I grew up in a small Quaker town in New Jersey.  Several of my close friends spoke using the traditional 'thee' and 'thou' when referring to me, which I thought quaint at the time. They explained that their language was a way of saying we are all part of each other.

Peter Senge and others have helped me understand that the concept of "thou" is vital to successful leadership in any organization.

Do we see our organization as a conglomeration of "departments" and divisions all vying for precious resources?  Do we see our employees and staff as "replaceable parts" in the processes?  Perhaps we think of customers as bothersome necessities.

Instead of seeing the whole picture, we break it apart, objectify it, and position ourselves over and against it.  Those patterns of thinking reflect our comfort with "us" and "them."  The results can be disastrous.

Take the company who wanted to improve production, so they gave cash rewards to the shift that produced the most widgets per week.  The third shift consistently won the prize.  The first shift became resentful; the second shift began to sabotage the project they left for the next group to complete. Turns out that the shop floor is simply more efficient when there are no front office folks interrupting them with change orders and customer questions. .

Or the research organization where each department made its own 'quick fixes' on a project only to discover that their actions had consequences that show up in another department, requiring another adjustment.  On and on until the project was scrapped as unworkable.

Leadership requires us to pay attention to our organizations in a different way and help all those in the organization to see it differently as well.  We are the organization.  We  will have to redirect our problem-solving to dissolving those perception barriers that get in the way of real solutions.

Leaders have a responsibility to point out to our people that when we just look at the parts we diminish the whole.  Just as music is more than just the notes, and poetry is more than just words, so our organizations are more than just people and policies, desks and directives.

Whether or not we say "thou" we are expected to see each other in light of the whole picture and communicate in ways that promote the respect and care  evident in the Quaker community.  

Have you tried fixing a part of your system, only to create more problems?
How must your thinking change in order to stop blaming and start accepting your presence in all that happens?