Margaret Heffernan: Why it's time to forget the pecking order at work

Prevoditelj: Igor Pureta Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

An evolutionary biologist at Purdue University

Evolucijski biolog William Muir sa

named William Muir studied chickens.

sveučilišta Purdue proučavao je kokoši.

He was interested in productivity --

Zanimala ga je produktivnost --

I think it's something that concerns all of us --

mislim da je to nešto što se tiče svakog --

but it's easy to measure in chickens because you just count the eggs.

ali je lako mjerljivo kod kokoši jer treba samo prebrojati jaja.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

He wanted to know what could make his chickens more productive,

Želio je znati kako učiniti kokoši produktivnijima

so he devised a beautiful experiment.

i osmislio je predivan eksperiment.

Chickens live in groups, so first of all, he selected just an average flock,

Kokoši žive u grupama pa je najprije izabrao prosječno jato

and he let it alone for six generations.

i pustio ih samima preko šest generacija.

But then he created a second group

Tada je stvorio i drugu grupu

of the individually most productive chickens --

od pojedinačno, najproduktivnijih kokoši

you could call them superchickens --

možemo ih nazvati superkokošima,

and he put them together in a superflock,

i stavio ih zajedno u superkokošinjac,

and each generation, he selected only the most productive for breeding.

i u svakoj generaciji je izabrao samo najproduktivnije za rasplod.

After six generations had passed,

Nakon šest generacija,

what did he find?

što je otkrio?

Well, the first group, the average group, was doing just fine.

Prva grupa, prosječna grupa, je dobro napredovala.

They were all plump and fully feathered

Kokoši su bile ugojene i pernate,

and egg production had increased dramatically.

a broj jaja se znatno povećao.

What about the second group?

Što se dogodilo drugoj grupi?

Well, all but three were dead.

Sve osim tri kokoši su bile mrtve.

They'd pecked the rest to death.

Prokljucale su ostale do smrti.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

The individually productive chickens had only achieved their success

Pojedinačno produktivne kokoši su uspjele ostvariti uspjeh

by suppressing the productivity of the rest.

tako da su suzbile uspjeh drugih.

Now, as I've gone around the world talking about this and telling this story

Kako sam obilazila svijet i pričala tu priču

in all sorts of organizations and companies,

u svim mogućim organizacijama i poduzećima,

people have seen the relevance almost instantly,

ljudi su uvidjeli važnost priče skoro pa odmah,

and they come up and they say things to me like,

te bi mi prišli i rekli nešto poput

"That superflock, that's my company."

"Taj superkokošinjac, takvo je moje poduzeće."

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Or, "That's my country."

Ili, "Takva je moja država."

Or, "That's my life."

Ili, "Takav je moj život."

All my life I've been told that the way we have to get ahead is to compete:

Cijeli život su mi govorili da je jedini način za napredovanje natjecanje:

get into the right school, get into the right job, get to the top,

idi u pravu školu, nađi pravi posao, budi na vrhu

and I've really never found it very inspiring.

ali mene to nikad nije nadahnjivalo.

I've started and run businesses because invention is a joy,

Započela sam svoje poduzeće zato što je inovacija radost

and because working alongside brilliant, creative people

i zato što je rad s nadarenim, kreativnim ljudima

is its own reward.

sam po sebi nagrada.

And I've never really felt very motivated by pecking orders or by superchickens

I zato što me kljucanje drugih nikad nije motiviralo, kao niti superkokoši

or by superstars.

ili superzvijezde.

But for the past 50 years,

Tijekom zadnjih 50 godina,

we've run most organizations and some societies

vodimo većinu organizacija i poneka društva

along the superchicken model.

po tom modelu superkokošinjca.

We've thought that success is achieved by picking the superstars,

Smatramo da se uspjeh postiže odabirom superzvijezda,

the brightest men, or occasionally women, in the room,

najpametnijih muškaraca ili ponekad žena u prostoriji

and giving them all the resources and all the power.

te dajući im sva sredstva i svu moć.

And the result has been just the same as in William Muir's experiment:

A rezultat je isti kao i u eksperimentu William Muira:

aggression, dysfunction and waste.

agresija, nefunkcionalnost i gubitak.

If the only way the most productive can be successful

Ako je jedini način da najproduktivniji budu uspješni

is by suppressing the productivity of the rest,

tako da suzbijaju produktivnost drugih

then we badly need to find a better way to work

tada pod hitno trebamo naći bolji način rada

and a richer way to live.

i bogatiji način življenja.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

So what is it that makes some groups

Dakle, što čini neke grupe

obviously more successful and more productive than others?

naočigled uspješnije i produktivnije nego druge?

