A ‘FAMILY’ MAY NOT BE THE BEST METAPHOR FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION

On the 28th Feb this year, the Wall Street Journal published an article titled “At Marc Benioff’s Salesforce, It’s One Big Family—Until Trouble Hits”. The Journal contrasted Benioff’s penchant for using the Hawaiian word “ohana”, or familial bonds, to describe the company’s close relationship with employees, with his decision to lay-off 8,000 workers.

Benioff is not alone in using the “family” metaphor when speaking with, or referring to, employees. I’ve heard countless leaders do exactly the same, but it’s not a very helpful metaphor for an organization in my experience – especially one that aims to be high performing – and not just because it can come back to bite you like it did Benioff.

I don’t know about you, but most of the families I know are rather dysfunctional – including mine. It makes them interesting for sure, but not necessarily productive, purposeful, or high performing. Families are also paternal, maternal or both – where the kids rely on their parents for a very long time. As leaders, do we really want to encourage this type of dependence in our organizations?

If you’re trying to encourage a high performing organization, better metaphors include an elite sports team, orchestra, or dance company. In the best of these environments, there is typically a strong sense of shared purpose and values, roles and responsibilities are clear, feedback is expected, immediate and frequent, there are high levels of mutual accountability, a constant focus on recruiting, developing, and retaining the very best talent available, and a desire to get better every day, individually and collectively, in the pursuit of excellence.

Next time you’re about to use the family metaphor in your organization, you might like to consider whether it’s conveying the attributes and expectations you’re after.

Inspiration from others

“Home is where you are loved the most and act the worst.” – Marjorie Pay Hinckley

“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” – George Burns

Questions to reflect on

• What metaphors do you use in your organization, consciously or unconsciously?
• How helpful are these metaphors, relative to your ambitions?
• What metaphors will best serve you moving forward?

If you’d like to receive future blogs, please subscribe here.