Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of metanoic organizations is the conviction that people can create the world they want. The vast majority of organizations simply do not work so well as the people in them would like. Disillusionment, dissatisfaction, nonalignment, and ineffective use of human resources are accepted as normal. Usually attributed to lack of commitment, talent, and communication, these conditions actually reflect a damaging viewpoint people hold in their private lives as well as in organizations, namely in the extreme that "Things don't work, and there's nothing I can really do about it. I'm dissatisfied, but I'm stuck in a system too big, too unresponsive and complex to influence, much less control." Many people are no more conscious of the damage done by these hidden beliefs than they are of pollutants in the air they breathe. The beliefs quickly and easily become a negative self- fulfilling prophecy.
The shift to a viewpoint of workability is self-fulfilling in a positive sense. For example, the viewpoint that flight is impossible was rendered untenable by man's first flight. It might be difficult. there may be a great deal that is unknown, but flight is definitely not impossible. Previously every failure had been one more debilitating "proof" that it was. Failures then suddenly became useful as learning experiences. They revealed the flaws in design that needed correction. Metanoic organizations develop a remarkable tolerance for error and adopt an experimental posture vis-a-vis internal policies and external activities. They recognize that outstanding achievement is an inherently uncertain process that requires continual course correction to reach the final destination. Planning is valued but is subordinated to concerted, flexible effort to produce results.
Values. Once people begin to realize their deepest desires, they recognize the depth of their collective creative ability in personal and organizational terms. They begin examining more earnestly what they really want. High aspirations become natural. Quality, excellence, truthfulness, integrity, compassion, and caring are the ideals of metanoic organizations because, in the words of one CEO, "Would we not be hypocritical to shoot for anything less?" Commitment to these ideals becomes not only expected but natural.
In many, if not all, of these organizations, people seek an environment wherein everyone ran get what he wants, where everybody wins. This orientation is a critical complement to alignment and actually extends to the organization's dealings with vendors, customers, and to the competition. No naive, pollyannish, do-good outlook, it is a managerial philosophy of aggressive competition in which one competitor may win more than another, but both come out ahead. It is beautifully described by Robert Gaivin, chairman of Motorola, which has a campaign "to win against the Japanese." "The Japanese know," he said, "when we say that, we don't mean they will lose, but that we'll both come out ahead. They understand this better than many within our own organization. But give us time, we'll eventually learn." He goes on to describe how the metanoic viewpoint extends into the organization's relations with its environment:
| . | Generally in an industrial society, we are simultaneously suppliers and customers, licensors and licensees. We can't do without each other. Each of us is better off that the other survives. We must and do compete vigorously. At times, one of us will be a little better than the other, providing the opportunity to win on that occasion. A next time the other may be the winner. Each competitor is important to the market and to each other, for we need multiple sources. The world requires diversity. The American society, to be dynamic and strong, needs the aggregate of all the ideas and all the efforts. | . |
Personal responsibility is demanded of the individual operating from the metanoic view-point. As one sees oneself creating the future, it is essential to do so responsibly. People in these organizations are expected to have their whole life in order; d is simply not acceptable to sacrifice one's family, for example, in order to participate in the organization. This requires people to recognize that they are themselves the source of satisfaction and fultiliment in their lives, and that no one else, including the organization, can provide this. Finally, people are expected to play the game in earnest, energetically, and to participate with their entire being while they are "on the field." There are no sideline positions for observers.