The Music Paradigm

I've often said that any management job, but especially project management, is a lot like conducting a symphony. Finallly someone else agrees. Roger Nierenberg has gone farther that that. He has created "The Music Paradigm."

To quote from the Music Paradigm web site "The interface of the musicians with the conductor is similar in many ways to the relationship between an organization and its leaders. The conductor may be viewed, for example, as a CEO or team leader, and the instrumental families (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion) may be business units or teams. Together, they find the best solutions for working together and producing an effective outcome."

The Music Paradigm puts business leaders "in the pit" alongside the orchestra where they observe first-hand the orchestra members interacting with their conductor. The program animates the business people and gets them involved. They learn by doing. The conductor leads the orchestra incorrectly, then not at all. Finally, he leads them correctly and they produce fine music.

What a pleasant, and effective, way to learn these important business lessons of leadership, communication, and teamwork.