Introduction: the ROI of Smart Tribes
As a leadership coach, the author observes that clients generally approach her with three goals in mind: performance, innovation, and engagement. The approaches they have used in the past are no longer getting them the results they desire. What's needed is more than tactical advice for implementing the same strategy more effectively, but a complete change in the strategic approach to organizational management.
She cites a number of findings of a Harvard study (Haskett 1992) into the way in which performance is enhanced by culture, in which companies identified as having "performance-enhancing cultures" significantly outperformed others in various regards (market share, profitability, etc.)
The author offers the notion of "smart tribes" - a culture that she claims will outperform competitors. The "smart" pertains to the proactive mind - seeing opportunities and evaluating options rather than reacting by gut instinct to the events as they unfold.
She concedes that "tribe" has become a buzzword, but it represents an important concept: the sense of belonging within an organization. Tribes work collaboratively toward a goal, and having the support of a tribe gives each member a sense of confidence in taking decisive action - it mitigates the risk of acting alone, shields us from consequences, which enables us to apply our higher mind rather than reacting in fear. The other benefits of collaboration - combining effort and expertise of many people - are of little value if the culture of an organization does not provide the security necessary to make an intelligent decision regarding which activities should be pursued.
Leaders unintentionally (or sometimes deliberately) push their teams into a position of insecurity, which creates a flurry of panicked activity rather than supporting more measured and intelligent choices. A major shift in the environment or a major change in the organization is often surrounded by uncertainty and doubt, an in times of major upheaval people look to their tribal leaders for direction - while the leaders cannot prevent this from happening, they can certainly consider their reaction. To shrug is not acceptable.
Where there is threat or uncertainty, people go into the animal state - freeze, fight, or flight - to exercise the higher mind and be in what the author calls the "smart state" requires confidence and security. For companies, growth is always desirable, even in difficult times - and to achieve growth, the leadership of a firm must work to keep their employees in the "smart state" even in the face of difficulty and turbulence.
If the organizational culture is consistently in its smart state, then it is a smart tribe - even in the face of change and growth, smart tribes are focused, communicate clearly and directly, and have the enthusiasm and energy to do what needs to be done.
The author lays claim to "neuroscience techniques" that can be applied to maintain a highly productive organization. She switches to providing a litany of benefits (performance, productivity, efficiency, innovation, and morale) that have resulted from applying her methodology. They are dramatic differences, and achieved within a relatively short amount of time.
She compares the book to a "field guide" and herself as a "scout" who has real-world experience and can guide you in the right direction. While the book provides a general methodology, it should also be a troubleshooting guide to help when managers find themselves "stuck" for a solution.