There is a common pattern here: Leaderships like CEOs or presidents set up an inanimate conceptual objects such as companies or countries to symbolize their ideals. The primary objective seems to motivate rank and file to work for these symbols and indirectly for them by having rank and file believe that they represents those symbols. It's funny how subtly of leadership has common patterns across small startup to large countries to activists groups.
I was in Beijing until a few days ago. One morning, I saw some of the hotel's staff lined up in front of their manager, reciting something in one voice. Later on, I asked a girl at the reception desk what that was but she couldn't understand me. Now I know. Thanks :)
There goes my favorite trivia question. There are really few people at IBM who know about this past tradition. Actually, I don't know if there is still an IBM chorus, perhaps it is still being kept alive.
And explanatory text: http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/music/music_intro...