Listening to the Periphery

Mark Howell wrote last week about Peter Senge's view that listening to the periphery - those on the edge of the organization - my be the only way leaders can know what is shaping the culture of their workplace.

As Debbie Weil wrote back in May, "...a company can learn a lot of valuable stuff by listening to its smart employees and customers."  (Guess what?  They are all smart if you listen carefully!) 

According to research by the Gallup Organization, employees who feel their opinions count will be more engaged in the business. 

And Paul Graham, in his ChangeThis manifesto [PDF, 1.81 MB] gives us yet another reason to listen to those on the edge, asserting that "Great new things often come from the margins."

Here are three things you can do to improve your ability to listen to the periphery:

1. Get out of your office and wander around your business.  Ask open ended questions of the people you encounter, things like, "What worries you about our business?" or, "If you were me, what one thing would you do today to make the business better?" or, "What can we do to improve our customers' experience with us?" 
2. Start an internal blog, and encourage comments and questions about the topics you cover.  (See Debbie Weil's blog and books for more help on this.)  And read blogs by people who think differently than you.
3. Get out of your comfort zone.  Attend cultural events that you would not normally be interested.  Read a book that you would not normally consider picking up.  Eat at a restaurant in a different part of town.  [Added 10/7/06:  Check out Mark Howell's example of stepping out of your comfort zone.  I like the image of messing up the presets of your brain's radio as a way to hear new voices.]

Here's how N. R. Narayana Murthy, recently retired chairman of Infosys, said it (in an article published on wsj.com last Friday):

"Listen to other people's ideas, especially those of the younger generations. Devise ways of management to tap the brilliance of young minds. Some of our best ideas grew from monthly "Ideation Days," brainstorming sessions led by employees under 30. Keep doors open. Let young workers walk into senior managers' offices to present their ideas without going through "proper channels." Retire early enough to give younger people a chance to take responsibility while still enthusiastic."

Here are a few listening resources:

The secrets to listening well

Listening Skills

Listening Self Examination