{"id":50604,"date":"2021-10-08T19:44:54","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T23:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=50604"},"modified":"2021-10-10T19:24:36","modified_gmt":"2021-10-10T23:24:36","slug":"tribes-by-seth-godin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/tribes-by-seth-godin\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribes by Seth Godin: Definition & Characteristics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What makes any group a tribe? How does Tribes<\/em> by Seth Godin define a tribe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tribes are everywhere. Likely, you’re in more than one. In Tribes<\/em>, Seth Godin defines a tribe as a group of people connected to a belief, a leader, and each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to get some insight on the concept of tribes according to Seth Godin’s Tribes<\/em>\u2014as well as some supplementary ideas and counterpoints from other experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Is a Tribe?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tribes<\/em><\/em> by Seth Godin is a self-help book about how to create and lead your own tribe\u2014a group of people who are connected by a leader and an idea. Godin contends that, thanks to the ability to connect easily via the internet, there\u2019s never been a better time to build a tribe<\/a> (or step up to lead an existing one).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An entrepreneur and marketing guru, Godin is perhaps best-known for his book Purple Cow<\/em>, about how to succeed in business by standing out from the crowd. Much like Purple Cow<\/em>, Tribes <\/em>is about coming up with an exceptional idea, then spreading it to the right people<\/a> in order to make your vision a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Tribes<\/em>, Seth Godin defines a tribe as a group of people who share three important connections:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. A connection to a leader<\/li>
  2. A connection to a belief<\/li>
  3. A connection to the rest of the group<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    He adds that tribes exist everywhere people come together, whether in-person or online. <\/strong>For example, a fan club is a tribe; so are the employees of a small business. In fact, it\u2019s all but guaranteed that you personally are in a tribe, and most likely more than one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Tuckman Model of Group Formation<\/strong>

    Seth Godin’s Tribes<\/em> goes into detail about what a tribe is, but it doesn\u2019t really explain how it comes about.

    Educational psychologist Bruce Tuckman developed a four-step model to describe how people come together and form a cohesive group, such as a tribe. While Tuckman\u2019s model is specifically about goal-focused teams (such as in a work environment), it also applies to Godin\u2019s concept of tribes, which must form around a particular belief and vision for the future<\/a>.

    Tuckman\u2019s four steps are: <\/a>

    Forming. <\/strong>This is when people first come together (or are brought together) to create the new group. At this stage, the members of the group have little cohesion and need firm guidance from a leader.

    Storming. <\/strong>As the members become more comfortable within the group, there will naturally be conflicts among different personalities and ideas. At this stage, people are also frequently frustrated by what they see as a lack of progress toward the group\u2019s objective. The leader must continue to provide guidance.

    Norming. <\/strong>The intra-group conflicts are (mostly) resolved; the members respect one another and the group leader. The leader can begin to step back and let the group run itself. However, be aware that the group may briefly revert to Storming when new people or tasks are introduced.

    Performing. <\/strong>At this point, the group is fully integrated and self-sufficient. Members understand one another\u2019s strengths and weaknesses, as well as the goal that they\u2019re working toward. At this point, the leader should let go of the group\u2019s day-to-day business to focus on preventing and solving problems as they come up.

    Tuckman later added a fifth step: Adjourning. <\/strong>This step is when the group\u2019s job is done and it\u2019s time to disband. However, this fifth step does not apply to tribes, whose \u201cjobs\u201d have no clear endpoint. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Tribes Have Beliefs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Seth Godin’s Tribes<\/em> says that, at heart, tribes are about belief: belief in an idea and belief in a community. It doesn\u2019t matter what the belief is\u2014believing that a particular sports team is the best is just as valid to tribe dynamics as believing in a religion or a social cause. What matters is that all members of the tribe share that belief.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Members of a tribe also believe that they belong with each other; that they\u2019re connected by their shared interests. Godin points out that people have gathered into tribes since the earliest days of human history\u2014previously for survival, and more recently for a sense of belonging<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Not only have humans formed tribes for survival since our earliest days, so have many other species throughout history. In The Selfish Gene<\/em>, scientist Richard Dawkins explains that many different types of animals band together and help one another.<\/a> 

    When it\u2019s an issue of survival, animals tend to support those whom they\u2019re most closely related to. However\u2014since modern humans don\u2019t generally need to worry about survival\u2014we now tend to support those who share our ideas, rather than our genes. 

