Wednesday at Work Poem
Our organizational problems
stem from being so vertical in a horizontal world.
Elevators of rank, privilege, and delusion
traverse up and down the corporate hierarchy
giving the illusion of height over width.
Even our page views are portrait not landscape.
We need to move horizontally
to be in touch with each other.
Can we dwell on the level
rather than taking it to the next level?
Whatever deluded us to think
our title, role, or function put us above or below anyone else?
I love the limitless stretch of expansive prairie
as we see forever in all directions
never hearing, “look out below.”
Whoooaaaahhh! Spooky. I’ve just had a skype call with an associate where we were discussing the Western obsession with vertical leadership, and how we need to think, and do horizontal more. Connected with this (I think) is something about individual and collective culture, as rather expertly put forward by Geert Hofstede. Stuff comes out of Zinger world in a timely fashion – all the time! I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised by now but it just keeps on coming and I keep on getting excited. Great stuff.
Let’s have more power with folk, and less power over eh? Like it.
Doug,
I aim to spook! Seriously thanks for the comments and I think there is a strong horizontal world growing. Love it when I have lived on the prairies all my life.
David
Hey David…you just spooked me too!
I’ve started printing out my handouts “horizontally” in landscape…not sure why I made that decision but now it’s VERY clear that my subconscious was guiding the process. You’re a genius!
I’ll be sending your poem to an HR manager to follow up on a session I presented yesterday for the first time, about cynical employees. Great fit!
Thanks again for connecting all of us,
Maggie
I have asked my directors to make sure all their managers and their subordinates read this post and provide any comments back up the chain 😉
Maggie,
Yikes…a spooky genius who goes sideways! Thanks for the comment.
David