Bee is for behaviour
Yesterday, I had to conduct one of my favourite behavioural change exercises over the phone – not something I have done before. I was in grey and rainy Stockport and the rest of the team were in hot and sunny Ghana (where did I go wrong there…)
A key part of our current Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) implementation is to understand the behaviour that exists today and recognise the behaviour of the team we are striving to be. Joining the dots between today and tomorrow and usually more entertaining the senior team and the workers!
To do this we create totem poles – a fantastic way of using symbolism to communicate. Somehow, it is easier to tell your bosses that they are jaguars than to directly tell them they are chaotic and shape shifting.
We have done this exercise in the UK, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand and Nigeria so far and despite the cultural differences when the teams think about each other today, the same animals pop up:
Senior Teams
Elephant, lion, moose, mouse, goose, salmon, tiger, whale & jaguar.
Key words = strong, powerful, wise, headstrong, enduring, observant, detail orientated, reliable, self demanding, productive, prudent, proud, intense, inspiring, energetic, chaotic & shape shifting.
Workers
Ant, armadillo, bee, dog, rabbit & mouse.
Key words = group minded, patient, active, industrious, celebratory, enthusiastic about life, safety orientated, cautious, faithful, loyal, trainable, fearful, timid, nervous, observant, orderly & detail orientated)
The interesting differences come through in consistency; in Africa there are more dogs (noble, faithful, loyal, trainable, protective & guiding). In SEA lots of ants (group minded, patient, active and industrious) and most interestingly of all in the UK, despite a period of doom and gloom lots of BEES (organised, industrious, productive, wise, social, celebratory and enthusiastic about life).
Beekeepers Association (BBKA) says bees are in danger of disappearing from our environment. Attitudes to bees must change and a new generation needs to be educated into the value of bees and the threats to their existence.
As the green shoots appear that signal the end of the recession, we need to remember bees need something to feed on, whether it be a PLM implementation, training or new product development. Don’t be a rabbit (fearful, timid, and nervous) today be a falcon – ADVENTUROUS, PASSIONATE AND LEADING!
efth
said on June 11, 2009
Nice work Nina, all the best for your new site.
You should relocate your office to Ghana you’ll never miss a good day.
Kenny
said on June 11, 2009
Why on earth would you swap the rain of Stockport for Ghana?
Some very interesting common behaviours, the senior teams have a number of very strong and powerful animals and this is also made up with a smaller less dominant animal – the mouse which is in the workers set of animals, is this their subconscious thinking about the workers and the impact that “senior team” members may have on the workers?
Some food for thought indeeed!!
Jean
said on June 11, 2009
I love the analogy between us Brits and busy bees, does that make Nina more Queen Bee than Cheeky Monkey?
James
said on June 11, 2009
These totems work really well with teams, but very curious to understand what the monkey represents….
Nina
said on June 11, 2009
The monkey is intelligent, curious, agile, fun loving and of course CHEEKY!
Chris
said on June 11, 2009
Nina my heroine, leading us along the path of self discovery. Go Girl…….
Happy Cloud
said on June 12, 2009
Worth getting stung to get to the honey!
Golfing Geezer
said on June 12, 2009
Bee is for Behaviour – no behaviour,no success, no success and you are dead. Gorden Brown has just found that out at great expense and he is just about learning, perhaps too late for him, tut.tut expensive mistake.
Bee is for Honey, no Bees no Honey, no honey, no porridge, no porridge, no slow release sustainable energy food, no food, no golf, no golf and you are dead.
Go girl Nina sort out the behaviours and get the industry on 21st Century and all the nations will do well!
Craig
said on June 15, 2009
Interesting reading reflecting on this exercise. A follow up blog topic could be on the process of using the totems to ‘join the dots’ and drive the behavioural change…
Kevin
said on June 18, 2009
I like the Blog Nina…I picked it up on Linkedin!
Chris Hulme
said on July 31, 2009
I feel like a shark but I want to be a frog!