Your Office Can Motivate You
by Amanda Johnson, Employee Motivation Consultant for ClickHelp.com — professional technical writing tool
The majority of people is searching for motivation outside their office and working hours — books, movies, pictures with quotes that you should work harder. But what if I say that your job and the office atmosphere can inspire you to work productively? Will you believe me? It’s not about organising your workspace or something else, it’s about the organisation system by and large. I want to tell you about Turquoise (Teal) organizations and why your manager should reorganize your working process.
The History of Turquoise Organizations
It began when Frederic Laloux published his book named ‘Reinventing Organizations’.
This book is considered to be one of the most influential book that has helped hundreds of organisations rethink their organisation model.
Frederic Laloux described from the historical point of view how humanity had shifted to a new stage of consciousness. Then he offered a radically more productive organizational model and how it worked in real life.
The 5 Stages of Organizational Development
Frederic Laloux innovated 5 steps of organizational development and colored each step. Let’s examine them in details.
Red
It’s the first form of society organisation that appeared about 10,000 years ago. People were organized into chiefdoms, and in order to keep an organisation, a chief used his power to submit people. Examples of Red organizations are the Mafia, street gangs, and tribal militias.
Amber
The Amber form of organisation led to the era of civilizations, organized religions, states and agriculture. People of that time were self-controlled and disciplined not by power but by a moral that everybody should follow. There were laws to define what was wrong and what was right. The authority played the role of the God, for example, the Pharaoh.
This stage innovated two important concepts: long-term planning and stable organizational structures. Thanks to them the Great Wall of China and the pyramids were built.
Orange
People reached this stage thanks to the Industrial Revolution. There were not only wrong or right things anymore, society was a complex phenomenon that was governed by natural laws. Orange organizations brought three major organizational technologies: innovation, responsibility and meritocracy. During that time organizations were still using the hierarchical pyramid but favor initiative. Strategy and planning were not at the top anymore, earning money was the primary goal. Multinational companies are a current example of the Orange organization.
Green
The educational level of workers rose, so it was difficult for leaders to keep the hierarchical power. Thus, the Green model appeared. It is about teamwork, every member is valued and should be equally respected. Harmony, cooperation, and consensus are important aspects of this organisation form. The Green model innovated three concepts, they are value-oriented culture, empowerment, and multiple stakeholders. Laloux cites Southwest Airlines, Ben & Jerry’s, and DaVita as current examples of Green companies.
Teal
Maybe, it will be difficult to describe the whole concept of Teal companies that’s why I want to exemplify it.
Patagonia is a designer of outdoor clothing and gear for the silent sports: climbing, surfing, skiing and snowboarding, fly fishing, and trail running.
This company provides its employees with the relaxed atmosphere, healthy and fresh food, and other necessary things for productive and comfortable work:
“The on-campus farmers market allows employees to get locally grown, organic food during their workday rather than having to travel to a store for these items.” (source)
Watch these video and you’ll understand that there are no limits for Patagonia’s employees:
As you can guess, Teal companies are about family, friendship and teamwork. You shouldn’t find the balance between life and work, because office hours are comfortable for you. All these things motivate people work hard, show initiative, be proactive, and do their best to help the company prosper.
Unfortunately, there are not so many companies as Patagonia, but I believe that this model will be the only form of any organization because it really works. Why don’t managers use this model if it’s really effective? They are afraid of laziness — people will relax and do nothing but this is the point, people are not productive when they are working under pressure. So, show your manager this article and, maybe, your company will become Patagonia-like.
What do you think about teal companies?Will it work for you? What color is your company?
Amanda Johnson,
Employee Motivation Consultant for ClickHelp.co — best online documentation tool for SaaS vendors
