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In 1941, Lewis Carroll wrote a wonderful, ‘brief but instructive’ poem, entitled The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits.
The poem came to mind when I was invited to introduce a session in the Tavistock Consultancy Service series on “Leading Creativity in Organisations”. It was my reaction to the word ‘creativity’ that set me off. Unexpectedly, I balked at the word. It was not the call to creative thinking that I disliked, but the notion of ‘leading’ it.
When I went back to Carroll's poem, I recognised a pattern I would like to call “The Snark Effect”, to describe a phenomenon I am sure readers of this journal will know only too well.
The Snark Effect is a way of describing the real danger of ‘new ideas’ in organizations. It is intended to serve as a warning to leaders and managers, to academics and consultants, to trainers and organizational or management developers, and - especially perhaps - to anyone who falls into the hands of such people.
To introduce the Snark Effect, I have selected parts of the poem that have particular relevance to the language of new ideas in organizations. (The Bellman is the acknowledged and much relied on leader of the expedition in search of the Snark.)
The poem opens with a description of the landing of the crew:
“Just the place for a Snark!” the Bellman cried,As he landed his crew with care;Supporting each man on the top of the tideBy a finger entwined in his hair.