People naturally form groups

These groups seem to be locked into an ongoing, low-intensity war

Some are perceived as "enemies", and treated with distrust and suspicion

These groups develop their own identity, and treat outsiders with suspicion

Individuals seem to prefer to subordinated their desires to that of the group, rather than taking a stand

In spite of our efforts to create organizational structures that are supposed to define the relationships between individuals, they prefer to create their own relationships and associations

Tribes appear to be the oldest organizational form. We don't call them that anymore, but they still exist today.

People still seem to behave according to deeply engrained tribal rules

If you can understand this hard-wired, social behaviour, you can build your own tribes and gain access to one of the deepest and strongest motivators that drive humans

Most organizations exists in a somewhat steady state. Everyone knows that the company will function more or less in the same way from one year to the next. In this corporate equilibrium, tribal membership, tribal identity and tribal interaction are the only social mechanisms people can use to define their identity and social behaviour

Rather than writing mission statements, work at building a new tribe

We can infer the way people will behave by looking at the different combinations of individual and tribal dimensions

Companies go from the pinnacle of success to extinction not so much from bad business decisions, but rather from a self-reinforced slide into oblivion

A strong tribe automatically creates a strong people focus without the involvement of management. Separating out the tribal dynamics and managing it in isolation fees up management time.

In bad times, the individual subordinates their personal desires and aspirations to that of the group.

Individuals who find themselves under threat will find refuge and safety in their tribe

At the root of all our actions there's one driver: survival. Tribes exist to accomplish for the individual that which they cannot achieve on their own. The tribe's survival and control enable the individual to improve their own survival and control.

Only when survival is assured does individual value become important

if everyone experiences the same threat, the tribe will act to secure its survival and thereby attempt to guarantee the survival of all its members

Content Theories

Process

Our behaviour is driven by the continuous interplay between our tribes and ourselves

Only the tribe can determine the individual's value

If the tribe does better than I do, then my value is lowered in the eyes of the tribe, and I may be ejected

The continuous interplay between individual security and and value on the one hand and tribal security and value on the other determines both individual and tribal motivation

Blaming an outside party seemed to provide reassurance to your own and a way to share thoughts and opinions without confrontation

Tribes use collective names to describe not only their members but their common enemy. By distinguishing members from non-members the tribe is better defined.

By introducing symbols, we create tribes

Symbols create a sense of unity

tribes cannot be amalgamated and the continue to exist as separate entities wherever possible. The only way to overcome this is to create a new super-tribe, different from all the existing tribes

something great, a calling that is greater than its vision and mission. Something so compelling that people feel their IV is strongly enhanced if they ascribe to the cause.

By participating in a challenging event, we form a bond. a sense of mutual pride or respect

the rite of passage must be significant and clearly linked to the just cause

the tribe should validate the rite of passage, not some outsider

it should delineate clearly what went before and what came into being after the rite was completed

it must add to the individual's stature or capability within the tribe

Subtopic 6

Measures of success have nothing to do with operational performance. They have everything to do with the capability and strength of the tribe

Tribes derive identity by not being part of a tribe (the Untouchables)

It serves to define TV+

Members must achieve some standard, some level of proficiency that justifies their membership of the tribe

The recipient immediately decodes messages in tribal context, and their response will be in the same tribal context

tribe/Individual + enemy/ally dimensions

To significantly enhance motivation and commitment, you have to ensure that the four enemy-related communication contexts are used to help define and describe the common enemy, and that the four ally-related contexts are used to reinforce the just cause

Anything that strengthens IS, IV, TS and TV or supports the common cause or attacks the common enemy will be perceived as positive and collaborative. Anything that does the opposite will be perceived as enemy communication.

It's a way to reinforce identity and membership

Hunter

Farmer

Caregiver

Chieftain

Elder

Herder

Storyteller

Witchdoctor

Spy

Builder

tribal justice systems are usually restorative, not retributive

take care that the restorative justice mechanism is not corrupted to serve the ends for tribes within the company. It happens very easily.

we can only define and create an icon if we understand, define and agree on the values it's supposed to represent

makes people find easier to relate to one another

On the downside, it can allow people to avoid moral responsibility by externalizing and rationalizing behaviours ostensively approved by the figurehead

you can only be truly confident in yourself if the limit of what you're willing and capable of doing is much higher than the situation you face

Understand your own psychological limits

When an organization operates at the psychological limit of their leaders, it cannot grow.

every person is made responsible of the safety of two other people (in the same cell or department)

IS goes up because I know others are looking out for my safety

IV then goes up, because I would be making a meaningful contribution

TS then goes up, because everyone is involved in the security of others

TV then goes up when the tribe sees their safety go up collectively