The first words goes to anthropologist Margaret Mead, a student of tribes for much of her life, who said:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Q: Can “tribe” mentality redefine corporate thinking? A: Yes. For corporate thinking to adopt tribal practices, companies need to be more open and safe for individuals who want to express their points of view, to be open to frank communication across hierarchies, and to redefine themselves and their work around a mission rather than the authority of their superiors. In specific companies, tribal thinking can develop in two ways:

The first way is as an initiative from the very top. This occurs if the leadership decides that tribal ways are a sensible approach to work out company issues and drive forward the company direction. Entrepreneurs who start companies would be wise to build tribalism into their startup’s DNA. This will ensure that tribalism is the primary mode of operations. And if they do so and they are successful, other companies observing their success may adopt this approach. A big advantage of this approach is that it ensures that the entire company stays focused on the company’s mission, rather than around the points of view of particular individuals in power. It also provides a framework for bringing the valuable views of the company’s customer base into the tribe and gives customers a greater sense of ownership in the company’s future.

A second way is a more project-based, smaller-scale attempt to promote a particular point of view or spread the word about a specific initiative. For example, in these times of environmental consciousness, a tribe could develop around focusing the company on being greener, which is both more socially responsible and can save it money. That tribe could start with a few dedicated employees who spot the “low-hanging fruit” and suggest immediate changes (providing recycling bins in areas where they are needed and holding departments accountable for energy use when employees are not around). Over time, as this tribe’s initiatives prove successful, more people will join, share their perspective, and spread the word further and wider. There is potential for such tribes, in cases where their primary mission affects the company’s bottom line in a major way, to transform the company’s culture.

Companies also need to be able to foster heretics — people who will challenge the status quo when it is not working. Intolerance for heresy may make managers feel more safe and secure. However, sending employees straight to the unemployment line for their outspokenness in arguing for a different path to better fulfill that company’s mission (without passing go or collecting $200) ill serves its long-term interests. In fact, ironically, ex-employees sometimes develop into tribes even if the company they\ connected through was not open to tribalism.

SETH GODIN is a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change.

Godin is author of ten books that have been bestsellers around the world. His most recent titles include The Dip and Meatball Sundae. Free Prize Inside was published in early May, 2004 and All Marketers Are Liars was published in 2005. His books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change and work. Permission Marketing was an Amazon.com Top 100 bestseller for a year, a Fortune Best Business Book and it spent four months on the Business Week bestseller list. It also appeared on the New York Times business book bestseller list.

Unleashing the Ideavirus is the most popular ebook ever written. More than 1,000,000 people downloaded the digital version of this book about how ideas spread. Featured in USA Today, The New York Times, The Industry Standard and Wired Online, Ideavirus hit #4 on the Amazon Japan bestseller list, and #5 in the USA.

The Big Red Fez, Godin’s take on web design, was the #1 ebook (worldwide) on Amazon for almost a year before it was published in paperback in 2002. The Miami Herald called it one of the best business books of the year.

Survival is Not Enough has made bestseller lists in Germany, the UK and the United States. With a foreword by Charles Darwin, this breakthrough book redefines what change means to anyone who works for a living. Tom Peters called it a, “landmark.” The book was first excerpted in Fast Company, where Godin is a contributing editor.

His latest book, Purple Cow, was a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. It’s all about how companies can transform themselves by becoming remarkable.

Seth is a renowned speaker as well. He was recently chosen as one of 21 Speakers for the Next Century by Successful Meetings and is consistently rated among the very best speakers by the audiences he addresses.

Seth was founder and CEO of Yoyodyne, the industry’s leading interactive direct marketing company, which Yahoo! acquired in late 1998.

He holds an MBA from Stanford, and was called “the Ultimate Entrepreneur for the Information Age” by Business Week.

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