Julie skrev på baggrund af artiklen i Djøf-bladet en lang kommentar i går med 4 overvejelser, som jeg blev rigtig glad for. De spørgsmål jeg får til arbejdet med autenticitet i organisationer virker som brændstof til at drive processen videre og tænke over de udfordringer der er i emnet. Så først og fremmest tak for det, Julie! Jeg skal prøve at give dig mine syn og holdninger på dine meget interessante spørgsmål og dilemmaer. Lad os tage det første punkt:

1. Har en organisation en sjæl?
Gennem en årrække brugte jeg og mine medarbejdere udtrykket sjæl (endda "soul" fordi vi i mange sammenhænge skriver på engelsk) om den særegne identitet der hersker i en organisation. Den selvopfattelse, som alle i organisationen kan genkende og som lever i myter og fortællinger, men som ikke nødvendigvis (nærmest sjældent) bliver medtænkt og udtrykt i virksomhedens strategi og kommunikation. I virkeligheden kunne vi også have talt om den organisatoriske identitet og organisationskulturen, men "sjæl" har den fordel, at alle uden forkundskaber synes at have en fornemmelse af, hvad der menes.

Det samme spørgsmål kan man stille om identitet. Har en organisation reelt en identitet? Eller er overførslen fra menneskers identitet til virksomheder noget abstrakt, som blot tjener det formål at vi kan tale om organisationen på en måde vi forstår? Det bliver straks værre når vi taler om sjæl fordi vi dermed trækker på et symbolsk eller endda religiøst udtryk, som der vel næppe er nogen enighed om, hvorvidt eksisterer? Sjælebegrebet ser jeg mest som en metafor og det kan blot gøre nogle komplekse socialpsykologiske relationer og systemer i en organisation til noget der er let at tale om. Om der så virkelig er en sjæl gør knap så meget for mig. Det vigtigste er, om begreberne kan gøre en forskel og sætte os i stand til at diskutere sammenhænge eller forskelle i organisationen, som vi vil udnytte eller ændre for at skabe for eksempel trivsel, nye relationer eller vækst.

Til gengæld er jeg sikker på, at en virksomhed kan være drevet af mening. Og ledere og medarbejderes evne til at definere grundlaget for virksomhedens eksistens og formidle den giver i stigende grad udslag i kunder, potentielle medarbejdere og andre stakeholderes holdning til, hvorvidt virksomheden (det gælder både private og offentlige!) er attraktiv. Når virksomheder har et særligt formål, som rækker ud over sin egen eksistens og økonomi, og den formår at eksekvere formålet i handlinger, øges vores opfattelse af virksomhedens autenticitet. I går aftes sad jeg og arbejdede med en tekst for Novozymes, som jeg synes er en "high-purpose"-virksomhed. En lang række af de produkter og udviklingspotentialer, som Novozymes har, mindsker gennem brugen af enzymer CO2-udslip, syreregn, udledning af sulfitter osv. At virksomheden så også er god til at tjene penge tager jeg som udtryk for, at man har en større chance for at få vækst og succes på markedet hvis man har et højere formål. Et højere formål kan nemlig potentielt skabe fokus, retning og mening for medarbejdere og er samtidig betydeligt lettere at brande end en virksomhed uden mening eller formål. Det er en vigtig del af det jeg kalder Refleksiv Autenticitet.

Og hvordan ved jeg så, at jeg som konsulent har udvalgt den "rigtige, mest autentiske del af historien", spørger Julie. Det ved jeg, fordi jeg undersøger medarbejdere og lederes historier, gennem interviews. Her handler det ikke om storytelling, som ellers har været meget fremme de seneste 10 år netop med det formål enten at formidle ønskelige historier internt og eksternt, men derimod hvad der kan kaldes Storylistening (ordet er vist endda trademarked af Schindl, Rughase Partners, som jeg har blogget om før) - altså at lytte til historier i organisationer med det formål bedre at forstå de opfattelser af den organisatoriske identitet der hersker i virksomheden. Disse opfattelser danner nemlig en ramme for, hvilke aktiviteter (strategisk, servicemæssige, innovationsmæssigt, kommunikativt) det er muligt at eksekvere med organisationens anerkendelse og opbakning. Hvis vi gennemfører et design- eller kommunikationsprojekt med en klient, er disse rammer afgørende for, hvad vi mener der kan skabes uden at ødelægge integrationen med de processer der allerede eksisterer i virksomheden.

Modsætningen er, som Julie skriver, at "smøre tykt på". Det er for det meste det man gør, når man reklamerer. I reklamen er der nemlig ingen grænser for, hvilke positioner, fordele eller USP'er der er tilladte. Bortset altså fra loven. Men indtil videre findes der hverken et integritets- eller autenticitets-afsnit i markedsføringsloven. Find på noget spændende og massekommunikér det med størst mulige frekvens, lyder parolen. Men højfrekvente reklamer uden afsæt i organisationens virkelighed er bare blevet så fantastisk ligegyldige for de fleste målgrupper og har mindre og mindre effekt. Og dermed er vi nået til spørgsmål 2....

