In recent times, if a corporation wanted to power out the bottom line, it was logical to reach into the craft of management and apply one or more of the "flavor of the month" technologies to get results. Maybe it would be strategic planning, project management, or systems engineering, even time management....you recognize these tools. You know they sometimes produced results and sometimes failed. For the most part they were devoid of heart, emotion, and soul.
So, in many instances people in those companies live only half-a -life. Like it or not, the question is, what other craft can the modern organization use to fill all the non-cerebral dimensions that are missing ? Do we have another choice ?
One other choice that may surprise you is the...craft of culture...one of the primary dimensions of social architecture. Most people don't recognize cultural phenomena, as such, as having a set of systematic tools to improve organizational performance. That's the surprise!
A tribal elder recently advised that if we westerners would stop trying to manage performance with details and simply create strong cultures...then the details would be taken care of by themselves.
Traditions, ceremonies, cultural attributes and the like have long been considered consequences of organizational behavior... not the drivers of same. If passion, energy, soul, and authentic performance is your goal the management science tools we know are inadequate. These tools mostly were created to control behavior and when they are overlayed one upon another ....yikes.....the effect can be stiffling.
I am asserting that corporate behavior can be as deftly managed with cultural acts as it can with management tools.
In fact, the range of choices available with cultural actions may exceed those of modern management technology. The sad consequence of our singular focus on management technology, is that many of today's modern organizations...are culturally flat, hairless, uninspired and dreadfully alike.
The distinctions I am suggesting will be more obvious once you review the seemingly ancient territory I will describe in some detail.
The social architect uses ancient arts of heraldry, ceremony, and grand social events to create culture and community.
Rediscovering culture as a craft has been fun and has revealed one blinding flash of the obvious after another. The conceptual shift that was required to see the somewhat veiled value in cultural acts simply entailed looking at cultural phenomena with an eye to how they could be proactively used rather than passively experienced. In this way, the cultural elements can be viewed as tools and not just artifacts.
Some principles of culture-crafting Primarily we are trying to positively influence the behavior when people are gathered together. It is the collective being we hope to shape. We want to shape that experience by understanding what positive performance we are looking for and then including a cultural approach to help shape that performance. This arena for the corporate world is best captured by the phrase high-performance culture. Yes, this usually means good energy and alot of authenticity...but the objectives for leadership are more focused. Here are some situations where the craft itself comes into play. The principles are general but you can see how they would completely refocus leadership and how leaders view their jobs:
1. Believe that a well-crafted social event can move people to action as well or better than a management formula.
2. Design behavioral performance into all group celebrations, activities, and events.
3. Work the environment by appointing available spaces with art that evokes specific behavioral motivation.
4. Stimulate the full range of senses whenever the group assembles.
5. Create and reinforce manners that encourage the performance values you desire.
6. Stage events for your most cherished ideals and create the richness of venue befitting those ideals.
7. Learn to track and then ruthlessly adjust the "energy" at gatherings.
8. Understand how music can work the energy dimension while ideas can work the information dimension.
9. Be cautious of too many one-way communications tools like "power-point" presentations and encourage group council, games and simulations to get ideas in place.
10. Be constantly aware of your chances to credential a positive behavior whether during an introduction, a conversation or a public event.
This list of principles should give you an idea of what culturally specific actions we are suggesting. They come naturally to some people. But, all too, often the best "project manager" gets appointed as leader....and for them the shift can be dramatic. Moreover, the concepts discussed are fairly obscure and unreported ideas in todays literature.
Dimensions of action Ancient kings and chieftains had more tools available than we recognize today. And powerful tools they are. Yes, culture happens...but more importantly...you can make it happen. The following dimensions will be revealing. Mostly because we have forgotten to include them in a conscious way in our modern world. Consider them as a new set of tools:
HERE IS THE TERRITORY: * THE GENESIS STORY...How to cement faithfulness with the history of the clan.
* HERALDRY.....The way we can reinforce other values with symbols.
