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Band Company - the first real experience in organizational theory
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A Releasing Your Unlimited Creativity discussion topic | |
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Copyright 2005 by K. Ferlic, All Rights Reserved | |
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The authors view of management and organizational operation was colored and shaped by an experience he had his senior year of undergraduate study. This experience laid the foundation for the perspective on organizational management he used throughout his professional career and which subsequently gave rise to the organization philosophy "Orchestrating the Organization." The experience which biased his view of organizational problems was at the time experienced not seen either as something special or profound but simply doing a job that needed to be done based on with what resources were available. While attending college, the author was also a member of one of the largest the Naval Reserve Office Training Corps (NROTC) Units in the country at the time. As a result of the fact we had such a large unit, it was one of the few Units that had a sufficient large pool of midshipman with musical talents that could field and sustain a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Band, otherwise known as "Band Company." The NROTC Unit of which he was a part consisted of about a hundred and fifty individuals. It was referred to as a Battalion and divided into five companies: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Band and Whisky. Whisky Company consisted of those individuals opting to become Marine Corp officers. Part of the officer training was to give the senior midshipmen command of each of the companies such as company commander, executive officer and company lieutenants. Band Company was smallest of all the Battalion Companies. In many ways it was an honor for the Unit to have Band Company for most NROTC units were too small to consider fielding a Band Company. Band Company consisted of approximately eighteen to twenty five individuals and was a volunteer company. Individuals who played instruments did not have to be a member of the band. Yet everyone who played an instrument could not be in Band Company because you needed to be able to play a musical instrument than could be used in a marching band. But most who played marching instruments volunteered to be in Band Company. Consequently, some of the individuals in Band Company had a somewhat elitist attitude. That attitude also tended to make them somewhat lackadaisical in attitude and approach to military matter. Since they were volunteers they could always quit Band Company. Although their military attitude did leave something to be desired, their musical performance as individuals was good, unfortunately, their performance overall as a band left much to be desired. Band Company and Whisky Company provided the extremes of the spectrum for the NROTC Unit. Band company reflected the analogous organizational component reflective of professional who are hired with certain talents and abilities and put their talents and ability above the organization. Whisky Company, on the other hand, reflected the an organizational component that required no specific skill in that the individuals would be trained to do what they needed to do. But to be in Whisky Company, you needed to have a passion for the work and put the organization well above one’s personal desires. Hence Whisky Company was very much a "spit and polish" organization. They were extremely impressive. Alpha, Bravo and Charlie Companies laid in between Band Company and Whisky Company. The individuals of Alpha, Bravo and Charlie Companies reflected those individuals who did not possess the specialized skills for Band Company but usually did not have the extreme devotional attitude required for Whisky Company. These individuals were more analogous to your average corporate employee. Band Company as a band was, in the author’s opinion, was marginal at best. It was not an embarrassment to be a member of Band Company. But the band really didn’t sound as good as it could, and should. They were marginally acceptable. The campus community accept them. Nobody laughed when they played. But then again it was not uncommon for a Band Company member to be seen as a member of Hogan’s Heroes as reflected in the TV show of the time. This was not because the musicians were not talented for many of them the author knew were very competent musicians. Many of the them, as the author, were also association with the University Band. As a senior and member of Band Company, the author was given command of Band Company both because of his rank as a midshipman and his musical talents. At the end of his Junior year, the author was informed he was selected to become the Band Company Commander the following Fall at the start of his Senior year. At the end of his Junior year, as the designated future Company Commander, he began to ponder why Band Company performed so poorly. He began to pondered the issue of why such good musicians were playing so poorly. He knew all of the individual’s musical abilities. Most of Band Company’s musicians were in the University Band with the author and he know they were quite good and a few could be rated as exceptional musicians. So why did Band Company perform so poorly? He looked carefully and pursed pulling the string on the question, "Why were good musicians performing so poorly?" It didn’t seem to make sense. Since the author was one of the few individuals within the whole NROTC Unit with musical experience, he had no one to look to for guidance. In fact, he was totally on his own when it came to the musical aspects of Band Company. Militarily and managerially, the author had an enormous number of experienced individual to whom he could turn for advice. But he didn’t need military or management advice. There was some musical talent he could look to at the University. But since he was seeking information for application of music in a military band, the musically inclined individuals seemed to feel that what they could offer could not be applied to the constraints posed by the military requirements. Musically the author was on my own. In most cases eighteen to twenty musicians are more than enough to produce a very reasonably sounding, if not an exceptional, band. Many large dance bands only have about twelve individuals and most are familiar with well sounding trios and quartets. Band Company however was observed to be different. Having almost made music his career occupation, the author was very aware of what twenty competent musicians could do. Yet Band Company’s performance was always marginal - no matter what they were being asked to play. The attitude of its members was really never bad. Attitude wise, they performed as well as the best in Alpha, Bravo and Charlie companies if not better. It is just that they had no interest in the more typical extreme attitude of Whisky Company. Yet, for some reason, when