This is a guest post by Chris Cardiff. In Chris's words he, "struggles to teach and apply MBM as a member of the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation MBM team."
Was Norman Rockwell a great practitioner of Market-Based Management? No, not at all. He was, however, a gifted painter who specialized in telling entire stories with a single scene that epitomized everyday American life. An exhibition of his work is currently on temporary display (through the end of 2010) at the Smithsonian's American Art Museum. There are 57 original works of art on loan from the collections of famed film directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, both of whom admired Rockwell's story-telling prowess.
What drew me to the exhibit was one of Rockwell's masterpieces, a piece he painted during World War II, that he titled Freedom of Speech (you were beginning to wonder where the MBM connection was, weren't you?). It was part of a series called the Four Freedoms (based on a speech by FDR) but the other three "freedoms" did not really work. "Free Speech Personified," from the Wall Street Journal's weekly "Masterpiece" series, provides the details.
Freedom of speech and standards are essential to a prosperous society. At the society level, we tend to take them for granted and as MBM practitioners and teachers have even overlooked them, until recently, when we developed our curriculums for the Koch Associate and Koch Intern Programs. They form the basis for the challenge process (which we have not overlooked), one of the most important aspects of an MBM culture.
Art reaches and teaches us very differently than words, written or spoken. I have several pieces of art hanging in my office that connect me to MBM and I hope to blog about them in the future. There are some concepts I'm still trying to figure out how to connect to artistically. I'd appreciate any suggestions - please share your favorite MBM-related works of art in the comments (or email me at chris.cardiff -at- cgkfoundation.org).
By the way, if you are planning a visit to the American Art Museum to see Freedom of Speech, you will be partially disappointed. Neither Spielberg nor Lucas own the original - however, a completed painted of Rockwell's first attempt to capture this concept is on display. I like it also but I agree with his reasons for re-doing it (the central figure is not actually speaking in the first version). However, you can pick up reproductions of the final masterpiece in the gift shop - a small rendition is now hanging in my office.
Thanks to Chris for his contribution. If you'd like to submit a guest post for potential publication on this blog, please email drafts to Ann at ann.zerkle (at) cgkfoundation.org.
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