Well, that's the question a team at MIT took to research.

To je pitanje koje je tim na MIT-u odlučio istražiti.

They brought in hundreds of volunteers,

Doveli su stotine dobrovoljaca,

they put them into groups, and they gave them very hard problems to solve.

svrstali ih u grupe i dali im teške probleme koje su trebali riještiti.

And what happened was exactly what you'd expect,

Ono što se dogodilo je točno ono što bi i očekivali,

that some groups were very much more successful than others,

neke grupe su bile uspješnije nego druge,

but what was really interesting was that the high-achieving groups

ali ono što je zaista bilo zanimljivo jest da grupe s visokim rezultatima

were not those where they had one or two people

nisu bile one koje su imale jedno ili dvoje ljudi

with spectacularly high I.Q.

sa iznimno visokim kvocijentom inteligencije.

Nor were the most successful groups the ones that had the highest

Niti su najuspješnije grupe bile one koje su imale najviši

aggregate I.Q.

zbir kvocijenta inteligencije.

Instead, they had three characteristics, the really successful teams.

Umjesto toga, vrlo uspješne grupe su imale tri karkateristike.

First of all, they showed high degrees of social sensitivity to each other.

Prvo, pokazivale su međusobno visoki stupanj društvene osjetljivosti.

This is measured by something called the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test.

To je mjereno pomoću testa koji se zove Čitanje uma u očima.

It's broadly considered a test for empathy,

To je opće prihvaćeni test za empatiju,

and the groups that scored highly on this

i grupe koje su dobile više bodova na njemu

did better.

su imale i bolje postignuće.

Secondly, the successful groups gave roughly equal time to each other,

Drugo, unutar uspješne grupe svi članovi su imali jednako vremena na raspolaganju,

so that no one voice dominated,

tako da niti jedan glas nije dominirao,

but neither were there any passengers.

ali nitko nije bio niti prolaznik.

And thirdly, the more successful groups

Treće, uspješnije grupe

had more women in them.

su imale više žena.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

Now, was this because women typically score more highly on

Je li to zato što žene najčešće ostvaruju više bodova na

the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test,

testu Čitanje uma u očima,

so you're getting a doubling down on the empathy quotient?

što je rezultiralo povećanjem kvocijenta empatije?

Or was it because they brought a more diverse perspective?

Ili je razlog taj što su žene doprinijele raznolikosti u perspektivi?

We don't really know, but the striking thing about this experiment

Nismo sigurni, ali iznenađujuća činjenica u vezi eksperimenta

is that it showed what we know, which is some groups do better than others,

je pokazala ono što znamo. Neke grupe su bolje od drugih,

but what's key to that

a ono što je ključno

is their social connectedness to each other.

jest njihova društvena povezanost.

So how does this play out in the real world?

Kako se to odražava u stvarnom svijetu?

Well, it means that what happens between people really counts,

To znači da je važno ono što se događa među ljudima,

because in groups that are highly attuned and sensitive to each other,

jer u grupama kod kojih su članovi svjesni i osjetljivi jedni prema drgima,

ideas can flow and grow.

ideje se mogu razmjenjivati i rasti.

People don't get stuck. They don't waste energy down dead ends.

Ljudi ne zapnu. Ne troše energiju na stvari bez mogućnosti završetka.

An example: Arup is one of the world's most successful engineering firms,

Primjer: Arup je jedna od najuspješnijih svjetskih inženjerskih poduzeća,

and it was commissioned to build the equestrian center

i od njih je naručena izgradnja konjičkog centra

for the Beijing Olympics.

za Olimpijske igre u Pekingu.

Now, this building had to receive

Ta zgrada je trebala primiti

two and a half thousand really highly strung thoroughbred horses

dvije i pol tisuće razdražljivih prvoklasnih konja

that were coming off long-haul flights,

koji su dolazili sa dugih letova,

highly jet-lagged, not feeling their finest.

neprilagođeni drugoj vremenskoj zoni, i ne baš u vrhunskom izdanju.

And the problem the engineer confronted was,

Problem s kojim se suočio inženjer

what quantity of waste to cater for?

je bio o kojoj količini otpada će se trebati brintui?

Now, you don't get taught this in engineering school -- (Laughter) --

To vas ne uče u inženjerskoj školi -- (Smijeh) --

and it's not really the kind of thing you want to get wrong,

i to nije jedna od stvari koju smijete pogriješiti.

so he could have spent months talking to vets, doing the research,

On je mogao provesti mjesece razgovarajući s veterinarima i istražujući

tweaking the spreadsheet.

slažući tablice s podacima.

