Book SummaryTribal Leadership, by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Tribal Leadership

In Tribal Leadership, Dave Logan, Halee Fischer-Wright, and John King contend that organizations succeed or fail on the strength of their tribes—groups of individuals with shared social norms and ways of working. They argue that you can improve your organization by elevating the cultures of those tribes, and if you implement their strategies, the authors say you’ll improve both your bottom line and the happiness of your employees.

Logan, King, and Fischer-Wright bring diverse expertise to the table. Logan is a senior lecturer at the USC Marshall School of Business and a business consultant through his company, CultureSync, while King coaches executives in leadership skills. Fischer-Wright is a licensed physician and former business consultant. Tribal Leadership synthesizes their shared expertise in business management, leadership, and cultural transformation.

Our guide begins by presenting the “tribes” framework—what a tribe is, how tribal cultures develop through five stages, and what a tribal leader does. We’ll give an overview of what the stages are and how they work, before detailing each of the five tribal stages’ characteristics and how to level up to the next stage.

Humans Coordinate in Tribes

The authors explain that humans instinctively form tribes—in other words, we’ve evolved to organize ourselves in medium-sized groups of like-minded people. A tribe is a group of 20 to 150 people who readily recognize one another and generally get along. A tribe is a social network before it’s a work group. For example, the people you instinctively reach out to in crises are part of your tribe. An organization can have multiple tribes.

According to the authors, the strength of an organization’s tribes determines the strength of the organization. In turn, the strength of a tribe depends on its culture—how the members speak, relate to values, and form relationships. For example, if a tribe is made of ambitious, values-driven team players, it’ll contribute positively to the organization.

(Shortform note: While the authors don’t provide a source for this number, the upper bound of 150 matches “Dunbar’s number,” a theoretical upper limit to the number of close relationships that a human can maintain. Dunbar calculated this number by comparing primate brain sizes to group size, and for humans, he found hunter-gatherer communities were “almost exactly 150” members.)

Tribal Culture Develops Through Five Stages

The authors say that tribes develop through five distinct stages:

• Stage 1: Struggling to stay afloat—Stage 1 tribes (such as gangs) form from individuals who’ve been born into underprivileged circumstances.
• Stage 2: Resigned mediocrity—Stage 2 tribes are tired and disconnected from their work. They achieve average results, innovate little, and live for the weekends.
• Stage 3: Survival of the fittest—Stage 3 tribes are competitive networks of ambitious, career-focused individuals. They achieve great results but struggle to work together.
• Stage 4: Unified teamwork—Stage 4 tribes work as a team, and they’re productive, innovative, and connected to their work.

Additionally, the authors mention a fifth stage, at which teams perform ”world-changing innovation,” but they acknowledge that exploring it was beyond the scope of Tribal Leadership at the time of publication.

The World of Developmental Stage Models

With these five stages, the authors step into the field of adult development, a branch of science that attempts to model how humans develop into young adulthood and throughout life. This field continues the work of psychologists who studied child development, such as Jean Piaget, who pioneered a theory of childhood cognitive stages.

Developmental models suggest that there are distinct, discrete stages that people go through as they age—stages that we can measure, describe, and verify. Theorists also describe different developmental lines, such as cognitive, social, and spiritual development. In The Listening Society, Hanzi Freinacht explains that there are domain-specific and domain-general developmental models. Tribal Leadership is a domain-specific model—it attempts to explain how individuals, tribes, culture, and leaders develop in a business context.

Each of these five stages exhibits several key markers:

• Marker #1: Tribe members speak a common language. People at each tribal stage use words and phrases characteristic of that stage. Particularly, the authors say that these language habits express their values—whether they deride them or hold them dear.
• Marker #2: Tribe members form relationships that flow from how they see values and how they speak. For example, people at Stage 3 build two-person relationships because they value power and control.

Spiral Dynamics and Tribal Leadership

In Spiral Dynamics, Don Beck and Chris Cowan lay out their developmental stage model—a model from which the authors of Tribal Leadership draw. In Spiral Dynamics, each stage corresponds to a “value meme” (differentiated by colors), or a...

Tribal Leadership Summary Shortform Introduction

In Tribal Leadership, Dave Logan, Halee Fischer-Wright, and John King describe how to improve an organization by leveling up its culture. An organization is made of tribes—socially networked groups of 20 to 150 people—and the cultures of those tribes determine the organization’s performance and its members’ happiness.

A tribal leader is someone who builds a higher-level tribe by coaching its members to develop their skills and become team players. As this leader coaches tribe members to higher stages, the tribe’s culture will transform, and the overall organization will perform far better. According to the authors, using the strategies in Tribal Leadership will improve your bottom line, and your employees will become more motivated, productive, and happy.

About the Authors

Logan is a faculty member at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, where he teaches in the MBA program and served as associate dean for four years. He’s the co-founder of CultureSync, a management consulting...

