Deconstructing "Room on the Broom" | Lessons in Belonging, Diversity and Crises

Welcome to the third edition of #TurnThePage – increasing change literacy one children’s book at a time.?In our first two editions, we deconstructed “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” with its lessons on resistance to change and “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” with its lessons on systems thinking.

This time I'm taking on “Room on the Broom” by Julia Donaldson , as your most voted for literary deconstruction candidate, for your literary analysis pleasure! This darling book, with cameo appearances from its cousin “The Gruffalo”, provides us three lessons, with an extra to spare:

1. ON BELONGING:?Our primal need for belonging and the question of “culture” fit
2. ON DIVERSITY:?Diversity as a core strength and its role in organizational dynamics
3. ON CRISES:?The critical role that mini crises play as training wheels in preparation for existential threats
4. Bonus - ON REINVENTION & CHANGE:?The imperative for organizations to reinvent themselves by leveraging crises #change

SYNOPSIS

The book begins with a lovable witch flying through the air with her cat on a broom. One by one, she loses various belongings along her journey (her hat, bow, then wand), which are subsequently found by various characters (a dog, bird, and frog, respectively) who each join her on the broom.?By working together, they eventually save the witch from being eaten by a fire-breathing dragon encountered after her broom breaks, creating a “magnificent” new broom thereafter and continuing their journey into the horizon together.

Character breakdown:

• The witch = the organization
• The broom = org culture
• The dragon = existentialist threat to the org
• Dog, Cat, Frog = talent & capabilities

DECONSTRUCTIVE LITERARY ANALYSIS

BELONGING

There’s no doubt about it: belonging, and the universal need it represents, is one of the key themes of the book. With each and every character the witch encounters, the refrain repeats: “Is there room on the broom for a [dog/bird/frog] like me?”

The broom represents organizational culture – with its own size and shape – already “carrying people”.? Every character, like every employee, fundamentally asks the question of “do I belong” here??… someone like me, someone keen, green, or clean, someone who is different than those already on the broom … is there room in this culture for me to belong and thrive, for me to be me??

This question fundamentally gives nod to the debate over “culture fit” and what it means to hire based on it (notable problematic elements shared here , here and here .).?We are left to wonder if our characters were allowed on the broom because of their “culture fit” or in spite of it; after all, they are quite different, as animals and temperaments:?the dog is keen, the bird is green and the frog is clean … arguably different archetypes, though all happy to be helpful to the witch and seeking a new home.

(For those of you obsessed with this book, having likely seen its adorable movie rendition, you may remember that the bird’s green hue was an exception to her kind, having been kicked out from her nest – further highlighting in-group/out-group dynamics. She only needed to look within her own tribe to experience power and inclusion dynamics at play.)

DIVERSITY

Beyond belonging, the book highlights the indisputable power that diversity brings to the cultural table. The characters succeed in saving the witch from being eaten by coming together to form one entity, quite dependent upon their differences, yet maintaining their individuality.

The “horrible beast” they create speaks with one voice (“buzz off, that’s my witch”), and scares the dragon away while fighting for their shared purpose.?In fact, the author ensures that their individual identities stay in sharp focus, both visually (“feathered and furred, four frightful heads, it had wings like a bird”) and audibly (“a yowl and a growl and a croak and a shriek”).?Lest this kaleidoscope of diversity is missed, the author triples down on their individualistic importance as the beast decomposes: “down flew the bird, and down jumped the frog. Down climbed the cat and, “Phew!” said the dog,” calling them out one by one.

Lastly, notice how the organization adapts to help all of its members not just survive their journey via an old broom, an old culture, but thrive by manifesting a new, co-created broom. The witch invites everyone to “find something, everyone, throw something in” and thus leads the way in the creation of a new, “truly magnificent” culture that helps them thrive, embracing their diverse identities. This broom was co-created by all, as cultures always are:?“The frog found a lily, the cat found a cone, the bird found a twig, and the dog found a bone.”?

Their needs and identities were quite literally included in defining their transformed culture to sustain the journey ahead,?making the broom that much better for all, with “seats for the witch and the cat and the dog, a nest for the bird and a pool for the frog” (not to mention the cat’s milk ??).

A CRISIS IS HORRIBLE THING TO WASTE

Interestingly, we can look at every lost element (the bow, wand and hat) as a mini crisis.?What does the witch do in each crisis? ““Down,” cried the witch, and they flew to the ground”. ?She uses every moment she’s brought down low as an opportunity to fortify her ranks and grow stronger.?It’s only because she makes the most of the little crises that she is able to withstand the existentialist threat that the dragon presents.?

Notably, we can convincingly argue that the crisis does not actually begin with the dragon, with the explicit, fire-breathing threat to the organization. It is catalyzed by the broom cracking in two – the old culture that is no longer fit for their future journey.?The culture breaking is a leading indicator to the challenges they soon face.?Further, having survived the threat, the witch could have built a similar broom – but she wisely choses to transform it instead, once again leveraging the power of the crisis to advance transformation efforts.

LITERARY ANALYISIS GONE WILD

If we really look to push the envelope (as we joyfully do in every edition), we can see the book through the lens of a holistic organizational lifecycle, as the enterprise strives to maintain balance along its transformational journey.

The message of “what got you here, won’t get you there” is especially notable:

• The org (witch) needed to grow:?initially, she may have been able to be fine by herself and her cat, but her journey required more firepower.
• The culture (broom) needed to transform: ?the culture that served her well at first needed to evolve, and the old broom was too frail to sustain the future journey.
• The org capabilities (animals) needed to expand:?each character represents the additive and necessary elements an organization must embrace as it evolves.

Let’s look at the list of characters based on the sequence of their coming on the broom:

Already existed in the introduction, representing "what is":?????????

• Witch = founder, vision-bearer, representative of organizational purpose and mission
• Cat = loyalist (since the witch “had a cat”), representative of the first inner circle

Who came on the broom, when, and what they represent

• Dog = addition #1 | by virtue of his stoutness, "keen" spirit and "bounding", the solid, gritty, resourceful and trainable employee base necessary to gain momentum, loyal and enthusiastic, optimistically buying into the vision | the symbol of EARTH (digging for bones)
• Bird = addition #2 | by virtue of her being green, represents creativity and innovation, expansion (wings) and business development, a great next capability to bring on board | the symbol of AIR (flight)
• Frog = addition #3 | by virtue of him being “clean” (the movie version shows him going as far as testing a plant for dirt & dust), represents the discipline and order needed to help the company grow up - not a coincidence that it was his jump that cracked the broom | the symbol of WATER (swimming)

Can you see what’s missing??Fire. And the dragon representing it, of course; not merely through the actual fire he breathes out, but in his entirely red body.?

To be whole, to attain the ultimate balance in this VUCA world, organizations must embrace challenges along their journey and balance foundational "elements", making them work together. In this sense, the Earth-Air-Water-Fire call-out is both a reminder of this need for balance AND a last nod to diversity in highlighting it as a law of nature.

So what say you? Did I push it too far or not far enough?

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