"Organizational Maturity" is to "Nice Personality" as...

"knackered" is to "tired"

Jon comments (Comments!) on the facilitative leadership post:

I had an interesting chat yesterday with my bosses boss (Brian)... say that three times fast. Anyway, we were talking about what's next since the new site is going live this weekend. I was spouting off my usual blue sky ideas, and questioning whehter or not some of the ideas would fly, to which he replied "that will certainly test our organizational maturity". Is that a new buzzword? I haven't heard it before, but I like it - and it's very true. It got me thinking, a 55 year old (mature) company is very much like a 55 year old person - they're both very much set in their ways. As we mature, we develop habits - and habits are hard to break. So, are companies like people?

It's just my hmble opinion but, No, companies aren't like people. People are harder to break. Because they can smell smoke and they can run.

Yeah, I agree with your "organizational maturity" thought. That's the freeking problem. Lots of mature people and mature processes and zones of permissible and non-permissible behaviour. Everybody talks about new frontiers and re-energizing the org. The results are like Goofy Golf. Fiberglas volcanoes, plastic grass, belligerent help and lots of whining from your direct reports.

Is he a movie buff? Tell him to rent The Dirty Dozen. Now there's organizational immaturity within a whole SNAFU galaxy of organizational maturity. Forget Web 2.0, try World 2.0.

Tell him it's a Tsunamis and Moonshots world. Ask what really chaps his ass about your/his group. Tell him you want a department to take off the reservation and practice living off the land. Tell him you're looking for high-margin but currently low-reflective targets--lost opportunities due to humdrum and drone, and racehorses pulling milkcarts. Tell him about Bricolage. Then, uh, call me with my tickets.