I’ve been arguing for some time that traditional organisations are obsolescent. Founded on a 200 year old principle of command and control, they have partially evolved but now seem to be mired in processes and systems which make them highly resistant to, rather than tolerant of, change.
We have seen it with the banks, the insurers, the car industry and now here in UK, in spectacular fashion, with the Mother of Parliaments. The common factor seems to be that the apparent security of an organisational wall, the “status” of the senior managers / members, and the insularity from reality have been punctured by whistle blowers, viral networks, and the disinfectant of transparency.
And that’s before the generational gap. My daughter got married last week, and it was a wonderful opportunity to see 4 generations alongside each other – from the wartime generation, through boomers, X and Y to Millennials. It is clear that Gen Y, and certainly the Millennials will not put up with the traditional structures and authority that I was brought up on. Quite right as well – any organisation that relies on power rather than permission seems likely to fail (this side of a dictatorship).
It is a good time to revisit Seth Godin’s Lecture on TED. The ability of people to connect, link and work together has never been greater, such that conventional organisations will be outmanoeuvred as the brightest, best, (and importantly, most principled) go the way they choose, with those they choose.
You are who you associate with. Think about it.
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