Orchestrating Culture

There are few cliches more persistent in business writing than the comparison of a company with an orchestra. The implied ideal, of course, is that everyone works in unison in their particular roles to deliver spectacular results. It helps, too, that managers are flattered because the conductor has the most status of any of the performers. There are even courses where business managers can try their hand at conducting.

Over the last five years or so, discussion around corporate culture has begun increasingly to use the term 'employee branding'. Most proponents of 'employee branding' argue that in order for a company to perform well, employees must completely understand and buy in to the strategic vision of the company for which they work, they must share a set of common values and be committed to them, they must be happy to be working for their company, they must feel motivated and valued, and their behaviour must reflect the culture and aspirations of their organisation.

An example of an orchestra which met all these criteria of employee branding is the Portsmouth Sinfonia. The vision of Portsmouth Sinfonia was that it should be open to all, and that if you chose to join you should share its values, take it seriously and attend all rehearsals and recitals. It attracted many committed members, and they made a number of CDs. You can here an example of their work here. I'm sure that you'll agree that they are so terrible it's funny. I'm sure you will also want another example, so here it is.

Curiously, the culture of most professional orchestras could not be more different. They are famous for low wages and poor working conditions. There is a tremendous degree of absenteeism and a bizarre interchangeability between orchestra members that means that, on any given night you can't be sure who will be performing. For example, a violinist may ask a friend to fill in for him if he has a conflicting engagement. Morale is notoriously low in many orchestras, and squabbling and petty politics concerning promotions are the norm. The musical results, however, are often sublime and are always better than that of the Portsmouth Sinfonia.

What's missing from the usual criteria established by the 'employee branding' industry is excellence, talent and skill. The Portsmouth Sinfonia is run for its members and not for any audience members who are serious about music. However happy and motivated the musicians are, the orchestra will still not be any good. They just do not have the necessary talent or skills, and the orchestra is not committed to musical excellence or to serving an audience who appreciates music.

It is my opinion that it is extremely important for employees to understand a brand and feel motivated to behave in ways that will help to deliver it. This requires employees who are properly skilled and properly motivated. 1827's emphasis is on the delivery of the brand to customers in the real world; communicating the brand to employees is one part of that. We are more interested in delivering the brand than 'living the brand'. Investing in skills training is far more important commercially and culturally than the often meaningless and inane corporate jollies that people are forced to endure.