* FOLKLORE....The way we can reinforce desired behavior with stories/parables.
* CHIVALRY....How we can program behavior with titles, ceremony, and insignia.
* MANNERS....How to establish an internal tone and style of communications.
* AMBIANCE / FENG SHUI... For good moods, less stress & feelings of belonging..
* TRIBAL COUNCIL....For continuous performance reviews and course corrections.
* CHI.......To generate the level of energy (juice) to be boosted in any performance.
* RITES OF PASSAGE...How to program specific loyalty with common bonding.
* POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE... To distinguish key behaviors from routine ones.
* GRAND MYTHOLOGY...How to establish future expectations and performance.
* FACE....How to structure customer expectations with outward appearances.
THE GENESIS STORY... The number one job of the chief in tribes with oral traditions was to tell the story of the tribe from the beginning up to the present moment. "It all began with..." Imagine, if you haven't thought of it, how with some tone of reverence, the very story of your organization could be told in detail:
"It was June 1956...there were just three of us then...we were in Charlie Johnson's basement over on forty-ninth. The evening started with a friendly card game. Then Max Peterson Says ...take a look at this! And he pulls out a strange looking contraption that he calls a clothes machine. How absolutely creative! We thought ...he's taken two simple ideas and created a third...! Thats where our story begins...!"...etc.
Imagine how many new employees join the modern day corporation without the slightest notion of how things began! Imagine further how much more powerful it would be if the description of Charlie and Max included their primary behaviors...like creativity.
Yes, I mean that the company values don't have to be written sterily on a wall poster. No, they can be embodied in the emotionally told history about the seminal characters that built the company. Behavior is clarified by history...real history...told as any good story should be told...with the feelings and reverence that are naturally attached to the events that occurred.
If you retell the important moments of your company's history...youcan clarify the behavioral expectations for your workforce, with genuine impact. HERALDRY It is said that Napoleon moved an entire army deep into the heart of Russia with little bits of ribbon. (Medals!) Think for a moment how important it is to motivate soldiers in situations that often seem impossible. Remember, if you will, that instead of a performance review which is only seen when you open a paper file...these soldiers wear their performance reviews on their sleeves, and chests and hats. Every action deemed noteworthy by the command is memorialized in a badge, patch, pin, ribbon or chevron. The modern soldiers uniform is a billboard file with dozens of opportunities to recognize, on a moment's notice, the alignment between what the command trusts as important and the degree to which the soldier has matched that expectation.
Could corporations model a recognition system based on the military model ? Well, to some degree they do. However, the sophistication and depth is not there. That's why the army has a department of heraldry to specifically design the many awards to recognize behavioral objectives. If you want to reinforce several dozen behaviors, it's important to have categories and thoughtful arrangements to fit them into. We can only expect baseball caps and t-shirt trophies to do so much.....and as for certificates...well. Ho hum.
Maybe it's time to take that list of values and behaviors and build a specific heraldic item around each one. FOLKLORE Jesus of Nazareth was powerfully effective with short and poignant stories about behavior. They were called parables. In each case they placed the listener in a situation where they could easily conclude that a certain behavior was honorable. Imagine the corporate leader who could spin a parable here and another there with clear and beneficial examples from the general craft in question.
Was it John Henry who could load sixteen tons of coal ? Did that parable become a folksong ? What would be the real value of having a group of company troubadors doing mythic folksongs as compared with a whole section of administrators doing graded performance tests. When you can add energy like music to examples like parables...then ....you are empowering performance by suggesting not only the preferred action to be taken but the preferred tempo and zeal of engagement. Are you beginning to see just how lame a list of values and behaviors are when they are simply printed out and pasted on the wall ?
