Some Alien Tropes

Most people, and hence organisations, fear the alien, And by doing so, cleave to the conventional. Yet progress, change, and organisational effectiveness depend on embracing the alien.

“Problems cannot be solved with the same mindset that created them.”

~ Albert Einstein

To help folks understand what I mean by the phrase “alien tropes” here’s a short list of tropes from the Synergistic mindset. Very alien to all the Analytic-minded organisations out there.

• Treat people like adults. In all things.
• Allow people to choose their own terms, conditions, locations, salaries, equipment and ways of working together.
• Understand who matters and what each of these individuals need.
• Attend to all the needs of all the folks that matter.
• Be aware of both the prevailing and the desired social dynamic in the organisation.
• Think in terms of communities and teams, not individuals. Ensure all the policies of the organisation support this perspective.
• Actively support and encourage self-organisation, self-management and self- determination (e.g. of teams).
• People really do want to contribute, learn, make a difference and do the best they can.
• Effective collaborative knowledge work is a learnable set of competencies.
• Skilful dialogue is essential for effective teamwork and, as a skill, requires constant practice and development.
• Intrinsic motivations add, extrinsic motivations subtract.
• Productivity in collaborative knowledge work demands superior cognitive function.
• Stress causes a decline in cognitive function.
• Stress has many causes (fear, obligation, guilt, shame, lack of safety, …).
• Eschew leadership in favour of e.g. fellowship.
• Common (shared) purpose has a unique power.
• Enthusiastically model and support discussion, debate, open-mindedness and the ability to change oneself and one’s assumptions, beliefs.
• Alien tropes do not come naturally to people. Support their uptake.
• Do not fear the alien; embrace it, use it, exploit it.

I’d be delighted to expand on any of the above, if and when invited to do so.

– Bob