Ecosystem Notes #7: Soundscapes
Social Leadership Daily - Day #831
Sound is not a neutral background feature, but rather an extension of our perceptive space: it acts upon us, and we contribute to it. Sounds of busyness, heightened tension, or near silence, all condition us to think, and act, in a dynamic interplay.
The Forest holds layers of sound: some distant background rumble of traffic, an approaching aeroplane, descending to the nearby airport, the sound of wind in the trees, the sound of my footsteps.
We habituate easily, turning off our attention to the constant, so I do not hear the traffic, or even the wind, but instead pick out the unusual bird sound. Wondering who it is that makes this noise. I can identify the category - birdsong - but not the species, or noisy individual.
Again, this is my lack of grammar for this landscape, something I will need to learn more deeply if I am to describe, or translate, from this space.
This work, embodied within the ecosystem, is itself not neutral: it’s parallel to the idea of the Organisation as Ecosystem, and to understand the unique soundscape of each place, be it physical or virtual.
The soundscape is a type of palette, a fluid context, a fingerprint. If we listen - as with so many things - it may provide a layer of context, or a clear warning.
In my new Social Leadership work, I talk about leading at the intersection of systems: to understand ‘motion’, and ‘boundaries’ as key features. This work - exploring the Organisation as Ecosystem - is informing my work in this space. It’s early stage #WorkingOutLoud
The habituation point is key, we filter out the constant hum and only notice what breaks the pattern. Thinking about org soundscapes tho, wonder if leaders even recognize when the ambient noise shifts from productive buzz to stresed silence. Had a manager once who would just walk the floor listening, not for problems but for changes in tone, kinda brilliant actually.