From Hierarchy to Harmony: ?? Unlocking the Power of Co-Creation

Hey Leader,

Remember the last time a top-down decision backfired?

Let’s talk about why co-creation is the game-changer your organization needs.

Have you ever heard The Parable of the Broken Clock?

In a bustling village, a grand clock tower stood as a symbol of unity and pride. One day, the clock stopped working, causing disarray among the villagers.

The village elders called in a renowned clockmaker who declared it would take months and cost a fortune to fix. The villagers were disheartened as they couldn’t afford it.

A young apprentice suggested that everyone in the village help. Though the elders scoffed, he persisted. The blacksmith crafted new gears, the carpenter repaired the casing, and the glassblower replaced the glass. Even the children cleaned and polished the parts.

To everyone’s surprise, the clock was restored quickly and cheaply. The villagers celebrated, proud of their collective effort and unity.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” — Helen Keller

The Pyramid in Your Organization

Like the village clock, your organization is a complex system that thrives on collective contributions. Traditional hierarchical structures create an asymmetric power dynamic where executives dictate and employees merely follow.

This fosters a “have to” rather than a “get to” or “want to” mindset, leading to an adult-to-child relationship. When employees are treated like children, they tend to act accordingly, often getting stuck in the Karpman drama triangle and feeling victimized. Consequently, no top-down change management program can fix this, which is why 70% of change initiatives fail.

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” — Steve Jobs

Famous Failures Due to Lack of Co-Creation

• New Coke Debacle: Coca-Cola launched “New Coke” without consulting loyal fans, leading to a swift and costly return to the original formula.
• Windows Vista Launch: Microsoft’s minimal user input resulted in a bug-ridden and compatibility-issue-filled Windows Vista, a major flop.
• Apple Maps Fiasco: Apple replaced Google Maps with their own flawed version, leading to widespread inaccuracies and a rare public apology from CEO Tim Cook.
• Boeing 737 Max Crisis: Boeing’s insufficient pilot and operator input during the 737 Max rollout resulted in two tragic crashes, underscoring the dangers of ignoring stakeholders.
• Scarlett Johansson’s Voice Incident: OpenAI faced backlash for using a voice similar to Scarlett Johansson’s without her consent, raising legal and ethical issues.

The Shift to Co-Creation

Co-creation transforms the traditional adult-to-child dynamic into an adult-to-adult relationship where everyone has a stake. Originating from marketing, design thinking, and organizational development, and popularized by C.K. Prahalad and Venkat Ramaswamy, co-creation involves all stakeholders in the process. It taps into collective intelligence, fostering ownership and engagement.

Why co-creation works better:

• Empowerment: Employees feel valued and empowered when they have a say.
• Innovation: Diverse perspectives lead to innovative solutions.
• Engagement: Co-creation fosters a sense of belonging and purpose.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” — African Proverb

Lessons from Nature: The Collective Action of Starlings

Nature has mastered the art of co-creation and collective action. Consider the mesmerizing formations of starlings, known as murmurations. These birds don’t rely on a great manager or performance reviews. Instead, each starling syncs with the other seven closest birds, and together they create complex, unified patterns.

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Starlings aren’t the only ones showing us humans how to do it better:

• Ant Colonies: Ants follow simple rules and communicate through pheromones, performing complex tasks without a central authority.
• Bee Hives: Bees use democratic decision-making to find new hive locations, showcasing the power of collective intelligence.
• Fungi Networks: Mycorrhizal networks, or the “Wood Wide Web,” allow trees to communicate and share resources, enhancing ecosystem resilience.

Organizations can learn from these natural examples to create structures that promote autonomy, local decision-making, and open communication. Encouraging a culture where employees feel empowered to take initiative and collaborate freely can lead to more innovative and resilient organizations.

Haidt’s The Anxious Generation: Is Your Organization Anxious?

Jonathan Haidt’s book, “The Anxious Generation”, highlights an alarming epidemic among our young people with staggering statistics.

As Haidt observes:

“Gen Z became the first generation in history to go through puberty with a portal in their pockets that called them away from the people nearby and into an alternate universe that was exciting, addictive, unstable, and — as I will show — unsuitable for children and adolescents. Succeeding socially in that universe required them to devote a large part of their consciousness — perpetually — to managing what became their online brand. This was now necessary to gain acceptance from peers, which is the oxygen of adolescence, and to avoid online shaming, which is the nightmare of adolescence.”

Haidt’s analysis highlights the stark differences between online and offline interactions. Online interactions, particularly through social media, are mostly asynchronous, leading to fragmented and often superficial exchanges, losing the depth and immediacy of face-to-face communication.

In contrast, synchronous communication happens in real-time, allowing for immediate feedback, richer emotional exchanges, and stronger interpersonal connections.

Applying Haidt’s Insights to Our Organizations

Just as kids need free play to develop critical social skills, employees need opportunities for real-time, meaningful interactions to thrive. By reducing unnecessary micromanagement, increasing opportunities for collaborative work, and fostering a culture that values both synchronous and asynchronous communication, we can create more resilient and innovative organizations.

Similarly, employees need freedom and autonomy to thrive. Over-supervision and rigid structures stifle creativity and growth. Just as kids benefit from free play, employees benefit from a co-creative environment where they can explore, innovate, and contribute meaningfully.

Story: A Culture Transformed in 30 Days

Let’s zoom in on Sarah, an executive leader at a big tech company. Under an immense amount of pressure to hit numbers, manage a large team, and keep the business running smoothly, Sarah visibility and influence with the team had taken a nosedive.

Drowning in a sea of change fatigue and burnout, every new project or initiative generates resistance and irritation. Collectively they’ve lost the edge, inspiration, and winning culture they once had.

The traditional go-tos of scheduling all-day town halls and sending long-form emails had continued to be ineffective at transforming the organizational mindset from “I have to” to “I want to.” Instead Sarah leveraged Latch to amplify, activate, and accelerate the organizational change she so desperately needed .

? Within just 30 days, engagement flipped from 70% disengaged to 74% engaged. Her team, once weary and skeptical, was now buzzing with energy and ideas. Imagine the upside of a team of 100 people being bought in and charged up? The difference was night and day.

Just as Haidt advocates for a healthier, more balanced approach to childhood development, we should strive for a healthier, more balanced approach to organizational development.

Let’s break down the pyramids and build circles of collaboration. Your employees will thank you, and your organization will thrive.

Keep innovating,

Joe

??P.S. — if you want a fast moving, mind-blowing conversation between Terrence Howard, who holds 96 patents on why we get gravity wrong and there is no such thing as “straight lines” — check out this podcast with Joe Rogan.