Article at a glance:
- A Purdue study on chickens shows that over-rewarding individual performance leads to dysfunction.
- True collaboration thrives when we shift from competition to shared success and build social capital.
- Redmond fosters a leaderful culture by focusing on each person’s Three Circles and inviting everyone to lead from their strengths.
- Values like Ubuntu, candor and consideration, and passion for contribution help us avoid “superchicken” dynamics and build a team where everyone shines.
Time to read: 3 minutes
In her TED Talk “Why It’s Time to Forget the Pecking Order at Work,” Margaret Heffernan shares an unforgettable story about chickens.
An evolutionary biologist at Purdue University, William Muir, studied what made chickens more productive. He created two flocks: one of average chickens, left alone for generations, and another of the most productive individual chickens, or a “superflock.”
After six generations, the average flock was healthy, thriving, and laying more eggs than ever. The superflock? All but three were dead. The productive chickens had pecked the others to death.
The lesson here? Competition kills collaboration. And without collaboration, we don’t grow as a company or as individuals. At best, we survive (unlike those poor pecked chickens).
Unfortunately, most traditional work cultures breed superchickens because they reward individual wins at the cost of team trust, connection, and long-term progress. (The corporate ladder is a great example of this.)
But at Redmond, we know we can’t maximize the whole by focusing on the parts. We need to focus on what we can do together.
Building Social Capital
We know that relationships and strong teams (or as Heffernan calls it, social capital) fuel real progress. The teams that thrive aren’t the ones filled with stars. They’re the ones where everyone shines.
So, how do you actually create an environment where this is possible?
We believe the best work happens when people can develop their Three Circles and make their unique contribution. That’s how you create great work: not by outperforming someone else, but in bringing your full self to meaningful work on a team.
This is why we try to avoid hierarchy and instead, create a leaderful organization where everyone can take ownership of our shared outcomes and lead out in areas where they’re strong.
Building social capital also means shifting our focus from relative success to shared success. None of us truly succeeds unless we all succeed.
This is Ubuntu in action: I am because we are. When we know and see each other fully, we know where our strengths can be useful, and who we can turn to when we need a new perspective. We become stronger together.
How to NOT Be a Superchicken
Develop the core values. It’s hard to be a superchicken if you really practice and embody Passion for Contribution, Occhiolism, Ubuntu, Reflection, and Renewal.
Develop candor and consideration. If you’re a superchicken, you’ve probably got candor down pat, but consideration will prevent you from “pecking” others.
Focus on the Upward Spiral and your Three Circles Journey. Success isn’t a competition, and your inner success won’t look like anyone else’s. Learn about yourself and your unique contribution, and you’ll learn you’re only in competition with yourself.
A Culture of Helpfulness
In a culture where collaboration is the norm everyone offers help freely…and asks for help without fear of getting “pecked” (i.e. judged, shamed, fired, etc.) We can all contribute to creating this environment at Redmond!
