The Beatles Principle

Analysis of the case:

Situational analysis : The case talks about how fun can act as a catalyst in driving a teams performance
towards realizing their common goal. Fun happens to be the key part of Virgin group of companies
mode of operation. However, there are very few such companies implementing this ideology of
promoting fun at work and there are many corporate who are of the view that the more they lose sight
of fun and camaraderie in business, the harder it is to deliver performance.
Problem analysis : Problem statement of the case- How to implement a culture of fun at work where
the employees of the organization are self motivated and treat work more as play (something which
they like to do). We need to find out ways to create such environment in an organization which can help
drive up its productivity.
Decision analysis : The following four solutions can be proposed based on the phenomenal success of
The Bealtles who applied these four principles in their decade long association as members of the
legendary band.
Invest in building face time : Although most people believe that The Beatles were an overnight
success, nothing can be far from the truth. The Beatles had performed for thousands of hours in
the clubs of England before starting a professional career as a band. This helped them know
each other well and form a bond. This helped them turn themselves into a cohesive unit which
is what the reason is behind their effortless performances. So, the idea is to build face time
between the members of a time long enough that makes them acquainted with each other,
understand each others strengths and weaknesses and enjoy each others company. This will
lead to the team performing much better.
Evolve your songs : One of the most important reasons for the success of The Beatles was that
their songs evolved with the release of every album. The experimented with music of different
genres and tried to incorporate elements of different styles of music into their songs. They
experimented with their album covers emphasizing more on its artistic element. This made their
fans expect something new and innovative every time an album was about to release. Similar
should be the case with an organization. To keep their clients and customers loyal to them for
life, the key is to evolve and innovate, bring in new perspectives and ideas every time a solution
is proposed to the client. This will keep the clients always interested to do business with the
company.
Help team members become a brand-within-a-brand : The Beatles understood the importance
of promoting every member of the band in their albums as well as live shows. Lennon-
Mccartney wrote songs specifically for Ringo Starr on almost every album giving him a platform
with the public. When George Harrisons musical abilities were peaking, they started including a
two or more of his self-composed songs on their every forthcoming albums. This should also be
implemented in teams. Even though the eventual motive is team success, the individual team
members also need a sense of personal importance. This can be achieved by giving them tasks
that makes them look good in their own right.
Mix of specialists and generalists : In the case of Beatles, Lennon and Mccartney were the
generalists who had a wide range of musical abilities, Starr and Harrison were the specialists
who had developed a great skill in playing the instrument they were good at. This created a
band that was very versatile as a musical group. The same ideology can be implemented while
forming teams where we blend together branded experts and deep generalists who understand
the clients needs and can put the companys product and services into the broader business
context.
Potential problem analysis : The potential problem that can arise after implementing the above
mentioned solutions is to keep a superstar team together after it has reached its peak. In the 1970, the
Beatles dissolved their band owing to problems among individual group members. So, care must be
taken to keep a team of talented individuals together even during times of identity crisis and when their
thoughts and views are not matching.
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Questions)
1)Develop a teaching methodology to teach the students belonging to below average, average, above
average and brilliant categories.
Ans:
Divide the class into groups which contain brilliant as well as average students. The brilliant
students can act as generalists and they can help the average students identify one positive
aspect within them which they can improve overtime and become specialist in that area. To find
out in what areas the average students can improve can be done by assigning some tasks to the
groups and evaluating their performances in them. A team of specialists and generalists can
work effectively since both the specialists and generalists would complement each other helping
the team perform a wide array of tasks with significant ease.

The principle of promoting brand within a brand should be used in the teaching methodology.
There will be individuals within the group who are willing to perform but are not able to due to
lack of some skills. The brilliant students can help them in this aspect by dividing a task assigned
to them into sub tasks and assigining them some specific tasks which suit their strengths. Upon
completion of these tasks, these team members can feel a sense of personal importance as they
had contributed to the completion of the task. This keeps them motivated enough to work and
feel appreciated.


A lot of time must be spent in building facetime between the team members. Even The Beatles
were not an overnight sensation. They worked together for hours playing in the clubs of England
before starting their professional career as musicians. Building facetime helps group members
become acquainted with each other, understand and appreciate each others pros and cons and
help them complete tasks more efficiently and effectively since they know each others
strengths and weaknesses. They start enjoying each others company and enjoy each others
success.

Emphasis should be given on how the teams would evolve. For that emphasis must be given on
giving team assignments in which there is scope for the team members to improve upon skills
which are not developed. Making them do tasks which takes them out of their comfort zones is
a good way to help individual personalities evolve. This can be done by carrying out public
speaking sessions, role playing games and other such tasks.
2) What communication styles can be used to influence a team?
Ans:
Make each and every team member feel an integral part of the group. They should not feel left
out. This would help every team member communicate their thoughts well.

Building on facetime will enable team members to know each other well and shed inhibitions
which people have regarding asking questions to someone who they dont know well.

Project each and every team member as an equal in the group, each having their own
specialized skill sets. This will help every team member having confidence in their abilities and
contribute more actively to team discussions.

As the Beatles did, assign tasks to the weaker member of the group so that he gets an
opportunity to hone his latent talent. This helps create an atmosphere of mutual respect where
each and every member feels appreciated.