June 2004

Innovation Tips

...for thriving on collaborative innovation.

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In Hot Pursuit of Fire in the Belly

 

 

June 28, 2004. A small group of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra enthusiasts met today to talk about how to light the "Orpheus fire in the belly" in any organizational culture. We identified many of the Orpheus attributes worth emulating:

 

The musicians listen without defending positions

They are committed to their work and consider it important and valuable

They are committed to their roles in a process rather than to titles

They have a sense of pride and ownership in what they accomplish

They have strong egos, but they are not ego-centric

They fully respect one another

Each musician is supremely competent and confident

No suggestions are minimized or dismissed

There is extraordinary trust and support

They are fully prepared for their performance

They thrive on learning from mistakes and don’Äôt cast blame when mistakes occur

The people performing the music have a say in solutions

Work is viewed as both meaningful and valuable

They give each other constant feedback

People feel they can be creative without risk of criticism

Their commitment to the process transcends individualism

They affirm one another constantly

 

From this master list, we identified a few general organizational principles that could apply to any organization:

 

Trust

Create an environment where people affirm, trust and respect one another, where they listen without defending a position, and leave their insecurities at the door.

 

Ownership

Make the process of dialogue more important than organizational structure or hierarchy. Give people a significant voice in generating solutions, especially the people doing the work, and give them a mission that matters.

 

Competence

Make sure that people are highly competent, gifted and prepared to serve in their designated roles.

 

To attain the kind of passion we witnessed among the Orpheus musicians, these few attributes are necessary. If they are not present, we concluded, the "collaborative genius" of any group is unlikely to be realized.

 

At every turn of every corner in the life of an organization, these simple principles must be continually questioned: Have we created a culture of trust? Have we truly given everyone a voice in solutions? Are people well suited and well trained for their work throughout the organization?

 

Silently but surely, when these questions are persistently addressed, we begin to feel what so many of us hope for in life and in work—fire in the belly. The passion we witnessed in the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra heats up...and no one wants to put the fire out.

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