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Be More Bonobo

By Peter Lloyd

In the heart of Africa lives a primate whose name may mean “ancestor” in a dead Bantu language. Ancestor is called bonobo these days. Without a nameplate on the zoo enclosure, you might mistake a group of bonobos for chimpanzees. But you would be less likely to mistake them if you paid more attention to the way they behave.

I’ve been a fan of the bonobo, sometimes called the hippie chimp, ever since I learned of their matriarchal social structure, non-violent tendencies, and liberated sexuality.

photo of bonobos kissingWhile bonobos have been observed hunting and killing small mammals and even other primates, they generally behave more peacefully. Male bonobos tend to threaten each other rather than fight, and they gain their social status from their mothers. Females lead bonobo society and manage themselves and the males by networking with each other and negotiating their sexual availability.

All bonobos engage in a variety of lusty activities with little regard for gender, age, or time of day. They use sex for everything from greeting to conflict resolution. Throw a ball into their midsts, they’ll all run to the ball, have sex, then play with the ball.

Bonobos resemble humans more so than chimps in body proportion and in facial differentiation. So if any primate is a candidate for displaying human-like self-consciousness, abstract thinking, and creativity, it’s the bonobo.

What a difference a million years makes!
Humans are separated from chimps and bonobos by about six million years, with about a million years separating chimps and bonobos.

It’s as if some five million years ago, while absentmindedly drawing termites from a log with a stick, a precocious chimp noticed that some of her sisters were watching her very closely. Meanwhile in the background, a clot of males were occupied puffing up their chests, screeching, and punching each other as two of their mates engaged in a fight to the finish.

This gave the lunching chimp an idea:
A new leadership paradigm seems to be emerging with an inexorable shift away from one-way, hierarchical, organization-centric communication toward two-way, network-centric, participatory and collaborative leadership styles. Most of all a new mindset seems necessary, apart from new skills and knowledge. All the tools in the world will not change anything if the mindset does not allow and support change.
Since she didn’t quite know how to express what she felt, she simply started following her insight. As she invited her sisters to join her in the termite feast, she wondered, “What’s with these males who push us around anyway? We females are smarter and we do all the work. It’s time to collaborate!”

Eventually she and her sisters began acting more like bonobos. And so did their progeny every generation after.

When will we catch up?
How can you develop creative leaders in your organization? What can you do to instill a spirit of creativity and innovation throughout? How might you encourage diversity that’s as diverse as the people you employ? Go to the zoo and watch the bonobos.

Before you leave, be sure to leave preconceptions about the superiority of Homo sapiens behind. We do some things right, but we have a lot to learn from the hippie chimp.

Actual indented quote, above, comes from The Leadership Implications of the Evolving Web, by Grady McGonagill and Tina Doerffer, part of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Leadership Series.

See also:
Peter Lloyd is co-creator with Stephen Grossman of Animal Crackers, the breakthrough problem-solving tool designed to crack your toughest problems.

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