Control the
atmosphere to
create business
Atmosphere
One of our gurus, former Harvard professor and author of
Atmosphere (sentiment) i.a. means
the air or climate in a specific place,
in a specific room. In continuation
of this meaning, the term is often
used metaphorically about the
atmosphere present in a specific place
or the atmosphere which surrounds
a person, object or institution.
attended the best American and British universities and
the book The Trusted Advisor David Maister, once said: “I’ve
business schools and learnt a lot of good stuff. The only thing I
didn’t learn was that the world is full of people...”.
We believe that this is an incredibly precise way of conveying
the difference between theory and practice when people
are to be relocated and organisations developed. In this
connection, there is one key concept in particular we would
like to draw your attention to – atmosphere. Atmosphere is not
a word that occurs as frequently as change management in the
average textbook, probably because many – both researchers
and executives – perceive atmosphere as something
undocumented and uncontrollable that “just arises”. Whether
that atmosphere is good or bad, intense or indifferent is more
a matter of chance than the result of conscious action.
But can atmosphere be controlled? Yes, it can. If in doubt, just
think of all those times you created the wrong atmosphere
unintentionally. We have all been there – it is worringly
easy. But if that is the case, then it must also be possible to
create the right atmosphere. And note that we are referring
on purpose to the right atmosphere rather than a positive
atmosphere! It might just as well be a serious, energetic,
despairing or even an outright crisis atmosphere. It all depends
on what we want to achieve.
Two core elements are involved in controlling atmosphere.
First of all, there is the preparation and planning of a script
and tools suitable for the situation. What atmosphere are
we after, and how do we create it deliberately? E.g. through
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dialogue, involvement and change of pace. Secondly, there is
Atmosphere
the ability to seize the unforeseeable – that will always arise no
matter how much we plan – and use it positively. Many years of
experience in carrying out large change projects have taught
us that carefully orchestrated “disturbances” are a highly
effective tool when creating the right atmosphere.
Try to recall the prevailing atmosphere in a few decisive
situations at e.g. a board meeting, management meeting, in
the strategy project or at the general staff meeting that either
went well or badly. Would they have turned out differently
if the atmosphere had been intense rather than relaxed, or
humorous rather than serious? Yes, most likely, which makes
it twice as frustrating that atmosphere is such an intangible to
many of us who hail from the traditional education system.
Here, we have learnt that when we are to communicate
something or make an important decision, we need to work
focusedly and systematically on producing well-structured
reports, often based on a rational problem analysis and
subsequent conclusion. This is also both appropriate and
important because it is the very basis for our credibility.
When you work
with atmosphere
and deliberately
create “appropriate
disturbances”, you’ll
probably be feeling
awkward and way out of
your comfort zone
– do it anyway!
However, it is just not enough to know WHAT we need to say.
We also need to know exactly WHY and HOW to say it. We
have to get used to the fact that it is necessary to allocate
resources to preparing the tools that support the purpose
of the presentation. Otherwise, we risk standing – once
again – in the PowerPoint syndrome’s gloomy auditorium
where we ourselves have reduced the people we are trying
to communicate with to impersonal silhouettes. Where is the
atmosphere in that?
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