The Swirl and the Wall of Fire
A model of organizational learning where informal exploration and experimentation (the swirl) is separated from the formal management system by a 'wall of fire'; ideas pass through when they gain enough commitment.
THE IDEA
Some organizations make the rhythm of practice and performance part of their organizational design. At Harley-Davidson, for example, there is a distinction between the “management system” and “the swirl.” The former includes business objectives, formal roles and accountabilities, and controls. The latter refers to the host of issues and ideas that are continually being debated, experimented with, and tested throughout the organization. In typical Harley fashion, the barrier that separates the two is called “the Wall of Fire.” An idea or goal that has passed through the wall of fire is one that enough people believed was worth pursuing to make it an organization-wide commitment.
Many potentially important ideas may stay “in the swirl” for years, even if they have senior-level champions. When the president of Harley-Davidson, while hosting a SoL Sustainability Consortium meeting, explained, “Sustainability is not one of our management objectives today,” it came as somewhat of a shock to many there whose lives were devoted to the topic. But as he talked, it became evident that he took the subject of sustainability seriously. The VP of strategy chaired the company’s “informal” sustainability task force. They were doing a lot that was relevant: the company’s core business strategy is marketing the “Harley experience,” not just bikes (which tends to create a huge demand for used bikes and significantly extends their productive lifetime); Harley is building up a major business in remanufactured parts to service older bikes (which keeps old parts out of landfills); and the company is now building a new energy-efficient product development center.
Gradually, it became clear that “the swirl” was important business, a sort of incubator for the new and a way to legitimate ongoing exploration and practice.
After the Harley-Davidson president had spoken, a Fortune 50 company representative (one of the long-standing members of the Consortium) said, “Maybe I’ve been following the wrong strategy, trying to get my management to officially embrace sustainability. We could set a few targets and create some new metrics, but it might only produce a superficial buy-in. Until people see that these issues are critical to the future of the business, maybe it’s better that they stay ‘in the swirl.’ The problem is, right now we don’t have any way to legitimate the exploration of potentially significant but radical new ideas. That might be our real limitation.”
Practice fields come in many shapes and sizes, from Saillant’s camp meetings to Galloway’s reflective retreats to Harley’s organizational swirl. We are probably at the beginning of an evolution of increasingly sophisticated practice fields, such as the simulated microworlds that Ford now develops and uses. I believe these advances hold a key to developing learning capabilities in the future.
But the journey of development starts when managers embrace the simple principle “no practice, no learning.” No sports team would expect to be successful if the players showed up only for games, any more than a theater troupe or orchestra could imagine just performing and never rehearsing. Yet, this is exactly what we expect in most organizations. Is there any wonder learning is so limited?
When to use it
When introducing a radical innovation that needs buy-in and refinement before becoming a strategic priority.
In organizational change initiatives, using informal task forces and pilot projects to test ideas before full-scale implementation.
To prevent superficial adoption of management fads by allowing them to percolate in the swirl until genuine commitment emerges.
As a framework for designing learning organizations that separate practice from performance to foster deep learning.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Harley-Davidson's Sustainability Approach
Harley-Davidson's president stated that sustainability was not a formal management objective, yet the company had an informal sustainability task force chaired by the VP of strategy, and they engaged in initiatives like marketing the 'Harley experience' to extend product lifetime, remanufacturing parts, and building an energy-efficient development center. Important ideas can stay in 'the swirl' for years before passing through the wall of fire into formal commitments.
Fortune 50 Company Reflection
A representative from a Fortune 50 company, after hearing the Harley president, realized that trying to get management to officially embrace sustainability might produce superficial buy-in. He noted that without a way to legitimate exploration of radical new ideas, it might be better to let them stay 'in the swirl' until people see their critical importance.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
In your organization, what ideas are currently 'in the swirl' that might benefit from more time and exploration before being formally adopted?
How can you create a 'wall of fire' that legitimizes experimentation and helps ideas gain commitment before becoming organizational mandates?
Reflect on a time when an idea was prematurely forced into the management system. What were the consequences?
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- The Fifth Discipline The Art Practice of the Learning Organization (Peter M. Senge)