A client and I were reviewing the major successes his organization had experienced during their culture initiative when he expressed his frustration that things seemed to be more complex than ever. This, in spite of the fact that the organization was moving away from hierarchical silos to a collaborative team-based work environment.
One would tend to think a flatter organization would be more simple.
But, actually, the opposite is true. Below are 5 major touch points that create new complexities.
1. Communication options through technology add dimensions of complexity that regular teams don’t have to deal with: distance, time differences, technology that may or may not work well,
2. A richer brain trust as organizations bring in external resources: customers, partnering organizations, external consultants. This of course brings on more points of view to assimilate.
3. More teams. These teams each have their own purpose, structure and dynamics, behaviors and learning. Competing team membership requires a higher level of political navigation as well.
4. A learning organization is critical to the flatter organization because all employees will need to grow and learn to keep up with the ever-changing market and customer needs. Up to 50% of organizations will create their own ‘corporate universities’.
5. Change happens for the entry level employees, but for the executive/leadership level, the change must be transformational.
These complexities are both the collateral fruit and the seeds of change. They are necessary for an organization to succeed and flourish in the 21st century.
What complexities have you seen as your organization grows more collaborative?
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