ALTERNATIVE TEACHING METHODS
and complexity of real-world business situations, where leaders must make decisions with incomplete information, limited time and the need to co-ordinate diverse talents and perspectives. It is possible to include additional layers of complexity, such as bringing in members of the audience to the band (corresponding to not having the optimal mix of professional talent); prohibiting the musicians from conferring before they start to play (corresponding to the futility of planning); and introducing two strategies simultaneously (corresponding to the challenges faced by large organisations when it comes to achieving multiple strategic priorities). Secondly, jazz bands are an effective way to demonstrate agile organisational principles. A shared purpose and vision of what the team wishes to accomplish is created within seconds. This requires, however, a shared language to be effective. A musician needs only to utter a word, such as “Latin” to convey both a direction and a sense of what the end result should feel and sound like while still leaving room to manoeuvre. Agile organisations have flat structures with action-oriented decision-making (musicians want to play, not plan) and an emphasis on rapid iteration and experimentation (they try things out through playing and modify when needed). Thirdly, new team leadership models are nicely exemplified through the practice of jazz bands. The shared or distributed leadership plays out as every musician is given voice, eg when each one plays a solo. In that moment, the soloist assumes the role of leader, as they are responsible for taking the music forward with the support of the band. Even when there is a formal band leader, they will often say something along the lines of “I don’t want to give too much instruction, so as not to kill individual freedom and creativity.” Shared leadership requires a language understood by all team members in an environment where people are actively listening to one another, being supportive and accepting accountability. Jazz band members say that they all feel responsible not only for their own role, but also for the whole performance. As one musician remarked: “Our job is to make the music sound as good as possible.” A solitary individual cannot hope to accomplish that. Finally, the jazz band can visibly highlight the role of psychological safety in teamwork. While research has established the importance of this concept in getting teams to perform at the highest level, jazz bands can demonstrate the mechanisms through which this is achieved. Frequently participants comment on the fact that when any musician suggests something, others not only agree, but also build on the suggestion by adding something of their own. This is an application of the “yes, and…” principles used in improvisation. As one musician noted: “We don’t like to say ‘no’ to the ideas thrown at us. Even if I personally think that it might not work, we’d rather try it out. If it doesn’t go according to plan, the person proposing the idea will notice it themselves and then move on to the next one.” Another mechanism building psychological safety is uttered frequently by jazz musicians: “Our job is to make
For more than two decades, Aalto University’s Patrick Furu has been at the forefront of integrating live jazz performances into management education sessions. As he outlines here, this unique pedagogical approach offers business executives a real‑time, experiential understanding of traditional management concepts that they otherwise might find unnecessarily abstract
T he classroom is filled with a group of global executives – and there are five jazz musicians in the front, all set to play. The instructor hands over some pages of sheet music, commenting: “This is the company’s new strategy. You need to implement it exactly as it’s documented – and you have about 30 seconds to begin.” The musicians look at the notes, then at each other; the drummer counts them in and they start playing. In a matter of seconds, one can hear laughter from the audience, as people recognise the song that is being played as Old MacDonald . The performance is over in less than a minute. The instructor then asks the band: “Can you implement the same strategy but in a different style? And maybe add some passion to it this time,” he remarks. The musicians group together for what could be called a very quick planning session. The audience is able to pick up some code words, such as “second line”, “vamp” and “G pedal”. When the band starts playing again, it appears as if the whole thing has been carefully rehearsed. The musicians seem to be enjoying themselves and their teamwork feels seamless. “Did you know what you were going to play?”, the instructor enquires. The musicians reply in unison with a firm “no”. The audience struggles to believe their answer. Slowly, however, through a dialogue between the musicians, instructor and audience, it becomes clear that the leadership model of jazz bands is a very effective one when it comes to implementing any kind of strategy. Utilising jazz as a model for business The jazz band serves as a model for business on several levels. Firstly, the scenario in the classroom mirrors the unpredictability
Ambition | DECEMBER 2024 | 23
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