TEAM OR TRIBE?

Consultants like me spend a lot of their time helping organisations to build outstanding teams that can deliver extraordinary results.

But it struck me yesterday, why do we try and build teams, when we could be building tribes.

We view teams as a group of people that have been recruited to be together for a common purpose, but that may be a loose agreement for many. They may wear the same colours, eat in the same canteen, and get paid by the same department.

Anthropologists and academics may dispute the definition of a tribe, but for my mind, creating a tribe is what organisations should be aiming for.

A tribe has a much deeper commitment to a cause, a total willingness to submit itself to a bigger why. Tribes enjoy a common solidarity, culture and tie to their purpose, and most importantly they ‘belong’ in a way that creates a very powerful conviction, to the end.

Tribes are only brought together for one reason, the collective survival and advancement of one particular cause.

Imagine if you could affiliate your team for one common purpose. Imagine what they could achieve with a tribal approach and attitude!