Mavericks (or ‘poor fits’) in firms trigger change

“Tempered Radicals”
By Debra E. Meyerson
Harvard Business School Press, 2001


We know some of them – occupying positions of responsibility among the top 1,000 corporations or wielding influence in the corridors of power. They are the “activists” in an organizational community, seeming “poor fits” that cannot somehow be assimilated in the dominant culture.

He could be an environmental activist in a power generation company. On one hand, management could not make heads or tails about him, but, on the other, management seeks his insight into the phenomenon of a protest group which has raised an issue that couldn’t seem to go away.

She could be a feminist advocate in an engineering firm whose culture is defined by “male chauvinists.” Would she be co-opted into the dominant behavior and thus give up her commitment to a larger cause, or would she be a necessary gadfly pricking the conscience and pride of self-satisfied males?

How many of these mavericks survive? And how many give up the fight and melt into the solvent of the majority, losing identity, swallowing their pride and being untrue to themselves?

This is doubtless a riveting subject. And this is the subject of “Tempered Radicals,” sub-titled “How People Use Difference to Inspire Change at Work.”

It deals with “poor fits” in the organization, whose values and interests are at odds with the dominant culture.

Are they useful at all to organizations, which must run like a well-oiled machine? Author Debra E. Meyerson, professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, points out: “By asserting the non-conforming aspects of oneself, the tempered radical can pave the way for learning and change by questioning current practice and expectations and providing an alternative.”

That is because this activist person brings an entirely new perspective, asks disturbing questions – and therefore paves the way for new ideas.

Remember the child who declared the truth that the “the emperor had no clothes on”? Everyone in the kingdom knew that the ruler did not have anything on, but there was one boy who had the courage to tell the truth.

This is typical in the corporate world. Conformists would rather play safe, especially when the boss is espousing a “great” idea. It takes a non-conformist to contest such an idea. It is always a risky proposition. But, it could also be rewarding.

Based on 15 years of research and observation, the book reveals that adaptive, diverse, family-friendly, and socially responsible workplaces are built not by revolutionaries but by those the author calls “tempered radicals” – “people who successfully walk the tightrope between conformity and rebellion.”

The individuals have varying styles at introducing change within their organizations. At times, when change is difficult, if not impossible, these peope – to be “true to themselves” – take on responsibilities outside their work that give them self-fulfillment.

The book speaks about a a lawyer who volunteered his servies in a legal rights center to follow his commitment to fight injustice. The book calls this “designing behind the scenes actions” in order to make a difference.

The book’s research reveals that those who were successful in being true to their own values did not go for big wins, or earthshaking steps that would revolutionize their organizations. That could have been a surefire formula for being fired. What they did was to “leverage small wins” over time.

A chapter is devoted to how these tempered radicals organize for collective action, a process that requires the “essential skills of leadership,” the author says.

The tension remains when you are a maverick in your own organization. It is “difficult to navigate between competing pulls and sustains selves at odds with one another.” The sad thing is some peope finally give up one side of their selves or the other.

The book offers a way to “to resist lures to conform.” She advises that tempered radicals can make ongoing deliberate efforts to maintain affiliations, to make explicit the connection between their local efforts and their broader significance.

Possibly the most fundamental thing to remember about successful tempered radicals is that they know who they are and what is important to their sense of self. It’s a decision one has to make, the book says. Above all, tempered radicals reserve the choice to be an agent rather than a victim of their circumstances, and with this stance comes a tremendous sense of freedom and power.

Tempered radicals inspire change. Yet their leadership resides equally in their capacity to inspire people. They do inspire by having the courage to tell the truth even when it’s difficult to do so.

If you somehow fit into this category, or you are awed by the success or survival of tempered radicals in your firm, this book gives you a deeper insight into these mavericks who ask disturbing questions but who, in the final analysis, have tremendous value to the long-term existence of your organization.