Organizational Design

About a month ago, I attended my graduate school reunion and was struck by two observations. The first was simply how quickly time flies. It’s a mundane thought but in pausing for a minute to think about the implications of passing time, its finite nature drives our world. Whether we’re working towards a project deadline or taking advantage of a window of opportunity, time is of the essence.

The second observation was how unhappy folks were in the life they’d created for themselves. These are intelligent, driven people. Some hated their jobs, others were in simply lost, while still others apathetic to their lives. My first response was empathy. But this quickly led to questioning. If this fairly large sampling of intelligent driven people are unhappy with their lives, how does that translate into the organizations within which they spend their days. How can organizations be innovative when those charged with leading and growing the organization exhibit lackluster and indifference?

Simply put, they can’t. Organizations stagnate and fall short on performance when they lack passion and enthusiasm. They aren’t able to focus their energy to produce tangible results. Simple problems seem enormous and complex problems insurmountable. They simply can’t be creative and as a result, innovation escapes them. Ralph Waldo Emerson is famously quoted for saying – “Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” In no time in history do we need this advice more than now.

1. Passion is key to innovation and creativity.
This is true in every organization whether it provides a service, produces a product or simply attempts to better the world. Can innovation and creativity exist without passion? Perhaps … but with difficulty and likely accidentally. The birth of a game changing idea is undoubtedly inspired by excitement and spirit and will succeed only with the continuation of that passion. Target’s ClearRx prescription distribution and communication system is a great example of how innovation was driven by the focus to improve usability and consumers’ quality of care

2. Passion ensures an organization’s values are protected
To care about something deeply is to ensure the integrity of its meaning and existence are preserved. It is easy in the complexities of day-to-day operations to lose way and focus on the wrong things. This happens often when politics, alternative agendas and external forces are allowed to take over and drive decision-making. Focus, drive and the preservation of integrity ensure that the values of an organization are upheld even in the most difficult of circumstances. The Grameen Bank clearly defines its key principles of discipline, unity, courage and hard work (the first of 16 core decisions) in its endeavor to break the cycle of poverty.

3. Passionate employees translate to passionate customers
Passion is infectious. When an organization fosters passion, it exhibits in its employees who in turn carry it through in their interactions with the outside world. What better endorsement for a product or service than those who live with it day in and day out? From Apple’s geniuses to Lululemon’s educators, these employees are the last mile to your customers.

4. Passion ups the game
Competition is a great motivator. Passion an even better one. High performing organizations are filled with passionate people who create and pursue what they believe are valuable. They experiment, play and drive change. Just as passion is infectious when transferred from employees to customers so is it contagious when passed from employee to employee. This inevitably results in a higher quality of work, which leads to successful projects, which in turn inspires more passion. I don’t need to venture beyond the walls of Idea Couture to see this in action. From discussions on service design to new business models, social corporate responsibility to new research methodologies, Couturians not only “up the game” for each other, but also for our clients and collaborators.

Is not life a hundred times too short for us to bore ourselves? – Friedrich Nietzsche