Instead, he asked for help

Umjesto toga, potražio je pomoć

and he found someone who had designed the Jockey Club in New York.

i pronašao nekog tko je dizajnirao Jahački klub u New Yorku.

The problem was solved in less than a day.

Problem je riješen u manje od dana.

Arup believes that the culture of helpfulness

Arup vjeruje da je gajenje kulture pomaganja

is central to their success.

središnji dio njihovog uspjeha.

Now, helpfulness sounds really anemic,

No, pomaganje zvuči prilično anemično,

but it's absolutely core to successful teams,

a istovremeno je i osnova uspješnih timova

and it routinely outperforms individual intelligence.

i rutinski nadmašuje iteligenciju pojedinca.

Helpfulness means I don't have to know everything,

Pomoć znači da ja ne moram znati sve,

I just have to work among people who are good at getting and giving help.

već trebam raditi među ljudima koji su dobri u davanju i primanju pomoći.

At SAP, they reckon that you can answer any question in 17 minutes.

U SAP-u su izračunali da možete dati odgovor na bilo koje pitanje u 17 minuta.

But there isn't a single high-tech company I've worked with

No, nema niti jednog visoko tehnološkog poduzeća s kojem sam radila

that imagines for a moment that this is a technology issue,

koje i za trenutak pomišlja da je to zapravo tehnološki problem,

because what drives helpfulness is people getting to know each other.

jer ono što pokreće pomaganje su ljudi koji se međusobno poznaju.

Now that sounds so obvious, and we think it'll just happen normally,

To, naravno, zvuči vrlo očito i mi mislimo da će se to dogoditi samo po sebi,

but it doesn't.

iako se ne događa.

When I was running my first software company,

Dok sam vodila svoje prvo softversko poduzeće

I realized that we were getting stuck.

shvatila sam da jednostavno ne napredujemo

There was a lot of friction, but not much else,

Bilo je prilično trvenja, no ništa više,

and I gradually realized the brilliant, creative people that I'd hired

osim što sam s vremenom shvatila da se sjajni, kreativni ljudi koje sam zaposlila

didn't know each other.

međusobno ne poznaju.

They were so focused on their own individual work,

Bili su toliko fokusirani, na njihov individualni posao

they didn't even know who they were sitting next to,

da nisu niti znali do koga sjede

and it was only when I insisted that we stop working

i tek kad sam inzistirala da svi prestanemo raditi

and invest time in getting to know each other

i uložimo vrijeme da bismo se bolje upoznali

that we achieved real momentum.

smo postigli stvarni napredak.

Now, that was 20 years ago, and now I visit companies

Danas, 20 godina poslije, posjećujem druga poduzeća

that have banned coffee cups at desks

koja brane šalice s kavom na stolovima

because they want people to hang out around the coffee machines

jer žele da se njihovi radnici druže oko uređaja za kavu

and talk to each other.

i razgovaraju jedni s drugima.

The Swedes even have a special term for this.

Šveđani čak imaju i poseban izraz za tako nešto

They call it fika, which means more than a coffee break.

Oni to zovu --fika-- što znači puno više od pauze za kavu.

It means collective restoration.

To znači zajedničko obnavljanje.

At Idexx, a company up in Maine,

U Idexx-u, poduzeću u Mainu

they've created vegetable gardens on campus so that people

kreirali su povrtnjake oko poduzeća kako bi ljudi

from different parts of the business

iz različitih dijelova njihovog poduzeća

can work together and get to know the whole business that way.

mogli zajedno raditi u njima i na taj način upoznati čitavo poslovanje.

Have they all gone mad?

Jesu li oni svi poludjeli?

Quite the opposite -- they've figured out that when the going gets tough,

Upravo obrnuto -- oni su shvatili kad stvari postanu guste

and it always will get tough

a uvijek će postati gusto

if you're doing breakthrough work that really matters,

ako se bavite pionirskim poslovima koji su zaista važni

what people need is social support,

ono što ljudima treba je društvena podrška

and they need to know who to ask for help.

i spoznaja kome se mogu obratiti za pomoć.

Companies don't have ideas; only people do.

Poduzeća nemaju ideje, imaju ih samo ljudi.

And what motivates people

A ono što motivira ljude

are the bonds and loyalty and trust they develop between each other.

su veze i privrženost i povjerenje koje su razvili između sebe.

What matters is the mortar,

Ono što je važno jest vezivo,

not just the bricks.

a ne samo cigle.

Now, when you put all of this together,

Kad sve to zbrojite

what you get is something called social capital.

dobijete nešto što nazivamo društveni kapital.

