Day 7: Slow death

How nice to see Elke, who now has the responsibility to administer the art collection of the Deutsche Bahn. Building on this week's theme, the key topic that came out of our discussion was the struggle that large organizations have in delivering a consistent and personally relevant engagement to their employees.
The solution to employee motivation for many companies like this  is to send teams on multi-day seminars.

Although I am a big fan of extra mural activities and feeding people well at these seminars, this kind of adventure often becomes the only adventure in the employee's entire year. So for the participants the things that become important are: 1. Who are the people I get along with who will be there so we can hide together, 2. What will the food and hotel be like, 3. Will I be able to make a case for a salary increase once I have been. No comment on how this maps back to Maslow.

The absolute killer though comes when people go on these off sites, generate brilliant visions of the future and return to have their ideas ripped to shreds by the bosses and stakeholders who did not share the experience. Workshops are famous for generating a lot of energy and ideas very quickly, and being forgotten and irrelevant once you return home.

The focus is on the activity (workshopping) and not the outcome (real change in the organization). As long as these extraordinary moments of collaboration, and the permission they give people to express creativity, are treated as exceptional, they cannot be sustained by the mundane, predictable and repeatable confines of "the day job". Are there any management courses that go beyond building the skills required to write great business plans and actually teach leaders how to sustain trust, excitement and passion? Beyond the managers, it seems that most of consulting models demand and propogate a pendulum like swing between success and failure. Separated from the true feelings and interests of the mass of employees, this little dance must surely lead to the slow death of enthusiasm and engagement.

Day 6: The prepared mind

Seeing Tom is always a lift to the spirit. And a great reminder of the power of communication to prepare the sensorial matrix into which an experience is delivered. We spoke quite a bit about Frédéric Brochet's famous wine tasting experiments. Building on yesterday's theme, the power of expectation absolutely determines value. It is simply impossible to remove your past experiences from the way you understand and process the present moment. Even the parts of the brain that are engaged in deciphering a taste or touch sensation will be different depending on what you expect. 


Tom's point was that if we are talking about a values proposition, what people value will be determined by what they expect. Crafting a values proposition becomes a process of expectation engagement.



In the 80's and 90's mission and vision statements were all the vogue, as a proxy for organizational expectations. In this era of social media and new ways of listening to "the chatter" it should be easier to close the loop in a more dynamic way. The boundaries of what you consider to be the company have also become more permeable. This HBR blog makes a nice point that social media success depends on purpose. Isn't it time this purpose became more explicit both inside and outside the organization? 

Day 5: Analogy drag

What we are good at, is what we tend to do, which makes us better at it and so the story goes. Enough has been said about the 10000 hour rule. The cost of this specialization seems to be less well known. As Michael Michalko (what is it with the Michael's?) says: "People who know more see less, and people who know less, see more."
As always the Germans have such a wonderful word for this: "Fachblind".. blinded by your subject or even better "fachidiot" and idiot who sees everything through one lens.

The stronger our mental models are that have in the past successfully explained the world to us, the stronger they influence how we accept and process new information. Ultimately this makes us blind to evolutionary shifts and disruptive newcomers.
A wonderful perspective that makes the new Booz study on innovation doubly interesting. In "Why culture is key" they unpack how an innovation culture trumps R&D for driving business growth and new product success. It seems that companies that place more emphasis on everyone being delighted and surprised by the world out there, do better than the ones who overly rely on "the experts in R&D." I suppose this is also why people are so slow to adopt new ideas; the analogy drag of our established mental models, ego props and securities hold us back and down like excess ballast.

(Talking of analogy, kudos to IDEO. I think Booz have made a wonderful adaptation of your "Desirability/Viability/Feasibility" model by calling it "Need seekers/Market readers/Technology drivers.")

How I read this is that a company is a community of people, gathered around a common intent (which may or may not be clear to everyone (-: ). The more distributed the responsibility of being alive and curious on the job is, the more vital and profitable the company will be. Where people become alienated from their curiosity (and search and discovery is left to "experts"), a company falls behind in serving its purpose.

Day 4: 7 Billion

So in the run of the day, the number of people alive on planet earth reached 7 billion. This number amazes me when I look back and realize that the number was almost half that when I was born. That means walking down the same street there would be only half as many people. Every second person I pass would not exist (or perhaps I would be the other half).

When I was born the total number of people who had been alive, up till that point, had maybe been 7 billion. So in one instant we are now living every dream, every hope and aspiration that had only 40 years ago taken over 40 000 years to accumulate. We are propelled into a new world not only by the speed of our technologies but also by the size of our expectation. All those new lives need to be filled with meaning.

Does the logarithmic scale indicate an imminent crash? According to Chris Goodall we have already passed some kind of tipping point. In an interesting paradox, the UK is now using the lowest amount of "stuff" since data started being catalogues in 1970. Since the 80's the consumption of everything from raw energy to flat pack furniture has been in steady decline, in spite of population growth. Does this mean we can shape a future where we are satisfied with less? And what will fill the void created by an insatiable consumer society?

Today I started a week long course where the youngest person is 20 and the oldest person is 65. That places me pretty much in the middle of the span of expectations. Each one learning the same skill but taking it into a different world. The student as a way to earn money to support her studies, the pensioner to connect to friends and maintain an active social life. Everyone of us is stepping into a multi-stream life where you are not defined by the one career choice you make, but by how you decide to spend your time with others. I suppose the onslaught of slashies (writer/consultant/party organizer). By taking responsibility for your own contentment (and not outsourcing it to an HR department), we may actually be happier by consuming less.

