Conformity Can Kill
It’s normal for
organisations to expect employees to conform to company rules, regulations and
standards. The problem is when they
start requiring them to conform to the same pattern of thinking.
In animals, we see what is known as the “herd mentality”. There’s a reason for this: a large number of
similar animals around you means safety in numbers. If you all look the same, it’s more difficult
for a predator to pick any one animal out.
Predators usually eat the animals who are separated from the herd,
young, sick or old. In the past, people
banded together in tribes for self-protection and survival. Nowadays, nationality, religion, region and
even Facebook pages unite us.
The same happens in businesses where employees may all dress
the same, use the same “jargon”, and tend to behave the same. Anyone who doesn't can be labelled a “rebel”,
“maverick”, “trouble-maker” or “non-conformist”. The film Divergent
examines what happens when people who are divided by “factions” based on their
inclinations can’t see the “bigger picture” and are unaware of a conspiracy by
the head of one faction to dominate all others.
Conformity may sit better with the Confucian “group ethic”
in which everyone strives for the collective good: usually family first, then
employer. Westerners generally tend to
be more individualistic.
I enjoy watching group behavioural dynamics at play to
determine who’s the:
- “Pack Leader” or “Alpha” (it’s not always the team leader);
- “Conformist(s)” who always “go by the book”;
- “Yes people” who always agree with the “Alpha” or Team Leader;
- “Loner” who’s “out of the group”;
- The “Rebel” or “Original Thinker”.
There are two trains of thought in business: one is that the
non-conformists/rebels/mavericks may actually be the key to future success. The other is that organisations need to learn
how to deal with people who don’t relate to others easily. Getting used to working with people who may
not be as “touchy feely” as the rest is a new philosophy that has yet to gain
wider acceptance, but may be a way to retain a competitive edge.
To function effectively, teams need people with different
preferences and inclinations. Drs. Meredith Belbin, Charles Margerison and Dick
McAnn identified nine different typical team roles. Every team member is capable of playing every
role, but will have a preference for one or two over the others and will
certainly feel most comfortable in one over all others.
Any effective team will contain a mix of all these
types. That means that you need people
who don’t always think or approach things in the same way. If only one type exists, the team will miss
opportunities.
Flexibility is key in today’s competitive environment. You can’t react quickly if you're bound by
too many rules. Large organisations tend
to encourage conformity in terms of behaviour, dress code and work environment
and reward it with money and promotion.
Worse, some leaders with strong personalities won't tolerate anyone who disagrees with them. These can lead the organisation to destruction.
The only predators out there are the ones competing with our
business. We need to remember the lesson
of Charles Darwin: only the fittest survive.
Some species of animals that tend to be “loners” without the protection
of a herd or pack have developed their own survival mechanisms in the shape of
poisonous fangs, spines or skin. These
are the ones that others avoid (remind you of people)?
I’m not advocating organisational anarchy by suggesting that
everyone wears what they like, or that they behave as they feel, rather than as
professional courtesy demands, but I do feel that it’s time that we think more
about appreciation of the individual.
Today’s “Knowledge Workers” can think better for themselves. They need guidance, not blinkers.
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to offer solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Leadership, Productivity, Risk, Strategy, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 10:17
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