Tell me how you organize your poultry house and I'll tell you how clever your Organization is (nº 1)

Introduction  

I spent some time thinking over the approach (obviously looking at the future) I want to give to this Blog about the organizational models of the XXI century companies and the content of this first post I want to share. 

I've decided to talk in this first post about a couple of fundamental issues to begin to improve organizations, such as cohesion and motivation of people working on them.

I think these are the two basic elements to manage properly before considering other improvements to provide greater value and competitiveness to our businesses at the complex times we are currently living in the markets. 

The poultry house and the Company 

My first thought on the management of these issues in today's companies has to do with the organization of the poultry houses. What a true comparison, isn't it? What companies and people working on them have in common with the poultry houses, roosters and chickens? 

In my view they still have much in common. Historically we have been educated in the idea that poultry houses could only have one rooster to function properly as a house full of them would be unmanageable because of the problems to decide who and when could or should take benefit of the chicken (abundant in these model of poultry houses).  

And this is exactly how the companies are organized today; bosses have always a "rooster" (the smart ass, the "essential" person) around to manage the rest of the "chicken" in the organization (the other people on the organization). 

What manager is able to create cohesion in an environment like this? Do you know anyone? 

For me the problem for managers in the XXI century compared with the managers who created these organizational models between the XIX and XX centuries (Henry Ford, Frederick Winslow Taylor etc.) is that people treated now as "chicken" are well educated, well trained and well informed; they are intelligent and they think by themselves. They are not immigrants and farmers who traveled to industrial centers as in past times... 

If we accept this thinking as valid one, what you think is the motivation level of all this people? Are you sure there is no relationship between the above mentioned issues and the lack of participation perceived in the companies today? Can we be competitive like this? 

My proposed solution  

I have my opinion clearly defined in this regard; NO, we cannot be competitive.  

I think the only way to improve this problem is that companies should hire XXI century "roosters" and guide the managers so that they can manage the house. 

And how to know if the rooster is XXI century one or not? Very easy ... just enough to measure his ability for team work, to share success with others, to help improve his colleagues without waiting to be named their manager or take for himself the gold medal (Usain Bolt just won today the gold medal in 100mts. race in London Olympics, but companies are more similar to team sport, not individual sport).

are you a XXI century rooster?

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