Link This | Email this | Blog This | Comments (0)

Yoga at the Mexican Border: A New Way to Think About Teamwork
July 5, 2008

I couldn’t help but think about common workplace problems when I saw an article that recently explained how a group out west used yoga as a means to improve relationships and cultural understanding across the Tijuana and San Diego border.  The organization is called, “The Border Meetup Group” and their goal is, “to bring people together by finding a theme that has no borders.”  What I found really interesting, particularly as it pertains to the workplace, was that the border (which is an iron fence) remains fixed between them.  So each “side” engages with the other through the very thing that separates them.  In this case it was to exercise and meditate, but they do lots of other neat things as well. 

Fundamentally, it’s a great idea, and one that could take organizational effectiveness through teamwork to a whole new level.  Imagine how much better we could make things if we recognized the barriers that held us back, and then not only identified and understood them, but were able to forge relationships and carry on despite them.

Come to think of it, maybe that’s why the hype around the whole “boundaryless organization” trend died down and lost its allure.  The concept was great, but the results just weren’t there.  Perhaps it’s because barriers aren’t as easy to erase as one might think.

Hmmm, I don’t know.  But it’s certainly food for thought.

 

Posted by Donna Flagg on July 5, 2008 | Comments (0)