Have you been paying attention? The business community is starting to notice what’s working and it’s trending Teal.
Today Alone
It’s all so inspiring, isn’t it!? We get excited, because all these examples — every single one — fits into a Teal strategy.
But then it happens. After your delicious shot of Teal Kool-Aid, you go back to work and reality returns in a hurry – too many meetings, inefficiencies, creativity-squashing policies, and stifling administrative overreach prevent you from moving towards anything meaningful.
Or so you think.
Unless you’re working for the mafia, chances are pretty high there are Teal tactics being practiced in your organization. How do you find them? Follow the success trail.
What do I mean by this? Here’s an example of Teal turning up in the most un-Teal-like place imaginable; smack dab in the middle of 1980s corporate culture.
Back to the Future
There was no Teal in the 1980s. The idea of a “Teal” organization entered the fringe of mainstream thinking in the United States in 2014 when author Frederick Laloux released his book, Reinventing Organizations where he identified the paradigms of how people have worked together in large organizations. Then he color-coded each paradigm.
My story starts in 1985. Celebrated management practices touted highly structured, numbers-driven, rigid, and compartmentalized departments with strict hierarchies (your standard soul-sucking cube farm). The Orange paradigm reigned supreme.
Marriott Hotels, like its peers, fit right into Orange when it rolled out Courtyard by Marriott.Courtyard was designed to be different. It was branded as a consistent, quality hotel that provided a warm, inviting, and personal experience for weary business travelers and others on the road. In the early days, the organizational framework was structured so employees could focus all their time on guests at the hotel. Accounting, reservations, sales, and other “back of house” support functions were offsite at a regional office responsible for multiple Courtyards.
In my various roles with Marriott, and more importantly, within its rigid Orange structure, I always pushed the envelope on providing employees cross-training opportunities and creating an atmosphere of esprit des corps.
I was part of the first regional office and with it, all the pressures of executing a new venture. I also had the luxury of being in an enabler position: a member of the regional senior leadership team that allowed for experimentation and did not discourage a paradigm shift or two! Here are the Teal tactics we implemented in our definitively non-Teal organization. And in the process, we collectively turned Courtyards by Marriott into a smashing success.
What About You?
You see? You don’t have to work in a Teal-minded organization to implement Teal tactics. Furthermore, I’m confident you are currently implementing at least three in your current role … if not more!
If you need some help identifying them, try our complimentary Teal Organizational Readiness Assessment. It’s filled with specific lists of action items organized by various functionalities within an organization. Pinpoint what you are doing and doing well!
A Teal organization is not a quick achievement. It’s built incrementally, bit-by-bit, person-by-person, slowly moving forward, adapting, stretching and innovating. Find your successes, and build from there.
Welcome to the conversation.
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Cheryl Adas is powered by bringing out the best in others. As a specialist in sales evolution leadership, she has helmed the progressive advancement of numerous large-scale sales processes. Accomplishments include launching Courtyard by Marriott Hotels and rolling out The Challenger Sale to more than 1000 sales leaders, professionals and support teams at Xerox Corporation. Today she works as the Lead Consultant at Beyond Teal.