Page 118 - Harnessing the Strengths

Dilemma 4: Control Versus Passion ■ 101

products that strive to become classics; products with an
emotional value will be strongly placed in our ‘throwaway’
culture.” 1
In response to the situation, Knutsen initiated the
“Idealand” concept at the end of the nineties, where, in a
virtual space, engineers, music lovers, designers, and other
people, both within R&D and outside the company, could
discuss how to better integrate technique and aesthetics. As
a result of this initiative, Bang & Olufsen’s culture changed
considerably, though the values remained the same, and they
were increasingly able to strengthen each other. The secret
of Bang & Olufsen’s products—that each part in the system
must work with every other part in the system—remains
just as relevant and signifi cant within the organization.
As a result, Bang & Olufsen tests its products with its
clients, and when fi nalized, each one has an expected prod-
uct cycle of ten years. “We position ourselves in a manner in
the market that what is developed in Idealand will either be
established or fail,” says Knutsen. Idealand is not a private
museum, but a test laboratory for viable ideas and, accord-
ing to Anders Knutsen, allows the customer to answer “yes”
or “no” to a set of hypotheses. This is the ultimate proof
that a servant-leader connects passion with functionality.

Seriousness Versus Playfulness
Is a servant-leader a calm person who sometimes makes
a joke, or is he or she someone who is always playful and
from time to time makes a deep and insightful comment?
Or, is it about something else? Is it about creating situations
that can be described as “serious play”—for example, in
business games? The purpose of business games is to com-
municate serious messages in a more fun and entertaining