How are companies preparing for this mobile work force that won't be defined by a simple career ladder, driving to a set destination? How are companies connecting with the real things people value, and their ability to create value through these passions?

Day 3: The evolution of a comb over

Somewhere between 1945 and 1946 Picasso got rid of the comb over and the difference is startling. It seems that by letting go of the frail and thinning stylistic shelter he was somehow released and free to be more playful. At least that is the story I took from the exhibit.
Just as striking as this transformation is the presence of play in his life. Ever the clown one sees Picasso play acting with his statues in the making. A clay baby is cuddled and offered to friends to hold. Bruce Mau talks about how he uses laughter: as a barometer of how comfortable they are at expressing themselves in the studio. When people laugh they are confident enough to be a little vulnerable. It becomes easy to be themselves. When I was at adidas I was always struck by how the top athletes would always turn photo shoots into a game. Haile had to strike the cross on the studio floor just right with his stride and wasn't happy if it wasn't so, Kobe needed to show off with the most ridiculous shot he could do. People at the top of their game seem to relish in what they do. You really have to love what you do to be the best in the world. Steve Jobs knew this, and I suspect just about everyone does by now, so why do so many people ignore this?

A lot has been written about the use of play in the creative process and its importance to work. I wonder if there isn't more to Bruce Mau's assertion, that play and laughter could be used as signs of organizational vitality. Every person has a limited amount of energy. Doesn't it stand to reason that when that energy is not being channeled into protecting a fragile ego, where all efforts are not focused on protecting an image of yourself, more energy will be channeled into new ideas and productive contributions? Perhaps there is more to Picasso letting go of the comb over than meets the eye...

Day 2: Hyena life

So what started with free tickets to the Art Fair, ended with a lovely night walk with Aritake and his dad through Cologne. Not only was it nice to see Aritake as a proud father, it was surprising serendipity to meet with his dad on the subject of a values proposition.

The project Hyena Life aims to investigate and support "life strategies that create autonomy rather than dependency from large trans-national entities". One of the key groups featured is the Brooklyn based park slope food coop. A simple yet profound idea that removes the barrier between shopkeeper and shopper. (Like the realization in Juergen Durner's shop window, that the refection is you). The 14000+ coop members need to commit a certain number of hours to working in the store. This reduces their food bill by 20 to 40%. The supreme form of consumer activism as every coop member has a say in where the food is sourced from, how it is treated and sold. Isn't this the best way to protect your business from the risk of reading trends wrong,, and ending up with unwanted stock?

J Durner, Unity

How would it affect other businesses if they applied the same model, removing the separation between "us" (the company) and them (the consumer)? Design firms often start their process by trying to build empathy as a path to innovation. An artificial injection of "walking in each other's shoes". Surely it is far more sustainable to build this protection in from the ground up. How could a pharma company include patients and physicians in both the design of and execution of trials?


This mindset establishes the foundation for a far reaching community engagement, where interests are balanced and values can be shared. Besides that the company creates an instant, loyal consumer base. That's what I would call integral design.

Another example if integral design is The Keep a Breast Foundation. Earlier this year they started a new campaign focusing on the toxins and chemicals linked to breast cancer in our food, households and cosmetics. They simplify the huge amount of data and provide tools to make smarter choices when shopping for everyday things. Reminds me of Malcolm from the eco-store's mantra of "make it simple and easy to make a change".

Shaney has led her team over the years to produce interesting art and cultural events to not only raise awareness but get younger women to reflect on this topic. Most famously the breast casts that are then used as a canvas for artists often causes the celebrities featured to reflect just how much they take breast health for granted, and how much of their identity is related to it.
Shaney often takes cues from her team to identify new ways to connect with not only women but also sponsors and donors. When one of the team started doing tango, they quickly created a fund raiser event with dance as the theme. This not only gave her staff the opportunity to meet some amazing tango dancers in a more substantial way, it gave performers and enthusiasts another way to reflect on their health and bodies. This is a great example that builds on the "firm footing before extend" idea discussed yesterday.

Now off to the picasso exhibit at the Ludwig Museum, with thoughts of how a life in art shows itself through informal snapshots.

Day 1: Cologne

Being in Cologne reminds me of the dot.bust years, having lived here from '99 - '02. Seeing both pixelpark and frogdesign (the Gehry version) go to ashes.
It was also in Cologne that Julie taught me how to rock climb. Today in particular the second rule (the first being: "always ensure three points of contact") rings a particularly resonant tone. Julie put a lot of emphasis on the fact that you should always move your feet first, then your hands. Secure footing leads extension. This also means that you use less energy as you push yourself up the mountain, instead of pulling/dragging your body weight up. Improved reach and stability.

This is a really good metaphor for business. How often does a business, in the search of new markets grab at anything they see without ensuring that they are on good footing. Going beyond what they can sustain, ending in mid-air suspension, exhausted and confused (I am sure that hand hold looked a lot more secure from down there...) How often have you sat in focus groups where blind hands are stumbling through the dark in search of that one insight from which to hang a product launch?

The alternative would be to use the legs of the company to push you from a stable footing. What are the lives and interests of your sales force and marketing team teaching you about tastes and trends? How does the head of R&D's surfing fetish feature in your new technology developments? And how much of this knowledge is parked at the front door when they "check-in" (or "check-out" more like) for work.
By using the stronger muscles of personal interest and appreciating where your team's centre of gravity is, you'll find innovation far less stressful, and inspired.

And as for those over extended dot.busts, what a different story google and amazon tell today... do the leg work :-)

The friendly people at the next door breakfast table have given me free tickets to the art fair, so if anyone want's to come along, let me know.