Recommendation

Tribes form naturally within organizations. Wherever people gather to live and
work, groups of between 20 and 150 members come together, parallel to villages
within nations, and advance through five stages of development. Culture
consultants David Logan and John King, writing with physician Halee Fischer-
Wright, teach you how tribes and competent tribal leadership can help you work
and play well with others and strengthen your career. The authors conducted
extensive research on corporate tribes and interviewed many business leaders
about the five-stage evolution of tribes within their organizations. Although the
report seems somewhat less concrete in identifying exactly how people come
together to form tribes, it makes for an accessible read, certainly compared to most
organizational sociology. getAbstract finds that this exploration of tribes and teams
can open readers' eyes to the way people function within groups. Managers will
find it insightful, as will all those who can only succeed by working and playing well
with others.

In this summary, you will learn.

 How tribes materialize within organizations,
 How tribes develop in five stages and
 How leaders can emerge within tribes and improve these tribes.

To go
 Organizations inevitably develop internal tribes, groups of between 20 and 150
members with interlocking ties.
 These tribes go through five stages of development.
 In Stage One, tribe members believe that life is horrible; They feel paranoid and
helpless.
 A tribe member in Stage Two believes her individual life is terrible, but is willing to
work to improve it.
 In Stage Three, tribe members cultivate "two-person relationships," compete
against others, and believe that "I'm cool, and you're not."
 Most groups and individuals, despite what has been achieved, remain stuck in
Stage Three.
 In Stage Four, tribe members build "triad relationships" and compete against other
companies; They think, "We're cool, and they're not."
 At Stage Five, which few tribes achieve, members believe that "life is great."
 A tribe can reach Stage Five only if it is already firmly established in Stage Four.
 An organization may achieve a higher stage, only to slide back to lower stages.

Summary
Tribes, in stages

Tribes are factions of between 20 and 150 people that develop wherever humans
gather for any purpose, including but not limited to business. If you own or work in
a business, tribes surround you, along with their "tribal leaders." Most people are
not aware of these tribes and their influence, but their importance becomes evident
when you realize that "your tribe members are probably programmed into your cell
phone and email address book."

To "build a better organization," your leaders' goal should be to move your

company's tribes to Stage Four, one step at a time. Some tribes may need to move
to Stage Five, which produces an industry-changing innovation.

"Every organization is really a collection of small towns."

If you are a tribal leader, help your coworkers reach higher levels with the goal of
reaching Stage Four. Sometimes this process includes employees reaching an
epiphany, for example, suddenly realizing that parking their careers at their current
level is not meeting or hindering their goals. To assist this “journey through the
stages,” coach members learn how to develop insights about their “dominant
cultures,” the language they use and the associations they develop. Tribes within
organizations mature in five stages.

“Tribes in companies do the work, sometimes a lot of work, but they are not
formed because of the work. Tribes are the basic component of any great human
endeavor."

Stage One: A Dog-Eat-Dog World

This is the lowest stage, in which “street gangs” and correctional institutions
operate. Stage One tribe members believe that "life sucks," that the odds are
against them, and that they are helpless in a hostile world. Only 2% of tribes
remain in Stage One.

"Each tribe has a dominant culture, which we can establish on a scale of one to
five, with Stage Five being the most desirable."
At this point, the tribe members see no options in their lives; They feel trapped and
think life is terrible. They believe they are unique and the world is particularly
hostile towards them. Many people can fall into Stage One, if only temporarily.
Encourage people right now to change their language and see the possibilities in
life. Encourage them to network with co-workers who have positive attitudes and to
cut social ties with other members of the Stage One tribe.

"The essence of the advanced stages is to abandon the language and behavior of
one area and adopt the practices of the next."

Stage Two: They are out looking for me

Workers at this level believe that "My life sucks." They are cynical and out of touch;
They complain but do not offer solutions. About 25% of the company's tribes are
stuck in Stage Two, where employees generally behave reactively. They do what the
company demands and nothing more. Their jobs often offer few opportunities to be
inventive. They try to avoid responsibility for their work and actions.