Social capital is the reliance and interdependency that builds trust.

Društveni kapital je oslonac i međuovisnost koji grade povjerenje.

The term comes from sociologists who were studying communities

Pojam su osmislili sociolozi koji su proučavali zajednice

that proved particularly resilient in times of stress.

koje su se pokazale posebno otporne u stresnim vremenima.

Social capital is what gives companies momentum,

Društveni kapital daje poduzećima podstrek

and social capital is what makes companies robust.

i društveni kapital je to što poduzeća čini otpornima.

What does this mean in practical terms?

Što to znači u praksi?

It means that time is everything,

To znači da je vrijeme najvažnije

because social capital compounds with time.

jer društveni kapital se spaja s vremenom.

So teams that work together longer get better, because it takes time

Pa onda timovi koji duže rade zajedno postaju bolji, jer je potrebno vrijeme

to develop the trust you need for real candor and openness.

za razvoj povjerenja koje je potrebno za stvarnu iskrenost i otvorenost.

And time is what builds value.

Vrijeme je potrebno za stvaranje vrijednosti.

When Alex Pentland suggested to one company

Kad je Alex Pentland predložio jednom poduzeću

that they synchronize coffee breaks

da sinkroniziraju pauze za kavu

so that people would have time to talk to each other,

kako bi ljudi imali vremena za razgovor,

profits went up 15 million dollars,

profit je narastao za 15 milijuna dolara,

and employee satisfaction went up 10 percent.

a zadovoljstvo radnika je poraslo 10%.

Not a bad return on social capital,

Nije loša investicija u društveni kapital,

which compounds even as you spend it.

koji se stvara čak i kad ga trošite.

Now, this isn't about chumminess, and it's no charter for slackers,

Ovdje ne govorimo o druženjima ili opravdanjima za lijenčine,

because people who work this way tend to be kind of scratchy,

jer su ljudi koji rade na takav način malo grublji,

impatient, absolutely determined to think for themselves

nestrpljivi i apsolutno usmjereni samo na sebe

because that's what their contribution is.

jer takav je njihov doprinos.

Conflict is frequent because candor is safe.

Sukob je čest jer iskrenost daje sigurnost.

And that's how good ideas turn into great ideas,

I to je način na koji dobre ideje postaju velike

because no idea is born fully formed.

jer niti jedna ideja nije stvorena potpuno osmišljena.

It emerges a little bit as a child is born,

Na neki način se čini kao da je rođeno dijete,

kind of messy and confused, but full of possibilities.

pomalo smotano i smeteno, a puno mogućnosti.

And it's only through the generous contribution, faith and challenge

I samo kroz velikodušan doprinos, vjeru i izazove

that they achieve their potential.

ona dostižu svoj potencijal.

And that's what social capital supports.

I to je ono što društveni kapital podržava.

Now, we aren't really used to talking about this,

Mi nismo baš navikli pričati o tome,

about talent, about creativity, in this way.

o talentu, o kreativnosti, na takav način.

We're used to talking about stars.

Mi smo navikli pričati o zvijezdama.

So I started to wonder, well, if we start working this way,

Počela sam se pitati, ako počnemo raditi na takav način

does that mean no more stars?

znači li to da ćemo biti bez zvijezda?

So I went and I sat in on the auditions

Stoga sam posjetila audiciju

at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Kraljevske akademije dramskih umjetnosti u Londonu,

And what I saw there really surprised me,

a ono što sam tamo vidjela me je zaista iznenadilo,

because the teachers weren't looking for individual pyrotechnics.

jer učitelji nisu tražili individualni vatromet.

They were looking for what happened between the students,

Oni su pratili što se dešava među kandidatima

because that's where the drama is.

jer tu se odvija prava drama.

And when I talked to producers of hit albums,

Kada sam razgovarala s producentima hit ploča

they said, "Oh sure, we have lots of superstars in music.

oni su rekli "Naravno, da imamo puno zvijezda u glazbi.

It's just, they don't last very long.

Samo one kratko traju.

It's the outstanding collaborators who enjoy the long careers,

Izvrsni suradnici su oni čija karijera dugo traje

because bringing out the best in others is how they found the best

jer izvlačeći najbolje iz drugih je način da izvuku najbolje

in themselves."

iz sebe samih.

And when I went to visit companies that are renowned

Kada sam posjećivala poduzeća poznata

for their ingenuity and creativity,

po svojoj genijalnosti i kreativnosti

I couldn't even see any superstars,

nisam zamjećivala zvijezde

because everybody there really mattered.

jer svatko je tamo bio važan.

