Is this what people want? Singing along what the Big Gurus have provided? Music and lyrics?
Some times I feel this is the case. A cheaper, canned, commoditised version of Guru X,Y,X , or a regurgitation of A,B,C book.
Lonely Planet version of a trip to Organisational Land?
Eurovision winner version of Change Management?
People get the music, sing the music and sing.
In Viral Change ™ [1]we have seen a fair amount of this. Behaviours? We have them, you bet. Peer-to-peer? We have the Talent Management group of course! The informal organization? Well, we have organised some employee cafes. Storytelling? Wow! We have lots of them. Backstage leadership? Mmm. Don’t know what that means, but we have leaders with PowerPoint. We have done Viral Change™!
Viral Change™ Karaoke? Yes.
This is the equivalent of a political campaign that says: we have some offices, a list of volunteers, the leader will turn up, we have tons of leaflets. What could possible go wrong? We have all the ingredients.
Excuse me. What about the cooking.
Unfortunately, amateur karaoke consultants are happy to come along with a CD player, a libretto (lots of librettos) sing along and inviting you to sing along.
Organizational work is not a rehearsal, a sing along cultural change.
But Karaoke is a wonderful entertainment, I must admit.
Well, I could not tell you. I can’t sing.