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The five kinds of tribes that we form

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David Logan explains the five kinds of tribes that people form. Dr. Logan is the Associate Dean and Executive Director of Executive Development, and Associate Professor of Clinical, at USC’s Marshall School of Business.


Comments (9)

Oct 07, 2009
Tribal leader said...
Too pseudo-trendy. Contentwise zero. Glad I avoided USC.
Oct 07, 2009
Robin said...
F**king brilliant! Great observation. I happen to agree with almost every point and am glad you are pointing this out. I like that it isn't "me" oriented and that it is based on a good analysis of life and people. Not everyone will agree...........because you'd have to be in at least Stage 4 to agree!
Oct 07, 2009
Bill Jacobson said...
Great reminder that 1) It's okay to stand out and be a litte bit wierd, 2) that working together, helping each other is what moves us beyond cynicism and separateness.
Oct 07, 2009
Sean said...
I've watched this twice and have replayed many points within the presentation and I must say I find this extremely disjointed and many points conflicting. The frustrating thing for me is that the concept(s) lack a sound fundamental thread - and his authored stages don't even come close to making up for it.

He expresses "tribes" as if they're a group defined by a circumstantial environment that you can then associate some sort of "stage" (what he also calls a tribe) of tribal maturity to. I find this borderline ridiculous. Do the tribes we create or become a part of exist within these staged tribes or do we join or form them and then associate them to a stage? Why would we do this? How is this helpful or actionable? Is it to inform our tribes maturity in these stages so we can move on to the next? Last "question" - what is the value, personal or otherwise, in "nudging" the DMV, a fleeting tribe, on to the next stage? I think I'm beyond the "borderline" that I mentioned earlier.

I define "tribes" very differently. I certainly don't see them as fleeting super-bowl parties created from a guest list of what could very easily be a random set of people with very different ideals, values and stages of maturity. Do you remember the music video for the song "No Rain" by Blind Melon (youtube it)? It's a simple example of how I see tribes. It was essentially a story about a girl looking for her tribe. In the end she finds her tribe and she's beyond elated when she does. Why? Because we all long to share our lives with people who understand us and can empathize with the choices we make to define our lives. We find a lot of comfort in it because it frees us to be ourselves.

The concept is very powerful from a brand, marketing and consumer perspective. The bonds and trust each member has for one another makes their choices and behavior extraordinarily influential within the tribe. The leaders in a tribe are the trend setters, the people who are closest to cultural values of the tribe and who often act first.

There are other contentious points but I'll refrain - and I tend to agree with the previous poster. It really seems as if Dr. Logan is reaching in riding the trend of what's becoming a buzzword in the world of business speak.

Oct 07, 2009
Alex Ikonn said...
Sean,

I agree with Robin- "Not everyone will agree...........because you'd have to be in at least Stage 4 to agree! "

Oct 08, 2009
Olivier said...
@Sean, Where can i find all the answers from your questions?
i am looking for deeper and more relevant explanation. the basic approach of Dr Logan give a hint and taste to look for more knowledge and insight about tribe leaderships.
Oct 08, 2009
Prince Darroux said...
I see the point I am from the Tiano/Kalinago Carib Ameri Indian Nation which is a Hebrew Isralite Nation of old hence we are of the Tribe of Israel and Ishmael. Moreover, we still retain some of our centuries old culture and my families on my mothers side and my fathers side have been the royals of my people since the dawn of time.

Hence, I would think it is safe to say that I can totally identify with his hypothisis, for, for me it is a way of life always has and always will be. Moreover, my people were some of the inventors of what democracy is for even though we had Royals we had a congress and Chieftans as well as a from of centralized belief,laws etc.

Moreover, some of my family members still live on a reserve in my country and choose to maintain the ancient customs of my people. However, with some form of a new aged flare to it.

Therefore, Doc to you I say your right on with that tribes have always been here and will always be for that is what beings of our higher levle of counsciousness do. Furthermore, even animals of so called lower counsciousness do so dogs run in packs. Bird's of a feather flock together and even some times the odd bird/man rather out is in their mits. Fish swim in schools and so on and so forth to infinity.

Hence in closing Doc it is my opinion that your right on.

Regards

Prince Darroux Hebrew Isralite
Tiano/Kalinago Carib
Ameri Indian Nation
Tribe of Ishmael
Tribe of Israel

Oct 08, 2009
Sean said...
@Alex Ikonn - Although I do find it funny that you point to the authored stages as to why I don't agree I also find it ironic. Do disagreements automatically put you in stage 2? I'm an artist/designer and I can tell you disagreements if seen through objectively often lead to very healthy outcomes.

I don't agree with Dr. Logan because his thesis lacks foundation and breaks on many points. His stages are just a poor representation of what "tribes" are and he never concludes with the value of his representation.

Seth Godin comes much closer to a clear definition of tribes and he doesn't defend their existence by saying humans are tribal beings and that's that - because birds fly and fish swim. Silly.

Oct 08, 2009
tribeofblondes said...
I'm forming the tribe of blondes--it's not a hair color but a resilient optimism that unites us.
The "Life Is Great" outlook shared by a Stage 5 Tribe is delightfully contagious. Catch it and you're free to enjoy life and make it better for others.

Limiting beliefs like "Life Sucks" and "My Life Sucks" also are contagious in Stage 1 and 2 Tribes.
Catch it and you may be stuck in negativity and despair.

Dr. Logan says that tribes with shared views of life can only nudge forward by one level of awareness.

This ignores the natural resilience of our brain and our spirit.
Stage 1 and 2 Tribes don't have to nudge toward the narcissistic view of "I'm great and you're not" shared by Stage 3 Tribes.

Each of us can learn to flip our thought switch from darkness to light. We may need a guide to show us our thought switch and how to use it. We may need a nudge of biofeedback or other energetic healing modalities to break negative, limiting thought patterns and behavior. These new tools and choices help us experience our natural state of joy.

We're all born with the "Life Is Great" spirit. The secret is to keep it alive--or to revive it with a little nudge from resilient optimists--the tribe who reminds us how to feel whole and happy again.
Hadley Finch, creator of tribeofblondes.com and tribeofsingles.com

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