That’s Not How We Do It Here!

Conventionality

Mature organizations can get stuck in their ways. During normal times, their proven practices and procedures work well. But when unsettling change arrives, an organization’s standardized policies can undermine its viability. Such firms often suffer from a moribund management system that shackles them to out-of-date structures.

They need both inspiring leaders who are open to new ideas and sensible managers to keep the company functioning. Consider a group of lovable little meerkats in Africa whose group practices slowly crippled their clan, and observe how they fixed this problem. Their experience holds useful implications for organizations that rely too much on conventional management and lack leadership.

Meerkats

Meerkats (“Kats”) are small, fuzzy, cute carnivores that live in groups in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. They eat eggs, worms, scorpions, insects and fruit. One large clan of Meerkats thrived for many years in its own area of the Kalahari. The band developed comprehensive procedures – reliable management practices – to deal with commonplace challenges.

These well-developed routines served the clan well...