walk into almost any organization and ask to see the org chart. You’ll see boxes and arrows. The boxes identify people, roles, functions, and departments. The arrows show who reports to whom and where formal authority lies.

We pay close attention to what’s inside those boxes and along those arrows. We assess people, clarify responsibilities, set goals, and measure performance.

But what happens in the white space? What takes place outside the boxes and arrows?

That’s where colleagues challenge one another’s thinking, share what they know, establish expectations, and decide what they can expect from one another. It’s also where trust develops, candor is tested, and people learn how much they can rely on their colleagues.

None of it appears on the org chart, yet much of what determines how well people work together happens in the white space.

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