Are you beginning to see how purposeful it can be to find and shape stories that program desirable outcomes ? CHIVALRY Lets now add the archetype or ideal to the mix. When King Arthur wanted performance above and beyond the call of sanity, he would simply arrange a grand banquet and then auspiciously doft his sword on the shoulders of an aspiring lad and make him a knight. Just a title you say ? Nay...'twas far more, because a knight you see was not expected to perform against a rational job description, a knight was expected to slay dragons and do so while on a quest of major spiritual proportions. The category of knight itself is one of the important clues here. If we can create a mythology around a category or archetype, and then find a ceremonial way to enoble and imbue the category with power for aspiring workforce members, we can then expect performance that includes all of the behaviors associated with the mythic proportions of the title.
After acquiring a group of global partners, Whirlpool corporation, invited its brand new international leaders to the Montreaux Palace in Switzerland. There they were exposed to ceremonial elegance as would befit none less than genuine heroes. The performance of these leaders was historic and record-breaking for the ensuing six years. The results could not be explained by organizational processes for they hadn't time to install but a few.
Nonetheless, they performed as champions. Could that be explained by the treatment they recieved ? Indeed there was no other explanation available. Treat them as knights and they will go forth and behave as such.Management titles have become mundane, mechanically descriptive and are usually very puny descriptors of potential. ASSITANT VICE MANAGER FOR LOGISTICS ??? See what I mean? Now "corporate samurai" or in this case "all-star linebacker" might get more response. Teams can also have special names. If they are powerful in concept and powerful in context, then they will be powerful in fact.
Are you beginning to see how the precise application of cultural contexts can directly drive specific behaviors ? MANNERS There are all sorts of ways to introduce a meeting, a conference or a workshop. These typical corporate events are the occasions where leaders have to be prominent and at the same time informal. The tone is their choice, the context is their choice and the frame of reference is also their choice. These are all elements that are keyed by the content. But, with culture, we are talking about reinforcing the quality of the relationships in the tribe. In this case, there are some really distinct opportunities. The welcome can include physical gestures of invitation. Sure some background is in order but it can include thanking the people who helped prepare the event or simply recognizing people in the company. Now, with manners this can be a five star event or something less. Ever noticed the master who introduces people with the titles or descriptions of what they might do next ?
"This is Jane Wamsuta, she helps us discover who it is that needs thanks around here. Her capacity to connect with those who serve us all in the communications side of the game is extraordinary".
Notice what a unique chance this is to program behaviors into not only the person recognized but all those who are listening. So, this is what the boss values ? ....recognition....thanks....connection...OK, got it.
This kind of opportunity to recognize or herald individuals and the performance you expect from them, also comes easily with the managing-by-walking-around phenomenon. It's especially powerful to take a visitor around with you so that you can really brag about your people. This means you can really up the ante on what you expect.
Furthermore this opportunity to be mannerly brings the with it the chance to credential behaviors that aren't found in job descriptions per se. So often people just gravitate to the
specific actions prescribed on their performance review. Again what a subtle but powerful way to influence performance. Introductions, announcements, thank you's and even apologies are ideal opportunities to reinforce with manners the kind of performance expected.
Now this regular task of providing a comfortable interface between people can be a super rich opportunity to affirm specific kinds of performance. AMBIANCE / FENG SHUI We all are familiar with the power of having our working area straight before beginning a series of exacting tasks. We get a lift walking into a sparkling clean space. We are effected by so many of the elements in our environment. It can be very fatiguing to deal with ambiant noise that causes the brain to work overtime sorting out the signals from the noise. When the light isn't bright enough we strain further. Smells can distract us. Clutter can induce stress and uncomfortable furniture or workstations can further promote fatigue. In short the qualities of the working area can rob several hours from the workers day depending on the care and attention to these details.
In the eastern traditions ...energy...can also reside in the atmosphere surrounding us. That means that it can beneficially shaped by the arrangement of things in space. The relationships of furniture, plants and openings are considered in order to contain and not disipate beneficial energy zones. Other ancient arts dowse for noxious zones and insure that people arn't trying to work in them.
As a leader some personal attention to these matters will impress your people and at the very minimum reduce the unecessary waste of energy produced by thoughtlessly appointed spaces. It is a matter of producing performance by eliminating fatigue.
