Leadership and the use of metaphors in organizational management
1. Backgroun
d
Imagine a situation in which the CEO, a senior executive or head of a company wants to capture the attention and commitment of its
staff to achieve corporate goals.
A conventional chief appeal to the responsibility, the need to fulfill the duties,
including direct or indirect threats, using known and repetitive speeches; a leader in a nutshell, using a metaphor, just carefully
chosen words and images and will transmit
the message in the minds of listeners a topic on
which they, consciously or
unconsciously, reflect and
respond adequately. The first, direct speech
can accomplish little, just boredom, greater strength and less commitment when
he does what he
preaches or proposed; the second with a metaphor, short, strong personal conviction
and exemplary conduct, can
secure the support and commitment.
1. The methaphor
The metaphor (the Metaphora Latin, and
this in turn taken from the
Greek μεταφορά; actual
"transfer", "offset";
derivative metapheró "I transport") is the displacement
of meaning between two terms
with an aesthetic purpose. It is located in the Poetics and the Rhetoric of
Aristotle. The term English
French term metaphor
is derived from S
XVI métaphore, which in turn comes from the Latin
metaphora, "and it's μεταφορά (Metaphora),"
transfer "from μεταφέρω (metapherō)," transfer "," transfer
"and of μετά
(meta), "between" + φέρω (phero),
"transport" In literature, it is considered as a trope, semantic
figure consisting of the combination of
terms that allows the description of something with a resemblance by
analogy (Ref 1)
A metaphor is a figure of speech that
describes a topic (subject or
object) stating that according to a
point of comparison is the same as
another seemingly unrelated. It
is a figure of speech that compares
two different things without
using the words "is like" or "looks", so it should not be confused with a simile using these words. The
metaphor is a type of analogy
and is associated with other figures of speech that achieve their effects via association,
resemblance, comparison including
allegory, hyperbole and simile to. (Ref. 2)
In English literature, an excellent example of metaphor is a work of Shakespeare
monologue in As
You Like It:
All the world's a stage,
And all the
men and women Merely
Players;
They have Their Exits
and Their entrances;
-William Shakespeare, As You Like It, (Ref
2)
This quote contains a metaphor for the world is not literally a stage, but Shakespeare figuratively stating that the world
is, describe how the world works
and human life in it.
The metaphors and parables are an essential feature; are easily understood and easily captured even
by the most reluctant to understand abstract concepts. An abstract concept of
ethics, loyalty, duty usually transmitted by the head ends in soliloquy,
when people whom he addresses are not professional or
intellectual who has the height; a parable
metaphor by a
leader is accepted by the
simplicity of the language and the
high degree of understanding and acceptance.
For 2000 years the scattered parables in the Gospels have guided many people,
and it is possible that the reflection
from them has changed lives and redirected
behaviors served for
religious or moral leaders
guide and guide their
people.
Metaphors, parables and other
intellectual and figurative creations
can serve leaders to present ideas, to
invoke the assistance of its
staff, in times of crisis or
boom, to modify behavior. In this regard it is pertinent
to ask, why metaphors work?
In Ref. 3, it is noted that there is no way to test whether early humans used metaphors
because there are no records, but
certainly the metaphor was
a powerful element of aboriginal
cultures that did not use writing
and that allowed them to be
stable for a long time . Therefore, it is reasonable to argue that metaphors were an important part of the culture for a long time, maybe long before that same language. So it could
even be suggested that the "compressibility
of metaphors is inscribed in the genes" is instinctive.
3. Metaphor and business
Outside the context of primitive peoples
for which the metaphor was a vital means of
communication; subsequently used
in villages with writing
to convey or communicate
complex ideas in literature and
as a means of social class differentiation.
A different use of metaphor began between 1940 and
1950, when people like Alex
Osborn (the creator of 'brainstorming'), WJJ Gordon
and George Prince
(creators of creativity approach
called 'Synectics') adopted a business standpoint. Osborn, impressed by the significant increase
in the productivity of American industry, motivated by the "war effort" 1939-45 (a concept of innovation that 30 years later would lead to the 'Japanese industrial revolution' of 1980). These
pioneers of the novel "practical
creativity" wanted to help people
and organizations to be more imaginative, so the analogy
and metaphors began to be used as instruments commercially
valuable, not only as literary
devices or explanations of psychological
processes mysteries. (Ref. 3)
Prince George (1970) in one of his
books says:
In 1951, as a
result of becoming
familiar newly With
the work of Jung and Freud and Malthus With the
principles of psychoanalysis,
I convinced That
Became imagination and the creation of
ideas, Could be stimulated
by the proper use
of repressed thoughts.
An executive in an
advertising and marketing
company, I Began
experimenting with psychologists and creative
people on everyday problems to find out
if and how
new ideas, Could
be so generated.
Following these ideas and requirements of development, cognitive
scientists are convinced that the approach of metaphors and analogies is one of the foundation of thought, rather
than just the "surface
decoration of a cake."
In this regard, Douglas Hofstadter, in 2001, stated:
Reasoning ... and problem-solving have
(At least I dearly hope!) Been at long
last Recognised as lying far indeed
from the core of
human thought. If
analogy Were Merely
a special variety
of Something That in itself lies on the
peripheries way out, then it would be an itty-bitty but blip in the broad blue
sky of cognition.
To me, however I,
analogy is anything
but an itty blip - rather, it's the very blue
sky That fills
the whole of
cognition - analogy
is everything, or very nearly so, in my
view. (Ref. 3)
This idea is very far from Samuel Parker, John
Locke, Adam Smith;
although, of course, this does not mean
that we can not solve problems with reasoned argument
or so that they considered
valuable. In fact, we can and we do regularly.
Rather, it means that special skills are acquired, like a gymnast or a dancer
learning to perform
spectacular stunts or steps in the parallel
bars or on the dance floor, so that seems to be light as a feather.
These are amazing human achievements. Similarly, when an executive and leader practices mental gymnastics, learn and practice
when using metaphors, you are
ready for true connection with their
partners, and also
for rational discussions when necessary.
A famous metaphor related to the commitment of a people is the promise and challenge of Winston Churchill
to the British people by invoking
the full participation in the war
against the Nazis. "Blood, sweat and tears" was the metaphor of the supreme sacrifice of the people
Conclusions
Metaphors are effective and useful tools to
convey ideas, concepts simple
or complex, even reluctant
minds.
The creation or strengthening recurrence metaphors allow creativity of the leader or executive, as they can come to real life situations, with
greater ability to deal with a problem
from different angles.
The messages, invocations, staff effort demands
are summarized and graphically, and are
always accessible.
The greatest achievements
in organizational human activity in the social, economic
and political have been preceded
or accompanied by metaphors
that invoke the participation and
commitment.
References
Metáfora
Metaphor
Methapor (2004) The Open University, UK; 2004
