Saturday, September 15, 2012

BUSINESS SPECIAL....All That Jazz



All That Jazz 

Does business and jazz have a lot in common ? Yes, says organisational behaviour expert Frank Barrett 

Even if you aren't a die-hard jazz lover, chances are that you are familiar with Miles Davis, one of the all-time greats of that genre. The immediate association might be with the trumpet, and perhaps some of the soulful music that he composed. But as a role model for leaders? According to Frank Barrett, Professor of Management and Organisational Behaviour at Naval Postgraduate School, California, the link isn't far fetched. Barrett, who started out as a jazz musician himself before studying organisational behaviour has now combined his two passions in Yes to the Mess: Surprising Leadership Lessons from Jazz, a new book that combines Miles Davis and Duke Ellington with Toyota, Ford and Pixar in a heady cocktail.
Barrett builds a case for why jazz and business have much more in common than meets the eye. "In a way, it feels like everything I've done my whole life was in preparation for this book," says the jazz pianist, who has travelled with the Tommy Dorsey orchestra. "There is a strong theme that links jazz musicians and organisations, and that is improvisation, or how you behave when faced with the unknown. When trying to make sense of chaos (or the mess, if you please), having the mindset of a jazz musician helps."
So what exactly is the mindset of jazz musicians? To start with, they perform and experiment simultaneously, just like o r g a n i s a t i o n s . Then, they use any errors that come up while experimenting as an opportunity to learn. Above all, are masters at unlearning. According to Barrett, perhaps the most important thing a jazz musician, especially the composer, does is practice provocative competence. In other words, they work towards breaking people out of their habits. When working on the iconic 'Kind of Blue' album, Miles Davis presented his fellow musicians with what would be called unconventional musical arrangements. They didn't rehearse and went ahead and directly played the unfamiliar notes which eventually resulted in one of the most popular jazz albums of all time.
    "The capacity to bring out the best in people who work around you is a very special leadership skill. You have to break people out of their habits and disrupt routines; these are competence — and success — traps" says Barrett. "In business, it is dangerous for people to be stuck in their routines. The first thing a leader needs to do is to gauge people's potential, even if they aren't living up to it at the moment."
    Employees are sometimes stuck repeating routines that no longer serve them. The trick then is to disrupt these routines, so that they can practise mindfulness and be alive in the moment. A lot of it also has to do with mastering the art of unlearning what you already know so that you are not dragged down by your habits and routines. It's equally important to experiment and use the errors that arise as occasions for insightful learning and not to punish people. "Jazz musicians offer the image of what it is to live a full life; a life of radical receptivity and to be open to what's possible in the moment using all the skills you have," says Barrett. Companies like Toyota have understood this and have mastered the art of learning and executing simultaneously, not unlike jazz musicians who are performing and experimenting at the same time.
    The other important thing is to allow for flexibility and create structures that allow for 'jamming' and serendipity or unpredicted conversations. Steve Jobs got it right at Pixar, where he knew he was dealing with a whole bunch of brilliant, but introverted engineers. He designed the building such that the offices were really small and a central atrium and other common areas facilitated 'accidental conversations'. "If we structure too much, we drive out serendipity. The trick lies in creating a flexible structure that has just enough constrains so that people can maximise autonomy and diversity. You don't have to have too much consensus — which is as dangerous as no consensus — but just enough for people to experiment around the structure as they go," says Barrett.
    Thomas Edison figured this out early on. Edison’s research lab in Menlo Park, New Jersey, where he worked with his team of engineers, did not have any walls. This resulted in a constant exchange of ideas and inventions like the light bulb. The final thing to keep in mind is the power of followership. Leadership is good, but it isn't everything. Companies must also have a model of good followership. "Leaders must help people shine and be the best they possibly can be, even if it means having to occasionally take the backseat and not taking credit for something. Creativity is a collaborative, and not an individual process," he cautions. Jazz might not give you the answers to all the situations you face, but it definitely will help you deal with them better. If nothing, it's at least easy on the ears.
Priyanka Sangani ETCD120824

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