Creative Dissonance

I recently had the opportunity to attend a beautiful orchestral performance by a contemporary composer. The music was serene, with a soothing melody aimed to evoke a sensation of calm and order. One could clearly hear the musicians all aligned in the single purpose of carrying the balanced message forward, each instrument contributing its tone to the greater harmony of the musical composition.

As the foundation of the melodies was laid down by the musical ensemble, no more than a few minutes into the composition, suddenly an awkward sound emerged from the brass section, as if one of the musicians erred in his key selection. It was both unexpected and unexplainable, as this was a professional ensemble, well practiced in this performance, and so it was all that much more mysterious against the backdrop of an otherwise well-crafted and meticulously performed orchestral composition. And while it was at first uncomfortable to the ear, perhaps even irritating, soon enough it was forgotten, as the orchestra continued to build on the original musical theme.

And then again, that same instrument, but this time louder, the same seemingly errant tone emerged from the brass. But it now seemed as if it was injected in the wrong key to deliberately disrupt the musical harmony. And to an even greater surprise, a few moments later a woodwind repeated that same off-key tone and then offered another note in that same new key, as if mocking the brass player, or perhaps acknowledging the rebellious nature of his venture.

Over the next few minutes, one by one, more and more instruments began inserting their own notes in the new key, starting to form a new melody that aimed in a different musical direction than the original one. As the new key began to dominate, together with a different rhythm and set of crescendos, even the conductor began to shift his direction and started to emphasize the new over the old with the motions of his baton.

I wonder if by now you’re seeing the analog of this behavior in contemporary organizations.

Sometimes it takes just one individual to offer a new idea, a dissonant note at first, which by all measures is disruptive and doesn’t fit in but, over time and with repeated insertion of the idea into the conversation stream, perhaps one or more other individuals start to “get it” and help carry it forward. Soon enough, if the idea gets traction and generates enough support volume, even leadership will bend to its dynamics, pick it up and begin to direct its evolution (while simultaneously taking credit for it, as they sometimes do).

The dissonant note is only dissonant when placed against the backdrop of the status quo. When leaders discount and thwart dissonant notes, they send a signal to the organization that creativity is not welcome, innovation is disruptive and falling in line with established operating norms is preferred in their organization. They do this at their own peril.

Organizations which welcome creative dissonance uncover opportunities missed by others, bring solutions to market ahead of their competitors, create new markets and thrive when challenged by competition.

I frequently find similarities between the world of music and leadership but Roger Nierenberg, a renowned conductor and author of “Maestro: A Surprising Story of Leading by Listening” does it best. I would encourage anyone pursuing, or already in a leadership role to become familiar with his work, including a series of his Music Paradigm videos (YouTube) as a steppingstone to an evolution in listening to, and capitalizing on the dissonant notes from across your teams.