Yesterday I went by Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg to visit their friday event where locals and tourists of all ages visit the brew-house to taste the beer, see the place and pet the fat brewery-cat lying around on sacks of hops.

In a research-paper by Carroll (Year 2000, paper on Ressource Partitioning), the enormous growth of micro-breweries in the US is explored and one of the interesting findings is that the american consumers assess the organizing of the producer and hence the organizational identity rather than the brand or advertising of the beer when they buy the drink for the evening. Consumers prefer a beer that is produced using the original receipe and they choose a brewery that produces the beer in a small workshop-like company where traditional methods and natural ingredients are the basis of the production.

After decades of shutting down local breweries through the 20th century due to massproduction from large Midwest industrial breweries pushing cheap beer on the market the last Brooklyn brewery closed the year I was born, in 1976. It was owned by the Schaefer and Liebmann family who had to give in as beer was delivered at a much lower cost and advertised on tv as "national" beer, supposedly being superior to the local brew. Less than 10 years later, in 1984, Associated Press correspondent Steve Hindy and a former lending officer at Chemical Bank, Tom Potter, founded The Brooklyn Brewery which is now a big success, exporting the authentic brew to Europe and Asia.

The Brooklyn Brewery as well as the micro-brew business in general has a strong, even dramatic heritage and history as well as a strong local presence rooted in the city in which the brew is produced (even though they didn't have their production in Brooklyn the first years). And in many cases - like the one in Brooklyn - there is an enormous amount of will, entrepreneurship and personal power in the creation of the brewery. It was through a radical change in Steve and Toms lifes as well as in the local community that the Brooklyn Brewery was founded, hence pulling on their Reflective Authenticity, their ability to act on their own belief.

Tour in Brooklyn Brewery explaining the history of how it all started as well as the current status of the company and the brewing process.

In Denmark you can buy Brooklyn Lager and a number of other types of beer from the Williamsburg-based brew-house. And the market tendency is the same. Over the past decade there has been and explosive growth in this market with famous beers delivered from small local breweries like Refsvindinge, Nørrebro and Mikkeler.

In The Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg, NY, a long line of bottles from historic Manhattan and Brooklyn breweries are displayed. Many of them in very unique designs.

What happened to unique differentiation of organizational identity - online? Too many corporate or organizational websites are too similar, in my opinion.

An example of 'too similiar' are the sites of two important Danish cultural institutions, that I have used a lot: The Royal Danish Library - and the other being DR, The Danish  Broadcasting System, where I used to work in the Culture and online department, giving me a reason to know their communication and online platform really well.

Yeah - they might both be quite user friendly (they are!) in front- as well as back end, which is good - and sure, they do communicate to kindred users or segments. But I hope these screen dumps still illustrates my point - and also hope that The Royal Danish Library didn't pay too much for their online design! Since the existing website of The Black Diamond and The Royal Danish Library was launched not too long ago, and after the launch of DR's current website. And, well, as far as DR goes, a new online profile is probably not what they are going shopping for just now:

Too many copy-paste solutions?
One explanation for the high degree of same-same-but-different similiarity among many corporate sites might be, that too many design- and communication agencies perform too many copy-paste jobs, in stead of innovating after providing themselves with a profound understanding of the organizations they work for, when designing and programming on behalf of their clients. Or that some agencies choose to promote a specific style with variation to be wished for.

Yes - organizations buying the same established CM-Systems and -platforms may also be part of the explanation! But that doesn't change the fact, that very similar expressions and final products of corporate websites are to be found a little too often on www. A way to go beyond this, is to have your own platform - and especially unique front end - designed and programmed, when working with a design or online agency. And of course, to have your unique identity designed to communicate the authentic strenghts, values and visions of your organization.

Don't settle for less than unique and authentic differentiation
That's one of our traits in STAGIS: To fully understand the organization we design and communicate for, work to see the world with their perspectives, through the mindset of their stakeholders, and through our own professional eyes, combining the different perspectives with a high degree of empathy in our work - so that our designs and communication work really are unique on behalf of our clients. That often includes a programming of their unique platform og CMS as well, done by our design- and IT team.

Don't settle for half solutions or less than real and authentic differentiation, when having design done for your organization - external launch of a new online profile and introducing a re-newed online platform in your organization is not something you do every day. It costs in ressources. You might as well invest, do it right and express your own authentic qualities the first time around.

Today DJØF bladet came out, bringing a cover portrait of Nikolaj Stagis and STAGIS' ongoing work on authenticity in organizations, naming Nikolaj 'The Authentic Consultant'.

In this Danish-language interview and article, theologian, philosopher and business adviser Mogens Stiller Kjärgaard characterizes Nikolaj as quoted:

"Hans styrke er hans originalitet, sensitivitet, høje intelligens og at han konstant ser alt fra en skæv vinkel. Hans vanskeligheder opstår i mødet med jakkesættene, for han er meget lidt konform. Man skal være rummelig for at tage imod ham uden videre. Men jeg vil opfordre enhver, der møder ham lidt forbeholdent, til at give ham en halv time, for han er meget spændende og ikke en, der går 12 af på dusinet."

