The ‘organisation as orchestra‘ metaphor has long been used to evoke the concept of functionally arranged clusters of people harmonising in their delivery of a work program. In a recent presentation to a regional group of IML (Institute of Managers and Leaders) members, I used a choir metaphor for similar purposes.

While singers in the soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass groups each sing different notes (and sometimes remain silent while others sing their parts), they are all singing the same song. They are also seeking to harmonise their efforts for the benefit of their audience. So too do effective organisational teams ‘sing from the same song sheet‘ while seeking to harmonise their efforts for the benefit of their stakeholders.

Musical and Service Stacks

One way of thinking about a choral score is as a ‘stack’ of parallel musical performances, not dissimilar to the organisational ‘stacks’ we use for various purposes in our governance and management roles. More extended reflections on ‘stacks’ and related matters will be offered in my next post.

Juxtaposition of the choral score sheet with a service blueprint in the chart above illustrates the parallel arrangement of musical and operational actions.

Your Strategic Song Sheet

A musical score can also be seen as a metaphor for your organisational strategy. Each goal in your strategy may be thought of as equivalent to a singing part in a choral arrangement. The ‘song’ you are singing changes from time to time as you update your strategy. So too do the actions performed by your team members as they focus their energies on achieving modified goals. All the while you strive to harmonise their efforts (performance) in the interests of your stakeholders (audience).

The charts below offer suggested parallels between music and strategy, with various shared dimensions identified for your reflection. The first draws attention to the similarity between a multi-track logic breakdown of a musical recording and a strategy execution plan (Strategy Stack). Readers interested in musical breakdowns will find many fine examples on YouTube (see especially videos from Jacob Collier and Charlie Puth).

Acknowledging that all metaphors are at risk of oversimplifying situations, some readers might be concerned that a musical score could be too rigid or fixed. This would unhelpful for leaders faced with the need to be agile, adaptive, and nimble in a rapidly evolving environment. They may therefore prefer to think of jazz improvisation as a more appropriate musical metaphor.

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