Can you imagine organizing events using an energy plan along with an agenda? TRIBAL COUNCIL There is a very special meeting style ...pioneered by native Americans. Various forms of this protocol were part of most tribal traditions. It's important to highlight since most contemporary meeting styles have been driven by efficiency experts who basically have been trying to see that the meetings simply didn't go to long. Again if it's the quality of the relationsips you value more than time mnagement then the council style will serve you well.
The primary notion is that no one presets an agenda that decides what is imortant and in what order subjects are to be discussed. Everyone who is a party to the enterprise does that..together in real time. Yes, it takes quite awhile, but major contentions are settled before the circle is broken. In the modern world of chaos/order and constant change the entire organization strategy may take a major turn before the council meeting is over.
The protocol is simple but deep. A talking stick is introduced and the one who has the stick may speak uninturrupted until finished. The rest practice deep listening. They listen for the possibilities in the speakers words. They listen for integrity. They listen for meanings that may apply to them. The players pass the stick and talk in turn until it makes one pass around the circle. At that point the ideas that have made the most impact can be elaborated upon simply by reaching to the center of the circle, picking up the talking stick, and continuing in any order. In this way the sense of cultural ritual has been honored and key business items get an audience. Deep and fundamental convictions are heard, disagreements are tendered, and breaches of integrity are called. It is highly settling. Here is an opportunity for values and behavior to reach the high court of tribal consensus. Leaders can get help in this situation in adjusting the ethics of the team because other members contribute to the trueing of values-based ideas with their heartful and direct commentary
Can you see the long term bonding that occurs with this periodic dive into soulful territory ? CHI Energy...juice..."the zone"...are manifestations of consciousness that produce a powerful field of CHI. The effect is one of rejuvination and drive that exceeds normal levels of effort. A work force can lose its collective energy due to lack of stimulation and lack of training in chi -like ways. Often a group can continue to empower each other by staying enthusiastic and working in a very small space. The "energy" comes from close interaction in close proximity. It also comes with a quality attention and focus.
Think for a moment all that football players do to keep the energy of chi going ! Pats on the back, head-knocking, sharp huddle-breaks, cheerleaders, marching bands. Now think of a single management skill you have been exposed to that produces that kind of juice. What do you suppose a work-force would do with that kind of physical reinforcement ? Why wouldn"t we be as interested in effort as well as effectiveness ? Who would be qualified to lead such an effort and would they be allowed to roam the halls and bust in on dazed workers slumped behind the wheel in their cubicles ? Troubadors, balladeers, or jugglers,....maybe jesters, story-tellers or improv comedy masters ? Notice how much better staffed the court of a medievil king was when compared to a modern management staff. Make your move ! Strike up the band ! Pass out the juice ! Everyone's waiting.
Imagine the look on the personal directors face when you order a team of troubadors? RITES OF PASSAGE
It used to be common practice among all professions to test the aspirants for passage into the domain of the profession proper. Paratroopers have to make five jumps to get theirwings, boy scouts have to secure a certain number of merit badges to become eagle scouts, and fraternity pledges go through hell week to be a fully recognized brother. Young men in the Maasai tribe must live alone until they have succesfully bagged a dozen very hard to hit birds and secured their bodies to their headress.
There is difficulty, mystery and often harrassment associated with rites of passage. The important thing is that it incurs a whale of a lot of loyalty and fierceness if done well. Usually some token or badge of acceptance and belonging are presented after the tribulation ends. Loyalty in today"s workforce is perhaps the supreme differentiator between good and great companies. This rites of passage induces loyalty beyond the normal tit for tat exchange.
Recently adventure training companies have introduced the corporate equivilent to the live-fire infiltration course in basic training. There are dozens of challenging outdoor events that could collectively be assembled to properly present the classic passage throught the proverbial hoop. Hire-wire events, team building tests, obstacle courses and much more can be crafted to challenge the respective knight errants.