You may read part of the portrait and interview online here at www.djoef.dk

But to get a hold of the full article, you need to get your own copy of the recent issue of DJØF Bladet no. 16 (Danish DJOEF Magazine no. 16, September 21st, 2007).

Kræftens Bekæmpelse har for nylig lanceret en ny Støt Brysterne indsamling, hvor omdrejningspunktet er websitet www.stoetbrysterne.dk, hvor man kan oprette sin egen indsamling og derfra invitere venner, bekendte og familie til at støtte indsamlingen. I skrivende stund er der 56 private og 8 virksomheder, som har en indsamling i gang og inviterer sit netværk til at støtte med et bidrag. Det er viral marketing der tjener et formål!

Vi har oprettet en STAGIS-indsamling, som du kan støtte med et bidrag her. Tryk dig ind på sitet og støt med en halvtredser - vi har sat et mål på 10.000 kr. for vores indsamling, så bidrag modtages med glæde! Så er du også med til at hjælpe forskningen mod brystkræft videre og sikre, at behandlingen bliver bedre. Der er hårdt brug for det! Du kan også følge vores og en række ambassadørers eksempel og lave din egen indsamling.

Ovre på blogomkraeft.dk er der stadig god gang i dialogen og indlæggene. Der er fem kræftpatienter der blogger om livet med (og efter) kræft og nu er den første medarbejder også gået i gang med at blogge. Forhåbentlig er der mange flere, som får lyst til at bruge tid på at diskutere Kræftens Bekæmpelses arbejde og blive klogere på, hvad omverdenen tænker om Kræftens Bekæmpelse. Bloggen blev startet i sin nuværende form i et samarbejde mellem Kræftens Bekæmpelse og STAGIS i juli måned.

Part of today was devoted to STAGIS strategy, with intensive and identity building sessions guided by Nikolaj and supported by a core of STAGIS' team. Without getting too specific, I can tell that we also had a laugh and did some very colorful drawings :-D

Why is time for strategy important? Because it frames and loads our daily efforts with direction, differentiation and perspective. It’s a time where we share ideas, give feedback and ensure a mutual understanding of our goals and purposes - one being to help our clients realize their authentic potentials through design and communication. This strategy day also included sharing perspectives between older and quite new co-workers, Pernille and Troels, together shining a light on STAGIS from different angles - a valuable learning experience for all of us, I think.

Strategy time brings in a meaningful space for reflection and sense making that counts especially over time - but also makes a difference when navigating on a daily basis. That's one reason why I could only recommend other organizations to prioritize room for reflection and developing their perspective and strategy from time to time – even though they, like us, have a busy schedule. Strategy time makes a difference, and if handled professionally, the time spent here is well earned back in the long run, making you sure of how to handle and prioritize your organizational resources on a daily basis and for the future...

If you've been following STAGISBLOG or if you scroll down the page you'll see we didn't write much over the past two weeks. I'm sure I'm not the only one in the STAGIS-team wishing for more time to blog but the past few weeks have been rather bussy. A couple of weeks ago we started working on two projects with Novozymes, a long-time support of the CSR-project Specialekontoret and one of the most interesting companies in Denmark in recent years. We're helping the enzyme and biofuel giant meet new talents in new ways.

Then we've been having a dialogue with CVU Sjælland and CVU Syd, two University Colleges who are merging into one organization encompassing 13 higher learning institutions representing a wide range of professions, student age-groups and geographic differences. It's one of the more interesting cases we've had the pleasure of working with as it involves a number of challenges involving corporate and organizational identity, internal and external communication and complex managerial challenges. Above all it entails a large potential to grow and create even better learning for the students wanting to attain a bachelor degree and a professional career within nursing, nutrition and health, education and social education. Marta will be heading this project with three of us supporting the process. I'm sure there's going to be lots to tell as we work our way into this adventure with the management team and 800 colleagues. At this point the new institution is to be named Professionshøjskolen i region Sjælland (University College Sealand).

As these projects started Anne has been spending part of the summer designing a new identity for the museum of modern art, ARKEN, which I'm sure she'll be sharing on this blog soon. There's always an exciting interplay between the challenge of a new design symbolizing a new view of the values, strengths and potentials of the organization on one hand and the historic and culturally conditioned boundaries of the organization's expression on the other. Right now we're trying to find that balance with the management team of ARKEN before we implement their new corporate identity.

For the past few weeks Sandra and Pernille has been running a high-purpose project for Familiehøjskolen Skærgården. If you visit this place, you'll see the most romantic place with houses surrounding a lake. But the background for this organizations reason for being is not so romantic. This family school hosts families that are having social, educational or abuse problems. We're helping the organization get back in touch with the social workers throughout the country as the reorganization of the danish municipalities has changed who is in charge of what - among other things who's in charge of families and children that can be helped by Familiehøjskolen.

And well, then there's the book, a new semester starting at RUC, new contacts and new adventures still to be explored.