    In other words: Many species, including ours, are genetically wired to seek out and form tribes with each other.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Tribes Have Partisan Motivation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Tribes are partisan by nature:<\/strong> That is, they see themselves as an \u201cin-group\u201d and others as an \u201cout-group.\u201d Seth Godin’s Tribes<\/em> asserts that partisanship is part of what motivates a tribe: The members feel special because they\u2019re part of it, and others are not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While the word partisan <\/em>has negative connotations (especially in politics), it\u2019s not inherently bad: Partisan groups have strong visions and specific goals that they\u2019re eager to achieve. In other words, partisan groups are naturally motivated. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That motivation is what drives people of a tribe to come together, to share ideas, and to support each other in pursuit of their goal; even if that goal is only to celebrate a favorite sports team or TV show (for example). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If a tribe isn\u2019t motivated, that\u2019s because it\u2019s not committed to a vision\u2014in which case it\u2019s not really a tribe at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Partisanship (in-group vs. out-group) is one of the oldest and most powerful motivators in human psychology:<\/strong> We have a natural drive to support the people in \u201cour\u201d group, and to work against those in \u201cother\u201d groups. 

    An article from Vox examines this natural drive in more detail<\/a> and from a psychological perspective. It argues that there are two key factors in partisanship:

    Pride in your group<\/strong>\u2014this is what Godin urges you to harness to make your tribe successful.

    Fear and hatred of outside groups<\/strong>\u2014the effects of which can range from relatively harmless arguments about TV shows and athletes to     high-impact political decisions<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Beware of Dogma<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    While tribes form around\u2014and are motivated by\u2014shared beliefs, Godin cautions against allowing those beliefs to calcify into rigid rules.<\/strong> Strict rules stifle innovation and lead to stagnation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In fact, real leadership and growth happen only when people aren\u2019t<\/em> constrained by rules and expectations. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Counterpoint: Rules vs. Freedom<\/strong>

    This isn\u2019t to say that rules are always <\/em>harmful, or that they should be avoided at all times. Ideally, rules exist to ensure safety, comfort, and consistency.<\/strong> 

    In No Rules Rules<\/em>,<\/a> Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer discuss when rules-based approaches are helpful, and when they\u2019re a hindrance. 

    In brief: 

    If your organization (or tribe) relies on safety and consistent performance, then you\u2019ll find strict rules helpful.<\/strong> This is often the case with hazardous jobs like construction or factory work, or jobs where a mistake could be disastrous, like that of a nuclear engineer. Rules can also protect people\u2019s mental and emotional well-being\u2014for instance, most social media sites have strict rules against racism and hate speech.

    If you want to promote innovation and growth, then Hastings and Meyer suggest using what they call the \u201cfreedom and responsibility\u201d approach.<\/strong> This means that you allow your members the freedom <\/em>to make their own decisions about what they do and how they behave; however, they must also accept responsibility <\/em>for the outcomes of those decisions.     Taking responsibility<\/a> means taking credit for what works well, but also working to fix any harm they cause. If their behavior is particularly egregious, taking responsibility could even mean leaving the tribe, or being expelled from it.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    In Tribes<\/em>, Seth Godin makes it clear how and why tribes are very much part of our lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    What makes any group a tribe? How does Tribes by Seth Godin define a tribe? Tribes are everywhere. Likely, you’re in more than one. In Tribes, Seth Godin defines a tribe as a group of people connected to a belief, a leader, and each other. Keep reading to get some insight on the concept of tribes according to Seth Godin’s Tribes\u2014as well as some supplementary ideas and counterpoints from other experts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":50610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,9,24],"tags":[509],"class_list":["post-50604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-psychology","category-society","tag-tribes","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nTribes by Seth Godin: Definition & Characteristics - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It's likely that you're in at least one tribe. 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