The Music Paradigm

The Music Paradigm uses a symphony orchestra as a metaphor for any dynamic organization, particularly one dealing with a period of exceptional challenge or change: a merger, a restructuring, new leadership, change initiatives, stretch performance goals, and many more. During a Music Paradigm session, the executives are seated among members of a live, professional orchestra. From the first moments, it is clear that something has changed—that the meeting paradigm has shifted in an important and interesting way. The conductor leads the musicians through a series of carefully crafted exercises that help illustrate key qualities, reactions, and practices of high performing business teams—strategically designed to be in line with the needs and challenges of the executives and their organizations. The session is a high-impact learning experience, a powerful personal and team journey, and exciting instructional entertainment.

Among the many valuable benefits, the sponsoring organization is able to achieve the reinforcement of key strategic messages, build momentum for addressing critical issues through a shared experience, clarify strategies that may seem too vague or complex, and provide executives with a safe environment for rethinking their assumptions and behaviors. The session provides a highly memorable group experience that generates fresh insights long after the meeting is over, and lessons that become part of the organization's dialogue and culture.

After seating the executives inside the orchestra, Maestro Nierenberg asks the musicians to do more than simply perform. He leads them through a series of exercises that demonstrate basic and important truths about the functioning of an organization. Mr. Nierenberg meets in advance with senior executives of the sponsoring organization, to explore their issues and goals, and from this meeting a desired outcome for The Music Paradigm session is determined. Only then does Mr. Nierenberg design the appropriate exercises to be demonstrated by the musicians during the session in order to simulate the organization's issues and goals.

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. As the session progresses, executives discover new insights about their current situation and their working relationships with organizational leaders and colleagues.

In brief, The Music Paradigm animates key messages, not just relates them; involves audiences, not just informs them; and demonstrates results, not just describes them It provides a creative framework for rethinking leadership styles, philosophies, and effectiveness.

The Music Paradigm will benefit organizations dealing with a period of exceptional challenge or change. The most typical issues include: restructuring or reorganizing, change initiatives, cultural transformation, innovation and creativity, globalization, new leadership, merger or consolidation, cross-functional teamwork, new mission or strategy, and high performance. Regardless of the issues and the desired outcome of the organization's meeting, the Music Paradigm session improves greatly the chances for success. It is a simulation of how leaders and teams deal with change in any organization.