The Tree Model: Remaining Authentic & Building a Unique Culture

About 20 years ago I was deeply immersed in the discipline of authentic places. We love

authentic places. So much, in fact, that we copy them. I had just returned to the US from eight years in Asia and two years in Europe and caught up in a real estate boom, mostly master-planned communities, where the developer nonchalantly announced that this community was to be Tuscan, while the next one would celebrate Provence.

I asked why.

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Because we LOVE Tuscany.

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My question to the Developer: “If you copy Tuscany, does it make you feel the same as real Tuscany?”

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Developer: “No. But we have nothing better here. There is no history or culture to draw from, so we must import it.”

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My thoughts: “ Why spend all that money copying something that is authentic elsewhere. Why don’t we find what makes a place authentic and therefore lovable?”

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It was Xsense’s goal to figure that out. What makes a place authentic? And how can we quickly show and explain this to any team?

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It took a while, but finally I came up with The Tree Model.

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There are two kinds of trees. Firstly, there is a tree that has grown for decades and has deep roots, great big branches and some kind of fruit. The tree changes with the seasons and bears new fruit every year, and the size and sweetness of the fruit will differ, depending on weather, soil, etc. It’s sustainable and real.

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The other tree is a Christmas Tree. It has no roots. It lasts for about a month, and we quickly hang shiny objects on it. We throw it out after a season, and we start over next year. To “sell” such a place, we need to create glossy brochures with a made-up story that tries to make sense of it all. It’s not sustainable and needs constant rework.

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The real tree symbolizes a real place like Tuscany. The DNA, its history, its customs, its natural resources are in its roots, in the soil. The first generation figured out how to survive and thrive there--how to build, with what to build, what to grow, how to eat, how to celebrate, how to behave, etc. Every generation learns from the generation before and every generation uses its own genius and adapts, while respecting what’s local. When we travel to Tuscany, we always experience true Tuscany, but we also experience subtle changes: food culture evolves, fashion is renewed, buildings are renovated … and yet, the rich “root material” of its culture keeps informing the new generation and they are proud of it. Places like this don’t need a glossy brochure to sell it. It sells itself through the stories people tell, the photos people take and the documentary films that dig deep and explain the deep roots of this culture.

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Here is also a hybrid scenario, when, for example, a real tree bears some of its real fruits, but also various ornaments from different eras …and the place becomes so confusing to people because they cannot tell a coherent story about their experience there. They lack culture and meaning.

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I have used these tree models side by side for decades now and I have learned that it adapt to almost every scenario:

To companies: In working with businesses, it’s apparent how some businesses have deep roots, deep values and traditions, all of which are modernized and revitalized with every new generation. These roots and values are kept alive by leadership that personifies these values and helps greatly in defining and living its corporate culture, creating strategic plans that are authentic to the roots of the company—these companies have stories people share. We see this beautiful mechanism immediately disrupted when, perhaps a new leader is installed who brings in “ornamental” values from elsewhere and are foreign to the organization, creating a cultural clash.

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To Nonprofits and Membership Organizations: as with any organization, the tree model helps identify the root DNA of any organization, guiding its way through short-term and long-term planning, branding, hiring and training.

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The fake tree resembles a quickly built new place. Instead of drawing authenticity and culture from its non-existent roots, we quickly add shiny functional ornaments such as Starbucks, chain stores, chain restaurants and a handful of McMansions—none of which is deeply rooted in the local community.

If leadership is not firmly rooted in the roots of an organization, a place or an organization may start out as authentic, with roots and a unique culture, and then slowly erode with more and more ornaments confusing its once pristine culture.

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How will you use this model?