What can people learn from flocks of birds to enable them to respond quickly and in a coordinated manner to changes?
Learning from flocks of birds
Have you ever watched the fantastically coordinated movements of a flock of birds? As if guided by a mysterious choreography, the birds move gracefully in a tangle of different directions, always finding a common formation and direction.
There is no boss in the flock of birds. There are no top-down decisions about where the journey will take place.
There are no committees that discuss what the best strategy is to avoid an attacking bird of prey.
Three simple rules
There are three simple rules that enable the swarm to react lightning fast and in perfect coordination.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful
to learn from the rules that govern birds and thus make cooperation easier?
to come together at work without constraining each other?
to quickly and repeatedly agree on a common direction that must be constantly adapted in a rapidly changing environment?
Cohesion: Finding cohesion
Birds in a flock strive to become the center of attention of their conspecifics who are nearby.
In a corporate environment, this would mean asking yourself what attracts people so strongly that they naturally strive to be at the center of the team or company: What attracts colleagues so magically that they enjoy coming to work? How attractive is the corporate culture? Do individuals feel so comfortable there that they happily strive to devote their time and energy to their job? How can people who have been holed up in their home offices since the pandemic be brought back together with their colleagues? What helps us to create closeness and human contact even in times of hybrid collaboration?
Separation: Enabling healthy boundaries
Birds move away from each other as soon as a fellow flock member comes too close to them.
When working together, you can ask yourself whether it is okay for colleagues to set boundaries – even towards people who have more power in the hierarchy.
Do people in your company have to put up with managers being bossy or even choleric? Is it legitimate to protect yourself against excessive demands or too many overtime hours?
Are there places to retreat where you can spend your breaks in a pleasant way or work out new ideas?
Alignment: following a common direction
Birds in a flock orient themselves according to the movement of their neighbors and move in the same direction as them.
Does everyone in your company agree on a deeper meaning that enables a common direction? How much agreement is there on the goals? Are these so attractive and compatible that a common goal is even possible? How well do colleagues listen to each other in order to understand which direction neighboring departments are currently taking? How well are projects coordinated with each other? Or do competing projects hinder each other? How clearly and comprehensibly do you communicate as a managing director or manager when a change of direction is necessary? How openly do you listen to the workforce when they make sensible suggestions for deviating from the chosen path?
Self-organisation based on a clear set of rules
Self-organization does not arise from the abolition of hierarchy or decision-making power. Successful self-organization requires a simple but effective set of rules as a basis. It is similar to a flock of birds: just a few rules, but consistently implemented in the company, make the difference.
Developing this coherent set of rules is the prerequisite for everyone in the company to be able to harmonize with one another in a meaningful way and to effectively strive in a common direction.
If you are interested in what a coherent set of rules for successful self-organization in your company could look like, we would be delighted if you contacted us. Please also let us know which rules help you to create flow in your collaboration.
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