What Managers Can Learn from Jazz Improvisation

?General Dwight Eisenhower, architect of the D-day invasion that paved the way to an Allied victory in World War II, famously said, “Plans are worthless.” What some people have forgotten, however, is that he added, “Planning is everything.”?

That’s not a contradiction. In any context, a well-conceived planning process sharpens objectives, exposes possible obstacles, and illuminates potential paths, even though the exact route may not be determined until the interaction is well under way.?

Plans can only be provisional, whether they are for combat, launching a new business, making a deal, or resolving a dispute. In both warfare and negotiation, the fog of uncertainty, unknowns, and changing circumstances makes anticipating every possibility impossible. US Marine Corps doctrine states: “The further ahead we think, the less our actual influence becomes.?

Therefore, the further ahead we gaze, the less precision we should attempt to impose. Looking ahead thus becomes less a matter of influence and more a matter of laying the groundwork for possible future actions and ongoing learning. As events approach and our ability to influence them grow, we have already developed an appreciation for the situation and how we want to shape it.?

This reality complicates coordination and planning in the military, especially communication between high-level officers who devise strategy and troops in the field who must execute it. A similar challenge occurs in business between senior managers who create marketing campaigns or oversee procurement, and the salespeople and purchasing agents who conduct the actual deals.?

If you are a regular reader, you know my mantra is that strategic agility and nimble tactics are the essence of negotiation success. (For more on this see my February 29th article, The Jazz of Negotiation .?But as two of my colleagues, Ethan Bernstein and Frank Barrett rightfully remind me, agility within an organization can flourish or flounder depending on its structure and culture.?

Ethan teaches the required Managing Human Capital at Harvard Business School and Frank directs the Positive Organizational Development masters program at Case Western. Earlier this month, they collaborated in one of Ethan’s classes. Frank, who is gifted on the piano, demonstrated in real time the virtues and challenges of jazz improvisation. And the good news for us is that they made a four-minute video explaining their ideas about promoting experimentation and learning. Here’s the link .

To learn more, read Frank’s Yes to the Mess: Surprising Leadership Lesson from Jazz . And put a reminder in your calendar that Job Moves: 9 Steps for Making Progress in your Career will launch November 5th.

#negotiation, #strategy, #humancapital, #organization, leadership