To Adapt During Crisis, Take a Lesson From Jazz

Weekly Business Insights from Top Ten Business Magazines | Week 331

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Strategy & Business Model Section | 1

To Adapt During Crisis, Take a Lesson From Jazz

By Scott Sonenshein | MIT Sloan Management Review | January 15, 2024

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Crises, whether supply chain disruptions, natural disasters, or the arrival of an upstart rival, are a revealing moment for leaders. Such scenarios can push companies to the brink of meltdown or usher in dramatic organizational transformation. Whether an organization withers or thrives during a crisis is shaped by its resourcefulness — how it uses its existing resources.

The pandemic decimated many industries, but the performing arts industry faced especially grave challenges: rampant unemployment, limited prospects for revenue, and an existential crisis over the relevance of the arts in dire times. Initially, musicians could not congregate to practice, performance halls were shuttered, and classical music was the last thing on the public’s mind.

As tough as these circumstances appeared to be, what the author and his collaborator Kristen Nault and learned during a multiyear study of two prominent orchestras surprised them: Not only was it possible to survive trying times, but it was also possible to emerge better because of them. The leadership key? Becoming nimbler by thinking more like jazz ensembles and less like classical orchestras.

Business leaders often call this agility, but for a musician, this is the realm of jazz improvisation. Their research found three critical changes in leadership practices that helped leaders facing disruptions act like talented jazz musicians. Leaders in any industry can apply these practices during their organization’s next crisis.

Many organizations, whether a symphony, manufacturing company, or professional services firm, are metaphorically structured like an orchestra. They have conductors (leaders) and rely on sheet music (routines and practices) to coordinate different parts (teams, divisions, or functional areas) of the enterprise. Organizational leaders aim for reliable and standardized performances, much like conductors aim to make the matinee performance of a symphony the same high quality as the evening one. Through many rehearsals (that is, the repetition of behaviors), it is possible to make incremental improvements, but leaders seek output that, by design, is predictable and relatively static. Operating like a symphony orchestra allows organizations to thrive in environments of stability and low uncertainty. But during a crisis, this type of model can be disastrous.

How did the Jazz leaders inspire the organization to become so nimble? The author’s research found three critical changes in leadership practices that enabled them to adapt:  keep the music playing, don’t wait to practice transparency, and collaborate on a postcrisis identity.

3 key takeaways from the article

1. Whether an organization withers or thrives during a crisis is shaped by its resourcefulness — how it uses its existing resources.
2. The pandemic decimated many industries, but the performing arts industry faced especially grave challenges: rampant unemployment, limited prospects for revenue, and an existential crisis over the relevance of the arts in dire times. Initially, musicians could not congregate to practice, performance halls were shuttered, and classical music was the last thing on the public’s mind.  A research revealed how a performing art company survived whereas others faced bankruptcy.  It achieved this by becoming nimbler by thinking more like jazz ensembles and less like classical orchestras.
3. How did the Jazz leaders inspire the organization to become so nimble? Research found three critical changes in leadership practices that enabled them to adapt:  keep the music playing, don’t wait to practice transparency, and collaborate on a postcrisis identity.

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Topics:  Leadership, Strategy, Business Model