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Jazz is often regarded by musicians as being among the most difficult musical styles to master. It requires great technical skill, but also improvisation, collaboration, anticipation of future direction and creativity. In a jazz band, each musician is free to express themselves and contribute their own unique ideas, yet must still play together as one.
The trope of the conductor/orchestra has often been used in business to describe the central coordination and formal control role that the senior leadership team needs to play.
However, Barrie cautions that while this orchestral analogy might have worked when businesses made the product first and then created the demand, it no longer works in a consumer-led market. He explains how even the largest organisations can be more jazz.
