If a hierarchical organization is a ladder where winners move to the top, then a Teal organization is a soup bowl in which people connect, collaborate and create a nourishing experience for the soul.
In a hierarchical organization, key business success factors are talents, strategy, and operational excellence. Organizational success hinges on the performance of a few super heroes supported by the disengaged majority who serve purposes that don’t resonate with them. Externally, competitive advantage is the winning ticket. Internally, competition jeopardizes collaboration.
In a Teal organization, success is redefined as the well-being of an entire ecosystem, which consists of employees, customers, company, and community. When each part of the system is healthy, the whole prospers. Instead of gaining by one at others’ expenses, gaining initiates collective gain. This is a complete paradigm shift from separation to integration.
In Teal, everyone is a self-responsible entrepreneur. The success of a Teal organization depends on its ability to bring out the best in each individual and to forge collaboration among them. Individuals and teams are connected by mutual respect, common values, and shared purpose. This requires no fixing but creating the right conditions.
Ultimately, a Teal organization offers a supportive environment for realizing both human and organizational potential. It serves as a safe space in which healing takes place and each individual finds her hidden parts and becomes whole again.
This means Teal organizations operate on an elevated moral standard, trust, individual responsibilities, transparency, and capabilities to communicate and self-advocate. This is a transformation from inside out. It is not just about “what do I do to start Teal?” but to proceed that question with “what kind of person do I want to be as part of a Teal organization?”
The being is the foundation of the doing. Going Teal is not an overnight miracle but a journey. Building a solid foundation sets the journey on the right track.
Bon Voyage!
