The majority of organisations are operating according to practices designed in the industrial era to maximise standardisation and top-down authority – and all of that has to change, according to Gary Hamel, Polly LaBarre and Michele Zanini, writing for Fortune, via Management Innovation eXchange.
Hamel, LaBarre and Zanini insist the old paradigms are crumbling with the rise of new technologies and the transparency and self-determination they represent, meaning top-down structures are being replaced by more collaborative and social approaches.
Autonomy, openness, participation and flexibility is enlivening employees, and customers are also becoming more active and powerful as they contribute, collaborate, critique and evangelise.
According to Hamel, LaBarre and Zanini, leaders must recognise the value of individual contribution, ingenuity, initiative and passion.
Progressive practices and innovative ideas are needed to help people develop new capabilities, say the authors. Leaders should look for ways to:
• Invert a company’s organisational pyramid to create more autonomy, participation, and flexibility.
• Give employees and other stakeholders a greater say in shaping important decisions.
• Include the voice of the customer and other relevant stakeholders into decisions.
• Destroy silos inhibiting contribution.
• Rethink their sources of talent and devise ways to discover and reward creativity and innovation.