A sense of organization.

Introduction:

We are constantly cutting off our noses to spite our faces!

Whether we like it or not, we are sensory beings. If you associate this with the “primitive” side of man, with the less rational, logical or “modern” man, you are literally cutting yourself off from the mechanism that makes us who we are; our sensory system.

Until the planet is run by AIs and technological devices, as long as humans inhabit this planet, the sensory system is the only system through which we function; everything else we use branches off from there.

There are those who agree with this reality, that we are in fact sensory beings, but are not too comfortable with the fact. And so, we see a lot of “covering up” of our senses, depriving ourselves of many sensory experiences and turning to a “higher cognitive” aspect of our brain to function in the world. The irony is that our higher cognitive brain depends on information it receives through the sensory system.

As a business, any attitude towards limiting our awareness and use of our sensory system is a one-way ticket to failure. “You can’t fool with mother nature.”

Businesses and organizations are made up of people that serve people. All challenges and dynamics that influence people to people interactions will play a key role in the outcome of any business set up. Any business plan, design or proposal, must include the human factor. After all, who produced the plan in the first place?

The Corporate Body is simply a model of the human being. The corporation is a structure that holds many connected parts; from the head, all the way down to the feet we stand on. As humans, we interact with our internal and external environments and so does the corporation. The work of Ali Anani has focused on the relationship between nature, human nature and business that clarifies and integrates this relationship.

Sensory System: (Any emphasis found in the following quotes are mine.)

Visual

“Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.” - Charles Kuralt

The Corporate Body needs to be stimulated across the sensory spectrum. The environment must provide a range of visual cues; anything related to colors, patterns, windows and a variety of mediums, photography, sculpture, plants and flowers, to name a few.

We cannot afford to be sensory deprived when we are gaining information. If a leader of a company or a team receives information which has been deprived in any way of his visual sense, then the information he passes on will be incomplete and reduce the potential of a successful outcome for the company or the team. Everyone has to receive as much information as possible in order to be able “to see” the whole picture.

Auditory

“Be able to recognize when you're reading or hearing material biased to your own side.” - Marilyn vos Savant

We have two ears, stereophonic hearing. We can tell where sounds are coming from. We can discern between sounds. It is crucial for the Corporate Body to have open channels to auditory communication; listening and being heard. We benefit from “keeping our ears open”. If we only hear our own voices or our own thoughts, we restrict and limit ourselves to our own perspectives. That means we function in isolation, in a vacuum. In business, it’s a good idea to “keep your ear to the ground”; be able to pick up the vibrations around you, know what's happening, what people are saying, what’s the latest buzz.

Taste

“Our culture runs on coffee and gasoline, the first often tasting like the second.” - Edward Abbey

If the Corporate Body is not exposed to a variety of tastes; sweet, spicy, tart, bitter, salty and so on, then everything begins to taste the same. This bland experience prevents growth. This leads to reduced interest or motivation to produce. Individuals in the organization begin to lose their "taste" for the place and the work all together.

Olfactory

"The act of smelling something, anything, is remarkably like the act of thinking. Immediately at the moment of perception, you can feel the mind going to work, sending the odor around from place to place, setting off complex repertories through the brain, polling one center after another for signs of recognition, for old memories and old connection. " - Lewis Thomas

Sanitize the Corporate Body and you sanitize its ability to think. Fill the air with a variety of fragrances; anything from fresh coffee brewing, cookies baking, fragrant flowers, “clean air”, and so on and watch out for the increased smell of success. You can’t think? Breathe in through your nose, catch a whiff of an aroma and let your brain do the rest.

Tactile

“I love building spaces: architecture, furniture, all of it, probably more than fashion. The development procedure is more tactile. It's about space and form and it's something you can share with other people.” - Donna Karan

Being “hands on” is as important as breathing. The Corporate Body needs to experience the rough and smooth, the sand and the water, the soft and prickly. What we walk on, sit on, the door we grab when entering the building, the handshakes, the pat on the back. We build and shape according to what we touch and how we are touched by those around us.

Proprioceptive

“From Latin 'proprius: one's own, the awareness of movement and force via muscle, tendon, joint, and fascial mechanoreceptor. Processed in the somatosensory cortex.”

As we engage physically, muscles stretch and contract. Proprioception refers to the way joints and muscles send messages to the brain to help coordinate movement. We are aware of where we are in space; in relation to others and objects. That’s why we don’t (usually) bump into each other or the furniture.

This sense also allows us to grade the force and direction of our movements; our bodies instinctively know to apply more effort when lifting a heavy box and less effort when lifting a piece of paper. The proprioceptive system helps us coordinate the movement of our arms and legs in an efficient manner and to be able to move without even having to look.

“I think adidas really understands that it's cool to be in business with the right people. It really feels like a bunch of creative minds rather than some rap guys stamping their names on a sneaker. We're arguing over shoes, ideas, and everything - it's like a tug of war.” - Pusha T

In a tug of war, you have to be fully aware as to who is in front of you and who is behind you, how much pressure you have to exert in your legs and how much in your arms, when to tighten and when to release. Most of all, the Corporate Body needs to know when to give and take.

Vestibular

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” - Albert Einstein

The ear, which is ironically our organ for hearing, is the organ through which we experience our sense of balance. If the Corporate Body is stuck, if there is no experience of movement, then the balance is thrown off. If we listen from only one place, then we can’t offer a balanced viewpoint. And then, if we are not careful and our ear develops an infection, then during that time we are off balance until we resume our healthy state.

Conclusion:

"Through seven figures come sensations for a man; there is hearing for sounds, sight for the visible, nostril for smell, tongue for pleasant or unpleasant tastes, mouth for speech, body for touch, passages outwards and inwards for hot or cold breath. Through these come knowledge or lack of it." – Hippocrates

Image credit: Illustration Source