Tribal Leadership Summary Part 1: Leading the Tribes

Tribal Leadership is an approach to organizational development that puts culture first. Dave Logan, Halee Fischer-Wright, and John King contend that organizations succeed or fail on the strength of their cultures, and that we can improve our organizations by upgrading our cultures. More specifically, we need to develop the tribes—groups that share ways of thinking, interacting, and working—that make up our organizations.

Implement the strategies of Tribal Leadership effectively, the authors say, and you’ll see improvement to your bottom line. Your employees will also be more motivated, more productive, and happier.

Logan, King, and Fischer-Wright bring diverse expertise to the table. Logan is a senior lecturer at the USC Marshall School of Business, and has consulted for over a decade through his company CultureSync, while King coaches executives in leadership skills. Fischer-Wright is a licensed physician and former business consultant whose work aims to create high-performance cultures in health care. Tribal Leadership synthesizes their shared expertise in business management, leadership, and cultural transformation....

Tribal Leadership Summary Part 2: Stages 1 and 2

So far, we’ve explained the “what” and “how” of tribes and tribal leadership. In Part 2, we’ll discuss Stages 1 and 2. For each in turn, we’ll characterize the stage, describe its three key markers, and explain how the authors recommend coaching individuals to the next stage. Last, we’ll describe the indications of a successful stage transition.

Stage 1: A Dog-Eat-Dog World

The authors explain that at Stage 1, individuals see the world as a harsh dog-eat-dog environment. Their lives are generally cruel and punishing, and they become both miserable and tough.

For the individual at Stage 1, things have never been easy. He likely grew up in poverty and was exposed to crime early in life. That early exposure kicks off a downward spiral that often leads to gang membership or a life of crime. Struggling with the practical and psychological hardships of poverty, he comes to see life as fundamentally unfair. In turn, according to the authors, he realizes that values are worthless—instead, he should do what it takes to survive, regardless of the rules.

Since he lacks experience fitting in with “proper” society, he’ll struggle to hold down a job—you’ll rarely see Stage 1...

Tribal Leadership Summary Part 3: Stage 3—Survival of the Fittest

Having covered tribes at Stage 1 and Stage 2, we’ll now explain Stage 3—the most common of the stages, this is the domain of “lone warriors,” where big egos jockey for power and personal accomplishment. As before, we’ll explain Stage 3 key markers—values, language, and relationships—and we’ll describe how to coach individuals from Stage 3 to Stage 4. Last, we’ll detail how Stage 3 individuals can become tribal leaders by realizing the value of Stage 4 and tribal cooperation.

Stage 3: The Competitive Workplace

According to the authors’ research, Stage 3 is the most common culture, and it’s where most professionals spend much of their careers. Stage 3 features shark-like competition, office politics, and high-powered professionals striving to dominate their workplaces.

Stage 3 individuals want to win, and they excel at climbing the ladder of accomplishment. They’re lifelong high-achievers who’ve always strived to be at the top of the class, to get the best recommendations, and to surpass their coworkers. However, the authors explain that beneath the ambitious exterior, each Stage 3 individual fears that he isn’t quite the best. Because he feels insecure about his...

Shortform Exercise: Plan How to Coach Your Tribe Members

As the authors explain, a tribal leader upgrades her tribe by coaching one tribe member at a time. To practice your understanding of the techniques, plan how you could implement their coaching methods.

First, recall the two key coaching opportunities: helping a tribe member upgrade her language and her relationships to the next Stage. When coaching a tribe member at Stage 2, what kind of language would you encourage her to adopt? List a few changes you could help her make—for instance, shifting away from commiserating language.

Tribal Leadership Summary Part 4: Stages 4 and 5

In Part 4, we’ll describe Stages 4 and 5, the most effective stages that the authors recommend striving toward. As before, we’ll describe Stage 4 and explain the three key markers. We’ll then break down the authors’ discussion of the three routes into Stage 4, as well as the three key activities that stabilize a tribe at Stage 4. To end, we’ll briefly characterize Stage 5, for which the authors include only speculations.

Stage 4: Unified Teamwork

According to the authors, just under a quarter of the modern workforce operates at Stage 4. At Stage 4, the tribe comes together around shared values and pursues a well-crafted mission. They explicitly recognize themselves as a tribe, and they unify under a strong leader to pursue ambitious goals.

Stage 4 individuals have high energy, enthusiasm for their work, and positive relationships with their peers. They often express gratitude or appreciation for their jobs, and they respect and value effective tribal leaders.

On the collective level, Stage 4 cultures or tribes have much the same characteristics. The tribe cooperates effectively, and tribe members often resolve day-to-day conflicts by remembering their shared...

Shortform Exercise: Identify Your Tribe’s Stage Using Key Markers

The authors emphasize that tribal leaders must learn to recognize the key markers of each stage. To practice this skill, consider your immediate colleagues’ values, language, and relationships to identify the stage of tribe that you work within.

Recalling the “three key markers” of each stage—relationship to values, characteristic language, and relationship style—consider your current workplace tribe. First, how do your immediate colleagues relate to values? Briefly describe any shared attitudes you’ve noticed.