looked at as a whole, Band Company did not present a Company image comparable to Alpha, Bravo or Charlie companies. In essence, something more was expected of them as a Band and they never really adequately delivered. They were acceptable but never seemed to live up to their full potential. The question was why? As a musician, the author wonder why the Band Company was allowed to continue performing when they were failing to provide what twenty musicians could provide. As a military unit they were fine. As a band they left much to be desired. As a member of Band Company for three years, the author just accepted that as the way things were. As a member of the University Band, the author was aware many of those knowledgeable about music laughed at the performance of Band Company as a musical organizations. In fact, many of the musically trained saw the Band Company more as a joke because twenty or so musicians were performing so marginally at making music. Fortunately the University had no School of Music from which to judge the performance of Band Company musically. Otherwise, the author is pretty sure some of the music faculty would have provide some not so favorable comments to have the Unit disbanded. As a "physicist in training" he remembered his Physic Department Chairman’s advice "It is in your postulates you find your problems." So he wondered, "What assumptions are being made as to what is needed for a band such that Band Company is not being given what it needs to perform well - it has support of the organization, it has talented musicians, what is missing?" Then in looking at the available music in the music library, he noticed something and made a simple observation that apparently no one else had previously seen. In hindsight the observation was made probably because of a music teacher he had several years earlier was faced with a similar but different issue. As a freshman high school student this music teacher asked him to play in an elementary/middle school band were he taught. The problem the author’s music teacher faced was that he did not have clarinet players capable of playing the part he needed to have played. The author’s music teacher did all of his own arranging and the range of music was just outside the capabilities of the students he had at the time. All he needed was one part to be played that he could not supply from within his band. But it is what the authors’ music teacher gave the author that made the difference. He gave the author a hand written sheet of music. Most conductors would buy commercially arranged music. It simply took too much time and effort to arrange music for an individual ensemble or orchestra. But this teacher would year after year arrange the music specifically for whatever band had. He did not look to some external fix to his problems except when we really wanted a particular sound and he could not get it from the complement of music students he had. The author’s music teacher looked at his own situation and worked with what he had. Only rarely did he look outside of his own complement of musicians. The author was the exception for a particular need the author’s music teacher had. In looking the music library available to Band Company trying to find something suitable for the complement of musicians in Band Company, the author realized something. All the music was looking through was commercially arranged . In fact, all the arrangements were the same arrangements of music he used in both High School and the University Band. Yet, both is High School Band and University Band had about a eighty to hundred individuals. All of the arrangements available to have were arrange for a bands of 80 to 100 musicians. The bands for which the music was arranged had four to five times the number of individuals as Band Company. Band Company had a quarter of the personnel and the mix of musician was happenstance. Band Company looked nothing like a large band for all the music that was available to Band Company. So he began to look at how the music was arranged Then he noticed something else. The composition of the complement of the musicians of Band Company changed every year. It was never stable. As students graduated and new students enter, the number and types of instrument in Band Company changed year to year. The commercial arrangements called for a fixed number of types of instruments. One could have more than the minimum number but you had to have that minimum number and type of instrumentation or the music would not sound correct. Band Company could never meet that minimum number and type of instrumentation for the commercial arrangements to work. In essence, what Band Company was given was asking them to fail musically. Since the author could not recruit or bring additional individuals into the Band, the solution then seemed straightforward. But required a lot of work. It would be necessary to rearrange the music for the particular set of musician that was available in the Fall and only do what was essential to be done for the sake of the overall harmony of the group. Then give them a little practice on the new arrangements. But there was another problem. Band Company had to address some specific music-military interface points and satisfy both the musical requirements and the military requirements. One such point was the need to turn the band inside itself while playing. Over the summer months, the author decided what types and kinds of mucic Band Company needed for the year. He also looked at how Band Company was expected to perform as a marching unit. In particular, the military pass in review that was used by the Battalion required the Band Company to execute a close order counter march where the unit turned and marched inside itself. Easily done if marching soldiers have their rifles slung over their shoulder. Very difficult for musician who is playing a trombone, trumpet or tuba without smashing the head of a fellow musician if they continued to play as they turned within the counter march. To be asked to play during the counter march invited disaster to the sound of the music or to the heads of the musicians. The problem was most of the musicians stopped playing and in the middle of a march the music always seemed to die and start up again. That was a seemingly insurmountable problem. Obtaining the solution also presented a problem. The author, as Company Commander could not go up to the Battalion Commander or even the NROTC Unit Commanding Officer and ask for advice as to how to fix the problem. Those individuals had no knowledge or experience of the musical requirements and that what was being asked would cause failure. They would have simply replied, "You’re the Company Commander, fix the problem." So fix the problem he did. He rearrange the music specifically for the instrumentation he had and he chose music that fix exactly how Band Company was expected to march. In particular, he found a piece of mucic that allowed him to execute a particular drum cadence during the counter march as part of the music such that it appeared the band never stopped performing