Again, once one of these events is properly concieved it can become legendary by reputation. It can then be blended with other cultural tools to provide a really comprehensive reinforcement of all identified behaviors. Or we can once again be satisfied with the generic droid-like corporate culture that vacillates with every story written about it.
Why not create a spell-binding event to bond the new-comers to the company ? POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE
The classic underlying flaw in the world of modern management is that any problem can be solved by writing something down the solution on a piece of paper. In the end, the effect on the workforce, is one whereby all ideas eventually have somewhat the same impact....more words on paper ! Literally the company president could pen a major strategy piece and it would have the same value as the revised lunch hours in the cafeteria...maybe less. Just more words on paper ! Now that most managers have portable computers with great typefaces and layout programs the big boys with the big ideas suffer yet a greater anonymity. Anybody can flash out a great memo !
The opportuniy exists here to simply give the big important ideas a logical separation from the routine ones. Here is the chance to replace words with an event. Yes, some pomp laced with heraldry is key. But, the big break-through is just recognizing that a distinction in delivery is required for any distinction in the mind to occur. I'm not suggesting that you can't thoughtfully present important ideas in words. But, just remember, a wedding invitation looks a hell of a lot different than a policy paper and a formal presentation at a grand ball is a quantum leap past that. Honor the idea with the presentation it deserves and don't be surprised when written concepts get treated like paper towels.
Consider taking the three most precious concepts in your enterprise and conducting a corporate cathedral to honor them. GRAND MYTHOLOGY It has been popular for a decade or so to purpose an enterprise with a vision. More recently a purpose statement and a list of values has been included. Seldom does the combination get past the written stage albeit occassionally done on posters or cards kept ostensibly close at hand in the wallet of the tribal affiliate. Again this "management solution" to semi-holy ideas usually is swallowed up in the news of the day.
Recently, and with more impact, these ideas have occassionally found themselves in large vision paintings, or screen savers with meaningful drill-down explanations, and once in a great while a three dimensional model. These new more distinct and inclusive renditions can also include strategy elements, continuous processes and a piece or two of history.
Now, the real test occurs. Can the tribal leader stand on both feet and convincingly deliver the grand mythology in a persuasive oratory ? All these pieces can really come alive with this more contextual Big Picture setting. Should the leader also be at home with tonal, tempo and anecdotal skills .......then the cultural solution can really take hold!
If you master nothing else...the genesis story..leading into the grand mythology can give your tribe the fibre and weave it craves. FACE Usually, face is considered to be something that one can lose. In the case of culture it can also be the outward representation of the company and how it aims to be viewed in the world. Banks deal in very intangible things like money. So, they beef up their exterior face with marble and grand facades. So, that is their.... face to the world.
Most companies represent themselves with the television and magazine commercials they run in the public media. The advantage here is that the public.... and the workforce can both be informed at the same time. The broadcasted version of the company face is efficient that way. To wit: "At FORD quality is job one." This is a convenient example of an idea that simultaneously touches both audiences. UPS does it with super clean vehicles. Airlines are now doing it with new body paint and more classic color trim.
More and more, advertising agencies are recommending that companies whose products are diverse or obscure simply associate themselves with noble ideas. This is called affinity marketing.
The military services in America have had great success identifying themselves with these kind of ideals: "Be all that you can be", "Aim high", and "It's not a job it's an adventure" are household words and strike a chord of association to the higher purposes of each of these organizations.
What is the higher perpose of your organization and how has it been framed in terms of your external face?
SUMMARY
Just in case by this time you are fearful that I am suggesting we create perfect little robots in your organization, fear not. I am trying to help clarify the tool-making qualities of an ancient art, which pervades our work anyway, and therefor should be used mindfully since every corporate act suggests some kind of behavior or the lack of it. If you systematically load these ancient arts with an eye to creating a clear and consistent behavioral expectation for your workforce, I believe you, the social architect, will have satisfied one of the classically important roles of the leader.
