The Organization's Self-Image
SteveA few days ago I stumbled across a very old post on a blog called Kung Fu Monkey titled 'Farm Fetish'.
I know an odd title for a blog and sort of a strange post headline, in a sort of unsettling, not-safe-for-work kind of way. The main idea of the post is that changing demographics and dramatic shifts in agricultural production had rendered the idea of 'finding' the real America out on a family farm really was not just a quaint or nostalgic concept, but one actually inaccurate and misleading. 
Flickr - Dia
Since more and more Americans were living and working in cities, and less and less people were actually making a living as farmers, that our collective notion of ourselves as Americans and our collective self-image needed to adapt. 'Middle America' is no longer a farmer in Nebraska, but rather a web designer in Brooklyn, or an accountant in Chicago.
This notion is best summed up by this question in the article:
The honest question is, what in the American character keeps us returning to this completely false self-image?
I think that the post makes an interesting point, one that still holds up and additionally might be applied to many organizations as well, to their understanding of their markets, and potentially their workforces.
How much or little have organizations adapted their thinking of 'what it means to be us' and really took the time to understand the changes and re-composition of the people that make up the organization?
Have many enterprises started asking questions like:
What percentage of the workforce are managing significant challenges in caring for children or for older relatives?
How many are not native English speakers?
How many are avid video gamers?
How many blog or have large followings on Twitter?
We are seeing each week on prime time TV, courtesy of Undercover Boss, examples of CEO's and leadership in general not truly being in tune with the people in their organizations. Is it enough for organizations to try and 'know' their customers and their markets? Should they also strive to know themselves?
And if the organization did know these things would it be able to exploit that knowledge?
And then would the knowledge get shared, such that the organization's self-image would change?
Ok enough. I broke the record for open questions in a post.
Anyone know some of the anwsers?
Reader Comments (5)
Good post Steve. When I was preparing for my SPHR I discovered the concept of Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) analysis. In brief, SWOT analysis defines the ability to look within (strengths and weaknesses) and without (opportunity and threat) the organization. This assessment is done in order to take stock in what works and what needs to change in order to remain competitive. I see that many organizations are good at looking at the landscape in front of them and not so good at self-assessment. Why that is could be one or all of the following: self-denial, poor employee relations, insular leadership-and until they're addressed companies and the people who compose them will not reach their full potential.
hey steve. as a 35 year old "idea worker" i constantly find myself struggling with the old school "output" mentality that's seared into the brains of senior management. while it's clear we are no longer in the days of assembly line mass production, somehow there's still an expectation of nine to five in a physical office and tangible daily output. there are things that we do out of tradition ... because we always have ... that aren't worth the time. the wastefulness is crazy.
This is an example of a classic leadership problem. How to listen to the workforce and not hear what you want to hear. I see it all the time - we need to re-organise - lets publish a new org chart and it will be clear that we have changed and we can get back to our Wii games......doh
Steve... Thanks continuing to post great think-it-through stuff like this.
Having just viewed the documentary "Food Inc." I have to wonder if we can assign some blame to television food spots that help us believe what we eat comes from wholesome family farmers who live somewhere between Iowa and Idaho. But no... we can't just pin it on Food Inc.
I have a sense that we (as a society) have difficulty appreciating our present. You're right on... we keep sticking to a romantic image of life in agro-suburbia, and yet we (again, as a culture) don't seem to celebrate the real world we come from. Even reality TV doesn't get this right.
It's got to be a cultural guilt kind of thing.
Thanks again for getting my brain cells spinning.
Too many questions, Steve. ;) I just imploded.
I read an article in Fortune this week titled "Why doing good is good for business" -- discussing the need for businesses to become more transparent, more socially responsible, to instill more personal responsibility in their employees, and that "in today's wired and transparent global economy, companies that 'outbehave' their competitors ethically will also tend to outperform them financially."
What it means to be us is to truly be responsible for us -- no Tiger apologies needed.
Just imploded again...