Identity Crisis

People in an organisation see themselves in different ways. Some identify totally with the organisation, feel part of it and believe that they are totally involved with its values and beliefs. Others think differently; to them it's just a job, a way to pay the bills and have the money coming in so they can support their home, family and lifestyle.

Traditionally there are some types of work where we expect people to be totally involved: teachers, doctors, religious leaders. In fact we'd be mortified if we faced a doctor who didn't take an interest in our health or a teacher who didn't really care about our children's level of achievement, and as for the idea of a priest who didn't believe in his calling... well, it doesn't bear thinking about, does it?

My first job was with a company that prided itself in its family atmosphere. The factory had its own village and social club making a complete self-contained community. Every morning we walked across the estate as first the factory hooter sounded and then the company advertising jingle blared out from dozens of loudspeakers across the campus. It was Orwellian or Huxleyan - shades of "1984" or "Brave New World," and it was a huge culture shock for a newly graduated young man coming to rural France from Swinging London.

These days very few companies in the Western world would attempt to engender this sort of corporate identity though the style is still very much in vogue in much of Asia-Pacific. The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was breath-taking and awe-inspiring, but were we really watching REAL people? Are these people still individuals or is this a society where individuality is sacrificed to the greater good of the larger number.

I'm not going to deny that I was impressed, but when my mind wandered to the idea of what we might do in London in 2012, I have to confess that the very idea of a crowd of 2,000+ people all perfectly synchronised filled me with images of Hitler's mass rallies in Nuremberg rather than happy crowds in East London. At its heart, identity means a common culture, which means common values and common behaviours. But just as believers don't have to be evangelical to be true to themselves, so employees don't have to whistle the company song as they walk to work.

So - what's the secret of corporate identity? It's the same as most aspects of an efficient and effective organisation: it starts with the people at grass roots, not with the hierarchy who are removed from the everyday operation. Companies are their people, and unless identity grows from the bottom up, there will always be a barrier to anything that's coming from the top down.