Birds Fly…Supervisors Die!

The title above is the outcome of critical thinking that occurred at the end of the SHRM Strategy Conference yesterday at the Chicago Fairmont as Don Tapscott delivered and ended his talk with an analogy that was extremely powerful.  Of course, we are not talking about individual Supervisors literally dying.  Instead, focus your thoughts on the potential idea of “supervision” perhaps going by the wayside as we continue to move toward more collaboration in organizations.  Whereas, I see collaboration is people who work “together” and not “for” others to accomplish the mission of the organization. 

As you watch the video here that I found on You Tube (not exactly the one he used), listen to the author describing the way these birds join forces (as an organization) and what they are doing together in the first place (mission).  It reminds me of how I chunk the information presented in my Organizational Behavior class at UIS.  First we talk about the individuals (the bird), then the groups which are made up of individuals (listen for “groups” of birds), and finally the makeup of the organization and how the individuals, groups and organization itself affect organizational behavior (the swarm).  Notice that no one bird continuously takes the lead (supervisor).  Ironically, they don’t even collide (conflict).  The work together elegantly, swiftly, and precisely to achieve the organizational objective (in this case spotting their prey). I will forever see swarms of birds in a totally different way than I did the day before Don’s talk. 

This presentation, by far, was the most thought provoking of all those I attended this week.  I give credit to the SHRM conference planners for choosing some outstanding speakers.  My second favorite was the one I wrote about in my first ILSHRM blog Steve Cadigan.  Others I found insightful, educational, and inspiring where Bill Conaty, Bridget van Kralingen, Cynthia Worden Lee, and of course one of this year’s ILSHRM keynoters Jason Lauritsen.  If you are having a conference, I would definitely recommend any of these speakers above.

Other posts written about this conference are:  ILSHRM Represented at SHRM Strategy Conference  and CEOs Sit-Up, Take Notice, & Incorporate THINK DIFFERENT.

-Donna Rogers, Director ISC SHRM