Peter Senge, Keith Richards and Star Wars

Image by Americans4Arts via Flickr

Interviews, Belbin Tests, Chats and .......:

I´m still missing 5 employees to interview, but after 30 I´ve to admit: - It really drains loads of energy! However this energy is not wasted, and results can already be seen. I´m really curious when we start with some action.
On Friday our big map will be ready “Polimax Joyful Challenges Map”

I decided to do not apply the Belbin Test to everyone, just the top 10 in responsibilities. (Due to their education level, and questions that they are not used to, I might do this in the future, after we´ve built teams with them, and as a trial without great expectation). How do you see this Oracle?

Being outside the normal routine of the company is an unimaginable advantage. I´m quite uncomfortable when I see so much to do, and a necessity for action now. But I know that any kind of personal action now will result in a waste of energy and I´m sure it will be inefficient. So I´m still improving my patience skills. I keep saying to myself to trust the process, and I really do, perhaps too much, but I´m quite confident in good results pretty soon.

Elton Mayo and the Humanization of a company:

The most latent issue inside our company now is the motivation of our employees, listen to them, and organize them in a way that they will keep themselves self-organized.
Elton Mayo made this research in 1930´s, and we still didn´t understand (here in our company) the amplitude of his work and how to apply it.

Summary of Mayo's Beliefs (Wikipedia):

• Individual workers cannot be treated in isolation, but must be seen as members of a group.(TEAM)
• Monetary incentives and good working condition are less important to the individual than the need to belong to a group.
• Informal or unofficial groups formed at work have a strong influence on the behavior of those workers in a group.
• Managers must be aware of these 'social needs' and cater for them to ensure that employees collaborate with the official organization rather than work against it.

A Self-organized company and the Tipping Point influence:

Image by Alex Osterwalder via Flickr

Once we´re part of a group, we´re all susceptible to peer pressure and social norms and any number of other kinds of influence that can play a critical role in sweeping us up in the beginning of an epidemic....
The spread of any new and contagious ideology also has a lot to do with the skilful use of group power... [John Wesley, founder of the Methodist religious movement,] realized that if you wanted to bring about a fundamental change in people´s belief and behaviour, a change that would persist and serve as an example to others, you needed to create a community around them, where those new beliefs could be practiced and expressed and nurtured.
- Malcom Gladwell, The Tipping Point

Changing a routine-driven company for a team/project-driven:

Show our employees the importance of teamwork, is not difficult, I will reach the difficulty when they´ll have to adapt, to listen, to dialogue and to accept.

How can I make this process easier?
How do you show people that their way maybe is not the best way?
How do you make people build a team? (working the individuals? Strengthening their personal skills and knowledge? So, are we moving for a Learning Organization? )
If this is our path... How do learning organizations look like in Brazil? Or in any other part of the world?

As deep as we go, deeper we see the necessity to go. And it seems it is a journey without turning back possibility and exactly this excites me the most.

Next post you will meet some of our employees and a little story of them, as well as the first draft of our marvellous (Polimax Joyful Challenges MAP)