The Authentic Organization

Just as a biological species might survive for years in very small numbers on an island or other isolated ecosystem before expanding into new environments, one of the ways in which authenticity will eventually flourish in organizations is because, in many cases, it is preserved and experienced in smaller contexts.

Perhaps the smaller context is entirely private and personal, but it has the power to be more than that if it involves at least two people. Two or more people provide a set of practices, language, and other social mechanisms that enable authenticity between the participants. Those are the things that can some day scale up.

Such oases might be a friendship that has survived divergent paths, experiences of disappointment or even betrayal. It might be a truly gracious and synergistic working relationship. Regardless of its form, its character is that it allows the authentic, creative engagement of its members.

There are so many ways in which we can learn from these oases: What are the actual habits that facilitate the authenticity of its members? How did the members get to this point? Why has it survived?