Friday, November 2, 2012

Burlesque Is Not Quite the Right Analogy

There's a lot packed into Schumpeter's latest article in the Economist. He calls open book management (OBM), particularly the Great Game of Business methodology, corporate burlesque. I know he's getting at the power of transparency to drive innovation, security, job growth, success, etc. Burlesque does drive enthusiasm but abhors engagement (aka involvement)--look but don't touch. Also what you see is not the real person, but a character. OBM requires engagement and it requires honesty, no false characters. OBM requires letting everyone manage their own sphere of influence that contributes to the overall success and their own success. If they're managing their part of the kingdom, they're engaged.

They're also going home knowing their contribution and feeling confident, self-assured and capable. They're looking for ways to improve their jobs. They share good ideas with others rather than worrying about corporate politics, because they know that if the team loses, they each lose.

I don't know about you, but I only feel cheap after burlesque.

It's a great article nonetheless. Check it out. As one commentator said in response to the article: 20 years, 4000 companies is hardly an experiment. It's a proven methodology for big and small companies.

Economist Mens Tank Top (Google Affiliate Ad)The Economist Book of Business Quotations By Ridgers, Bill (EDT) (Google Affiliate Ad)

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