"Most anthropologists say that human society began in Stage One, that clans are
eliminating an existence while fighting each other."
If these workers receive promotions, they will stay at the firm; If they don't, they
will eventually leave. Stage Two employees who have recently escaped Stage One
are at risk of regressing. Take five steps to train employees in Stage Two:

1. Prohibit “stage one behavior” – Clarify the consequences of such

behavior.
2. Tell employees you appreciate them: Ask open-ended questions to
find out how you can improve their situation.
3. Listen to the problem and find a cure : Meet with your unhappy
workers privately to address their complaints and find solutions.
4. Help employees evolve : Identify employees at the highest levels of Stage
Two—those who seem willing to change—and develop them.
5. Encourage Stage Two employees to interact : They should establish
“dyadic relationships,” or two-person interactions, with colleagues who want
to improve.

“As long as people are in Stage Two, they believe their destiny is not their own. As
a result, they avoid accountability."

Stage Three: Nobody appreciates what I do

This large cohort represents 49% of the tribes. Members believe that “I'm cool, and
you're not.” Many members of Stage Three teams are high achievers who compete
with each other. These “lone warriors” lament the inadequacies of those working
around them. Nearly half of working professionals operate in "the personal
fulfillment zone."

"Tribes emerge from the language people use to describe themselves, their jobs,
and others."
While Stage Three workers may be talented overachievers, they may suffer from
self-doubt and try to resolve it by competing against their peers. Your strong
professional and personal ambitions erase the leftover thoughts of Stage Two. Even
as supervisors, they feel deprived of organizational support. They believe that they
perform well, but that the company does not reward them enough.

"The severity that people in Stage Three have is the addictive 'hit' they get from
winning, outperforming others, being the smartest and most successful."
 Stage Three has seven hallmarks: 1) forming solely dyadic or two-part
relationships, which can be exhausting to maintain; 2) accumulating intelligence
without sharing it; 3) refuse to connect members of your network with each other;
4) use clandestine networks to obtain internal information; 5) using aggressive
"military or mafia" terminology; 6) seek methods and strategies to increase your
effectiveness and feed your sense of greatness; and 7) discuss values only in terms
of your own priorities.

“The power in Stage Four is abundant; The more you give to others, the more you
return."
Many Stage Three people remain in this stage their entire lives. To move workers to
Stage Four, have them break their competitive habits. The rush of satisfaction they
get from a new achievement or surpassing a team member is holding them back.
Help them develop beyond this point by teaching them the following:

 People are talented in a variety of ways : Stage Three performers should not
apply their strict standards to everyone. They must lead and inspire, not control.
 Remaining in Stage Three exacts a high price : Stage Three is limiting.
Those stuck there must find a Stage Four role model whose practices they can
emulate.
 Their terminology has a detrimental effect : Stage Three workers say "I" a
lot. They need to move on to "us."
 They must give up their dyadic relationships . They should try to form
"triads" or three-person interactions, which can increase their success.

“Stage Five... is marked by 'life is great' language, without any competitors. It's
not that competitors don't exist; It's just that they don't matter."
These tips alone will not move a person to Stage Four. That often requires an
individual to undergo an epiphany: a sudden realization of the inadequacies of
Stage Three. This abrupt personal experience can cause people to question their
values, fear that their careers are going nowhere, or feel burned out. To guide Stage
Three employees through their epiphanies, help them answer these questions:

 “What have I achieved?” : People in Stage Three tribes should analyze their
victories and determine whether they were fleeting and narrow or lasting and
significant. When they identify meaningful victories, they can see the value of their
achievements in the context of their teams, not just themselves.
 "How can i fix this?" - Now that these people know that Stage Three is not
working, help them clarify “What's next?” Finding this answer is the first step to
the next stage.
 “What is the real goal?” : Stage three people who ask this question realize that
achievements must be collective. They grow by maturing beyond the need to
promote their own success and learning to focus on the organization.
 “How does a tribal leader use power?” : Stage Three performers must
determine on whose behalf they exert their influence: their own or that of their
tribe?