And when I reflected on my own career,

I kada sam se prisjetila svoje karijere

and the extraordinary people I've had the privilege to work with,

i izvanrednih ljudi s kojima sam imala privilegiju raditi

I realized how much more we could give each other

shvatila sam koliko puno više možemo dati jedni drugima

if we just stopped trying to be superchickens.

samo ako prestanemo biti superkokoši.

(Laughter) (Applause)

(Smijeh) (Pljesak)

Once you appreciate truly how social work is,

Jednom kad počnete stvarno cijeniti što društveni rad jest,

a lot of things have to change.

mnoge će se stvari promijeniti.

Management by talent contest has routinely pitted

Natjecanja za najbolje talente su u u pravilu razdvojila

employees against each other.

radnike jedne od drugih.

Now, rivalry has to be replaced by social capital.

Suparništvo treba biti zamijenjeno društvenim kapitalom.

For decades, we've tried to motivate people with money,

Desetljećima, smo pokušali motivirati ljude pomoću novca

even though we've got a vast amount of research that shows

iako imamo ogroman broj istraživanja koja pokazuju

that money erodes social connectedness.

da novac nagriza društvenu povezanost.

Now, we need to let people motivate each other.

Trebamo omogućiti ljudima da motiviraju jedni druge.

And for years, we've thought that leaders were heroic soloists who were expected,

Godinama smo učili da su vođe junački pojedinci od kojih se očekuje

all by themselves, to solve complex problems.

da složene problem rješavaju potpuno sami.

Now, we need to redefine leadership

Trebamo preformulirati vodstvo

as an activity in which conditions are created

kao aktivnost tijekom koje se stvaraju uvjeti

in which everyone can do their most courageous thinking together.

kod kojih svatko zajedno s drugima može ostvariti svoje najhrabrije zamisli.

We know that this works.

Mi znamo da to radi.

When the Montreal Protocol called for the phasing out of CFCs,

Kada je izglasan montrealski pravilnik o izbacivanju CFC-a iz upotrebe jer

the chlorofluorocarbons implicated in the hole in the ozone layer,

je uzrokovao širenje oznoske rupe u zemljinoj atmosferi

the risks were immense.

rizik je bio ogroman.

CFCs were everywhere,

CFC je bio svugdje

and nobody knew if a substitute could be found.

i nitko nije znao je li moguće pronaći zamjenu.

But one team that rose to the challenge adopted three key principles.

No jedan tim, stvoren za tu namjenu, usvojio je tri načela.

The first was the head of engineering, Frank Maslen, said,

Prvo je bilo, rekao je glavni inženjer Frank Maslen,

there will be no stars in this team.

da u njegovom timu neće biti zvijezda.

We need everybody.

Trebamo svakog pojedinca.

Everybody has a valid perspective.

Svatko ima ispravnu perspektivu.

Second, we work to one standard only:

Drugo, radimo prema samo jednom standardu:

the best imaginable.

Najbolje što možemo zamisliti.

And third, he told his boss, Geoff Tudhope,

I treće, rekao je svom šefu, Geoffu Tudhopeu

that he had to butt out,

da se ne miješa

because he knew how disruptive power can be.

jer je znao kako razorna može biti njegova moć.

Now, this didn't mean Tudhope did nothing.

To ne znači da Tudhope nije radio ništa.

He gave the team air cover,

Pružio je timu zračnu potporu

and he listened to ensure that they honored their principles.

i osluškivao poštuju li svoja vlastita načela.

And it worked: Ahead of all the other companies tackling this hard problem,

I uspjeli su. Riješili su ovaj problem prije svih drugih grupa koje su

this group cracked it first.

ga, također, pokušavale riješiti.

And to date, the Montreal Protocol

I, dan danas, montrealski pravilnik je

is the most successful international environmental agreement

najuspješniji međunarodni sporazum o okolišu

ever implemented.

ikad primjenjen.

There was a lot at stake then,

Puno je toga bilo stavljeno na kocku tada,

and there's a lot at stake now,

a puno je toga na kocki i sad

and we won't solve our problems if we expect it to be solved

i mi nećemo riješiti naše probleme, ako očekujemo da ih riješi

by a few supermen or superwomen.

nekolicina super muškaraca i super žena.

Now we need everybody,

Sada trebamo svakog

because it is only when we accept that everybody has value

jer tek kad prihvatimo da je svatko vrijedan

that we will liberate the energy and imagination and momentum we need

oslobodit ćemo energiju i maštu i podstrek koje trebamo

to create the best beyond measure.

za stvaranje najboljeg što možemo.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)