the ‘bravest orchestra in the world’ | blue ocean strategy
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28/01/16 19:20The ‘Bravest Orchestra in the World’ | Blue Ocean Strategy
Page 1 of 8https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/blog/the-bravest-orchestra-in-the-world/
January 28, 2016
The ‘Bravest Orchestra in theWorld’
A ‘blue ocean’ way of uniting people through
music
By The Blue Ocean Strategy Team
There is no limit to what one can achieve once you put your mind to it.This is what teenager Zuhal Sultan must have thought, back in 2008,when she turned to the internet with the odd request to help her starta National Youth Orchestra in Iraq. A tweet to the Deputy PrimeMinister of Iraq secured her $50K to get started. The internet also putZuhal in touch with Paul MacAlindin, a Scottish conductor who wasintrigued by the idea of starting an orchestra in Iraq and agreed to takethis journey with her.
With limited funds, a lack of educated musicians and a range oflogistical barriers, setting up an orchestra in Iraq was not aneasy task. Paul MacAlindin, who not only became the conductor butwas also the strategic brain of the orchestra, turned to blue oceanstrategy to make the project a success. It worked. Between 2008 and2013 the orchestra held dozens of performances and achievedinternational fame. The Blue Ocean Strategy Team spoke to conductorMacAlindin to learn more about this orchestra’s unconventional and‘blue ocean’ journey.
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28/01/16 19:20The ‘Bravest Orchestra in the World’ | Blue Ocean Strategy
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Paul MacAlindin
What triggered you to apply blue ocean strategy to this
case?
Paul MacAlindin: After accepting the challenge to create the orchestra,I quickly learned the hard truth: almost all National Youth Orchestrasare highly established, western-centric and quite elite. Only the verybest players of the respective countries are selected. Our competitorswere Rolls Royces and we were a Mini.
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Opportunities to create #blueoceans are
everywhere. Even in the #orchestra.
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The musicians performing on the streets of France in 2013.
Blue ocean strategy was a key course in my MBA program and apersonal eye-opener. Creating extraordinary value while keeping costslow was exactly what we set out to achieve with the orchestra. So whenI was looking for a way to tackle our challenges, blue ocean strategywas the first thing that came to mind.
What were the biggest challenges you faced?
We knew that, if we wanted to make thiswork, we couldn’t just copy their strategy. Wesimply didn’t have the means, the talent orthe historical reputation to do so.
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No music stands? Then we’ll use artists’ easels instead.
Paul MacAlindin: As our musicians were based in Iraq, we faced hugelogistical and educational barriers. Getting these young people out ofIraq to perform was a challenge, but even inside the country conditionswere not ideal. Music schools didn’t exist, so all of the players were self-taught. Another issue was the poor quality of instruments, with noplace or the tools to maintain or fix them.
In essence we had all the odds against us to be taken seriously. But wehad a drive and determination that was beyond all the struggles. Andultimately blue ocean strategy showed us the way to overcome ourchallenges. Our competitors were Rolls Royces and we were aMini. We knew that, if we wanted to make this work, we couldn’t justcopy their strategy.
How did blue ocean strategy help you to tackle these
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challenges?
Paul MacAlindin: When defining our strategy we made use of the blueocean strategy tool called the Eliminate-Reduce-Raise-Create (ERRC)Grid (https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/tools/errc-grid/). Thisframework helped us to focus on the actions and values that wouldreally make a difference for us, while cutting out those that carriedmore cost than value.
Finding something to ELIMINATE turned out to be easy. Traditionalyouth orchestras relied heavily on big names, soloists, to give statusand visibility to their group. Since we did not have the financial meansand our talent was poorly supported in Iraq, we decided this would notbe a factor to drive our success.
Another big cost for orchestras is finding, educating and trainingmusicians. Since we had no infrastructure available in Iraq, we turnedto the internet for help. Our auditions were held over YouTube andindividual lessons were done over Skype. By following this approach, wenot only managed to REDUCE the cost of in-situ training, but we werealso able to leverage the power of social media in the process.
One factor that we RAISED was partnerships. We partnered withestablished players, such as the British Council and the Beethovenfestin Bonn. They not only provided financial and reputational support, butalso brought us a large amount of media attention.
Ultimately what we CREATED was something unique in the world ofyouth orchestras. Traditional orchestras focused on the greatmasterpieces of classical music, but we did not want to limit ourselvesto this. We got Kurdish and Arab composers to write music that woulddisplay the rich culture and traditions of the country. In every concertwe put Iraqi music on equal footing with Haydn, Beethoven andSchubert. We loved it, and so did the public.
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Sunni, Shia, Kurdish, Arab, Turkomen, Assyrian and Armenian musicians playing side by side.
(http://bosdevsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/National-Youth-Orchestra-Iraq.jpg)
Sky News called you the “Bravest Orchestra in the
World”. What did you learn from this experience?
Paul MacAlindin: After 6 extraordinary years, our journey came to anabrupt end when ISIS came in and cut the country in half. Although thestory of Iraq is tragic, the success of the youth orchestra shows adifferent side of the country. Our unique blend of Sunni, Shia, Kurdish,Arab, Turkomen, Assyrian and Armenian musicians underlined thepower of being united. These young people are a symbol of the talentthat is out there and the resilience that they demonstrate. Ourmessage was one of hope. One that still can be heard today.
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Waleed, the first flute, playing in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
It wasn’t easy. To organize two weeks of performances it would take 50weeks of preparation. Our journey was met with many hurdles,disappointments and relentless skepticism. Looking back at it now, Irealize Blue Ocean Strategy gave me the strength to persevere throughour many dark days.
Paul MacAlindin, conductor of the NationalYouth Orchestra of Iraq, used blue oceanstrategy to break down barriers and createunity across cultures. Can a blue oceanapproach help solve some of the world’smost intractable questions?
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Paul’s book, UPBEAT – the Story of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq, willbe published by Sandstone Press on August 18th, 2016. We wish him all thebest and hope that his story will continue to inspire others.
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