"A tribe will look for its own competitor, and the only one who has influence over
the target is the Tribal Leader."
Stage Three people who work through these questions can successfully advance to
Stage Four because they now understand the value of tribe. Their language changes
from “I” to “we,” their two-person networks become triads and express themselves
only in terms of the tribe.

“Tribal leadership focuses on two things, and two things only: the words people
use and the types of relationships they form.”

Fourth stage: where leadership begins to happen

22% of tribes working at this level believe that "we are great, and we are not."
Proud of their firm, members compete with other companies, not each other. The
person who identifies the tribe's main competitor often emerges as the Tribal
Leader.

"Great leaders, from time to time, need to use impactful methods to strengthen the
tribe."
When individuals reach Stage Four and understand the value of their tribe, they
often follow one of several routes: they gather a group of fellow Stage Four
members with whom to start a new business, they seek out other Stage Four people
in their company to look for new projects or find Stage Fours colleagues to help
them on an existing project. All three courses lead to new tribes and an explosion of
Stage Four behavior and leadership development. At this level, tribes have a strong
"sense of their own identity," their purpose and principles, and act accordingly.

A "company is only as strong as the culture of its tribes."

“Core values” and “a noble cause” are important foundations of Stage Four. Values
are connected to meaningful personal experiences and emerge when people answer
questions such as “What are you proud of?” A core value gives meaning to a
person's life; An individual needs to prosper. Learning the values of tribe members
and helping them express those touchstones can bring significant strength to a
tribe.

A noble cause is the ultimate goal of a tribe, what it desires to be. The hopes and
desires of a tribe naturally inspire people to align with each other and make things
work. If you are unsure of the noble cause of your organization, ask what its
activities serve. “What works well?” “What's not working?” “What can we do to
make the things that don't work work?” and “Is there anything else?” The noble
cause will be revealed in your answers and you will be able to express it easily, often
in a short sound. Tribal leadership begins to form when tribal members ask, "What
activities will express our values and speak to our noble cause?"

Having a noble cause can be dangerous. Tribes like Al Qaeda wreak havoc in the
service of their beliefs. Such tribes do not follow a noble cause because they are
obsessed with strict adherence to certain principles. This is not Stage Four
behavior, because it emphasizes agreement; It focuses only on maintaining the
tribe's sense of great achievement.

The fourth stage is marked by the adherence of the members of the tribe to the
triads and the extensive network of contacts. A triad offers three benefits: "stability,
innovation" and "scalability." Stability occurs when large groups work together to
find solutions to problems, even among tribes, rather than relying on leadership to
direct them. Innovation arises because more diverse voices address problems and
think creatively. Scalability occurs when coworkers function as peers who teach
each other, rather than experts who tell each other what to do. At this point, Stage
Three individuals have a tendency to feel somewhat intimidated; They prefer to be
experts in everything.

Stage Five: Magic

Once your business reaches Stage Four, you may be able to reach Stage Five. At this
level, a tribe's mantra is "Life is excellent." These highly evolved groups discard the
need for competition and fight solely for the "innocent wonder" of discovery and
achievement. Less than 2% of tribes operate in Stage Five.

Your "tribal strategy"

Ask three questions to determine if your company has the right tribal strategy:

1. "What we want?" It helps you determine the outcome of pursuing your core
values and noble cause.
2. "What we have?" Locate the resources you can turn to.
3. "What will we do?" Identify the behaviors you should use.

Addressing these goals potentially allows your organization to reach Stage Five,
where the noble cause is all that matters.

The 1980 US ice hockey team is a tribe that advanced to Stage Five and
unexpectedly beat the Soviet Union in the Olympic final. In Stage Five, the
seemingly impossible actually happens: a tribe at this level becomes so
accomplished that it inspires others to pursue their own noble causes. A tribe can
only reach Stage Five if it is already firmly established in Stage Four.

About the authors

Dave Logan and John King founded CultureSync, a consulting company. Logan
teaches at the University of Southern California. The king lectures internationally.
CultureSync partner Halee Fischer-Wright , PhD, teaches at the University of
Colorado School of Medicine.