I don’t agree, but I am aligned: The Power of Co-Creation
What a copper company that debated calling itself a family teaches about the difference between agreement and alignment.
In the world of organizational dynamics, 'Alignment' and 'Agreement' often emerge as key terms. Though they may appear similar, their meanings and effect differ significantly.
I would share here a pivotal moment at the Magma Copper Company in 1993. I came across this brilliant case study while reading a breakthrough book by Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan: "The Three Laws of Performance".
Leaders at Magma debated whether to label themselves a "family". The unions said "Yes", management hesitated. This debate wasn't merely about a label but reflected a deeper rift in their relationship. The context of the whole situation goes a little deeper and is beyond the scope of this post, but suffice to say that there was a large chasm inside the organization. How can it be a family then?
Also, the management thought: if my workers are my family, can I ever fire them or even hold them accountable powerfully?
The breakthrough here, came when an executive, after dialogue with union representatives, declared, "WE ARE A FAMILY."
After all, even inside a family, if a person doesn’t honour his role, there are ways to hold them accountable, while PRESERVING love.
This wasn't just accepting a label but creating a shared identity and commitment.
While 'Agreement' is a passive acknowledgment, 'Alignment' demands a deeper commitment to a shared vision. It is, in my experience, the secret sauce that sets apart the organizations that perform from their competitors.
It really doesn’t matter what the stakeholders are aligned to AS MUCH AS the fact that they are aligned.
Let this sink in. Before reading on.
Hence, the first order of business for any team is creating alignment around a common WORD. A two-day-long conversation can foster shared purpose and collective drive, and capture the essence of what really MATTERS to each group of stakeholders.
As the magic flavour of alignment starts to show up, the rifts usually start fading into the background as the drive to fulfil on that WORD takes over and one realizes that it can only be done BEING ALIGNED.