Soup de Jour or Software Stone Soup
soup du jour [soop duh zhoo
r] Pronunciation Key
- noun
the soup featured by a restaurant on a patricular day. Also, soup de jour [Origin: 1940–45; < Fr soupe du jour soup of the day]
“According to the story, some travelers come to a village, carrying nothing more than an empty pot. Upon their arrival, the villagers are unwilling to share any of their food stores with theThe Table Group - Simple Wisdom for Organizations: Dysfunctions and Miserable Job Products hungry travelers. The travelers fill the pot with water, drop a large stone in it, and place it over a fire in the village square. One of the villagers becomes curious and asks what they are doing. The travelers answer that they are making “stone soup“, which tastes wonderful, although it still needs a little bit of garnish to improve the flavor, which they are missing. The villager doesn’t mind parting with just a little bit to help them out, so it gets added to the soup. Another villager walks by, inquiring about the pot, and the travelers again mention their stone soup which hasn’t reached its full potential yet. The villager hands them a little bit of seasoning to help them out. More and more villagers walk by, each adding another ingredient. Finally, a delicious and nourishing pot of soup is enjoyed by all.”
The Meaning of the Fable
This fable can be thought of as “The Emperor’s New Clothes” in reverse, where nothing is revealed to be something, after all. The original stone was only a pretext to start the villagers sharing in a way that they would not have considered without the catalyst of the “stone soup” that they thought they were improving.
Soups of the Day
Agile Software Development, Chally Predictive Assessment System, MBTI, Overcoming The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Rational Unified Process, Scrum, SDLC, and Six Sigma, just to name a few.
Philosophy Defined
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
| 1. | the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct. |
| 2. | any of the three branches, namely natural philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysical philosophy, that are accepted as composing this study. |
| 3. | a system of philosophical doctrine: the philosophy of Spinoza. |
| 4. | the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge, esp. with a view to improving or reconstituting them: the philosophy of science. |
| 5. | a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs. |
| 6. | a philosophical attitude, as one of composure and calm in the presence of troubles or annoyances. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Micromanaging Leaders and Leaderless Management
What appeared to be a “last-ditch-effort” to keep a rudderless ship from drifting into oblivion or crashing upon the jagged terrain, was actually a superficial attempt to radically change the corporate culture yet again, using a business fable, The Five Dysfunctions of A Team, written by Patrick Lencioni, as the catalyst and vehicle of change. Unfortunately, for Mr. Lencioni, the inablity of his readers to follow his recipe (philosophy), has a direct baring on the sales of his books. Negative experiences such as the one I am describing often times causes the inflicted and injured to run for cover and safety in the nearest nuclear fallout shelter, or at least under their desk, at the sight of another fable in the hands of their leader. This scenario could happen regardless of which soup of the day is being consumed. So, I will try not to loose sight of that truth, and concentrate on the failed application.
Radical Change Starts With The Change Agent
Hmmm… what’s wrong with this picture? It’s the change agent. He is attempting to change everyone else first with large messy strokes of his brush. The person who wants to bring about radical reform and change, MUST be willing to not only be the agent of change, but he MUST start with himself first, and be cognizant of whether or not he practices the change he wishes to instill in others. Unless he recognizes his own inability to change, he therefore cannot expect that the people he leads to embrace the change, nor expect a successful culture change. The leader MUST lead by example, or his people will be lead away.
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