Positive Counterparts

Drawing on philosophy (Heidegger) and neurology, the authors argue that mood matters. When we join an organization, we are initially aware of company moods, but that awareness dies as the mood possesses us. Based on 25 years experience in 150+ small and large organizations, the authors propose that most organizations are in one of four negative or positive moods, each of which has a counterpart mood (see table below), which has to be achieved to bring about change.  

Practical Applications

The authors describe four companies whose leaders transformed one of the four negative structural moods into its positive counterpart using three building blocks:

1. Getting into the counterpart mood and seeing the old politics. Different techniques are used for different moods. E.g. Resigned teams get into the mood of zeal when they listen to candid assessments from zealous, raving-fan customers.  
2. Starting to manage in the style of the counterpart mood. With coaching, leaders go through the unnatural ''outward motions'' of establishing a management practice that expresses the counterpart mood and forces their personal transformation.
3. Making the new practice and mood pervasive. The leader gives his/her team the opportunity to experience the counterpart mood, creating the climate for the practice to bear the counterpart
   mood until it is institutionalized. 

As the authors conclude:

"Leaders can turn around the negative politics that grew up under them. The change requires (1) realizing the importance of politics, (2) knowing the foundation of the different kinds of politics in structural moods (following Heidegger), (3) knowing the four different kinds of negative and counterpart positive moods and politics, and (4) deploying the basic building blocks for change."