musically. However, we would have to step out of the expected tradition in several ways. The following fall and during the first few weeks of returning to school, the author had Band Company practice the new arrangements. He especially had them practiced going into and out of the counter march with the new music. Since he had to step out of traditions several different ways, he elected to tell no one what he was doing. He figured that he would sink or swim the day they had to play in public. That day came and Band Company’s performance literally stopped the campus in its tracks. Because of the way schedules were arranged, Band Company would start its required performance just at the time classes were changing and students were crossing the campus. In the past, no one paid any attention to the music Band Company performed. However, the day Band Company performed the newly arranged music, music arranged specifically for what they were being asked to do, the campus literally stopped in it tracks. The students who were changing classes stop, looked and stayed to listen to the music and were late for class. Individual could not believe the sudden reversal in the performance of Band Company. The biggest compliment to the success of Band Company came several months later. On "Navy" Day, the NROTC Unit would march on to the University football field just before the game started. Band Company, of course, was expected to play as the Unit marched into the stadium. The University Band was extremely sympathetic to the musicians in Band Company. The University Band was prepared to play along with, and in support of, Band Company if we faltered. The University Band did not want Band Company to he embarrassed in front of so many people. They had too many friends in the Band Company. Yet, when Band Company started to play, the University Band sat in amazement and how so few musician could produce such a wonderful big sound. Band Company played its heart out. The author only learned of this after the fact when his fellow musicians from the University Band told him how they were prepared to play with Band Company. The University Band could not believe that such a turn around in the Band Company’s performance was possible. Yet it was achieve by simply given Band Company the tools in which to be successful. There was nothing ever wrong with the individuals in Band Company. They were just never given the tools to be successful. Band Company was even invited out to be played - something unheard of previously. Yet, when all was said and done the entire problem arose because the group was collectively being asked to perform outside their capabilities. Each individual was already performing well but collectively, they were set up for failure. When the group was allowed to perform within their collective capabilities they performed in what only could be described as phenomenally. The experience, of course bias the author relative to looking at the performance of any organization. It tremendously impacted the author and how he viewed organizational and corporate management from that point forward. He carried the understanding through his life and because of this experience he always looked to see if the individual was performing outside their range of capabilities or whether they were performing well and the organization was performing outside its range of capabilities or whether both the individual and the organization was performing outside their range. He used this approach in all that he did and slowly over time he become know for his ability to fix and/or startup broken organizational systems. He being to understand that for most situations it was often simply a matter of rearrange the pieces within the given constrains to either create an envelop of success or create the greatest probability of success. Yet it took him years before he consciously saw how organizational management was no different than orchestrating the music to create the space for Band Company to be successful. Although he spent his entire professional career trying to literally orchestrate the success of whatever organization in which he was a part, he never realized how important the concept of orchestrating was until the Ultimate Accident. Only when he realized the existence of the creative spirit within each individual and its need to be free to create as it needs to create did the concept of orchestrating an organization take on a profound meaning. He could now see way so many organization could not achieve the success they desired. As result of this experience in Band company, the author looked at each employee under his supervision as a musician he was asking to play a part in a larger orchestration. He always looked to see if the individual could perform the part that they were being asked to play. After the Band Company experience he began to look at whether or not what was being asked of the individual was appropriate to the larger orchestration. He stopped assuming that those in authority or who were running an organization knew what needed to be done. He looked at the individual in charge also as a musician being asked to play a part. Frequently he found the individual in charge could not play the part and some didn’t have the ability to learn the part. He stopped assuming the individuals in charge even understood what the organization was being asked to do. In some ways he began to believe the principle that individuals were promoted to their level of incompetency but he did not become that cynical. He saw the problem more of manager not checking the assumptions they were making about themselves, their people and the organization. The author stopped assuming the organizational structure was adequate to provide any organizational component or individual what was needed to do the requested job. In looking at the organization and its people as something which needed to be orchestrated, he began to see how organizations were set up for failure. It was an insight that was extremely useful both as an inspector and one of the main reasons why he was asked by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Safety and Health to help fixed the issues at the Department of Energy uncovered by the National Academy of Sciences. After the Ultimate Accident he began to understand that it was the bound creative spirit that was causing managers to make what appeared to be seemingly fact less based decisions experienced in the Laboratory Integration Prioritization System project. But he also realized employees were doing analogous things in the workplace causing accidents. He realized that many of problems being faced reflected the individual creative spirit not being free to adequately and effectively express itself. In the realization of the creative spirit the early Band Company experience and the need for Orchestrating the Organization took on a whole need meaning for the author. Related topics Index of topics related to the origins of the Releasing Your Unlimited
Creativity Technology and applications
Origins and Occasions
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