Brought to you by Jeff Thoren, DVM, ACC  

Today’s leaders are seeking to adopt new ways of thinking and to apply new models of organization in the workplace. Sometimes new insights are found in unexpected places. One symphony orchestra -- New York City-based Orpheus Chamber Orchestra -- has become a model for a new kind of loose and flexible organization.

By removing the position of conductor from the organization, Orpheus has unleashed an incredible amount of leadership from its members. The highly acclaimed orchestra has achieved a level of excellence and success by explicitly honoring the ideals of democracy, personal involvement, and mutual respect.

Here’s this month’s feature ...

The Conductor-less Orchestra by Harvey Seifter

Leader to Leader, No. 21, Summer 2001

Highlights from the article:

• In most orchestras, the conductor not only decides what music will be played but how it will be played as well. There is little room for the opinions or suggestions of the musicians themselves. As a result, orchestral musicians are a notoriously unhappy class of employees.
    

• By contrast, Orpheus has developed a unique system of collaborative leadership that invites every member of the orchestra to participate in a variety of formal and informal leadership positions. The system is extremely flexible -- musicians freely move in an out of positions of leadership -- allowing the orchestra to quickly adapt to changing conditions.
    

• With no conductor to act as a filter to the what and the why behind the group's decisions, the members of Orpheus are uncommonly energized and responsive to the needs of the organization and to the desires of its leaders. Turnover is extremely low and employee loyalty is extremely high. The result is a better product, increased customer satisfaction, and a healthier bottom line.
    

• While the Orpheus approach to collaborative leadership is not without its difficulties -- getting 27 talented and strong-willed people to agree to anything can often be a very real challenge -- it has served the group well over more than three decades. Here are eight guiding principles:

1. Put power in the hands of the people doing the work. Orpheus musicians actively participate in deciding who will lead, how a piece of music will be played, who will be invited to join their ranks, and who will represent them within management.

2. Encourage individual responsibility for product and quality. Each member of the orchestra feels a very real and personal responsibility for the group’s outcomes.

3. Create clarity of roles. The organization’s members have clear roles and all roles are communicated widely throughout the organization.

4. Foster horizontal teamwork. Orpheus operates with Peter Drucker’s words in mind, “No knowledge ranks higher than another; each is judged by its contribution to the common task rather than by any inherent superiority or inferiority. Therefore, the modern organization cannot be an organization of boss and subordinate. It must be organized as a team.”

5. Share and rotate leadership. Fixing leadership in positions rather than people wastes the leadership potential within employees whose positions are not part of the organization’s formal leadership hierarchy. Orpheus brings out the strengths and talents of each individual member of the group.

6. Learn to listen, learn to talk. The members of Orpheus know the power of communication, and it is the lifeblood of the organization. Two-way communication is expected, fostered, and reinforced almost constantly.

7. Seek consensus (and build creative systems that favor consensus). This requires a high level of participation and trust among the members of an organization. Everyone must be willing to listen to the views of others and to be flexible and willing to compromise on their own positions. In Orpheus, the more important the decision to the organization, the more people are involved in it.

8. Dedicate passionately to your mission. Passion is the spark that can make an ordinary organization great -- and a great organization truly exceptional. In Orpheus, all the members of the orchestra are focused on one thing: producing the very best product possible.

  
For the full text article, go to ...
http://www.leadertoleader.org/knowledgecenter/journal.aspx?ArticleID=110

   
Why Employees Should Lead Themselves

Because no one person has all the answers to every question that may arise within the orchestra, Orpheus relies on horizontal teams to tap the expertise of all of its members. These teams naturally reach across organizational boundaries to obtain input, act on opportunities, solve problems, or make decisions. Says violinist Martha Caplin, “When I talk to another performer or another musician in the group, it’s on an equal level. It’s absolutely crucial that we all have that attitude.”

Not every team is automatically an effective team, though, so members must take positive steps to ensure their team’s effectiveness.  Here are a few things that contribute to effective teamwork within Orpheus:

1. The purpose and mission for the team are clear and understood by each team member

2. Members' team roles are stated, agreed upon, and understood

3. All members work an equal amount doing real work in the team

4. Members pay attention to how they work together

5. Outcomes drive the purpose of the team

6. Deadlines are stated and respected

7. Teams receive demonstrable support

8. Teams are accountable to the organization and its leaders

9. Each team knows its interdependence with other teams and does everything to support those other teams.

These rules are valid for any team, not just those within Orpheus.

  
Next Month

Each of us must choose the mindset that will guide our efforts to lead. Servant Leadership is one such mindset, paradigm, or way of leading. It is a way of engaging in an intentional change process through which leaders and followers, joined by a shared purpose, initiate action to pursue a common vision.  It stands in contrast to an autocratic or paternalistic way of leading.

To receive this FREE monthly e-Newsletter via e-mail go to our e-Newsletter Sign-Up Page.  Please feel free to pass the e-newsletter along to your colleagues, friends and family.