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Rapid
change is a constant. Gone are the days when business leaders
knew what the change should be, nominated implementation teams
and then reviewed the results.
The
hierarchical ‘triangle’, with the top telling those
at the bottom what to do, is no longer responsive enough to
cope with demands for speed and flexibility.
Enter
the knowledge network
A good way to implement well-defined change is to appoint a
team leader and team members (‘Task Triangle’ team).
But
complex organisational life is less predictable and the need
to self-organise greater. This
self-organisation relies on rapid knowledge flows – what’s
hot, what’s not, who’s in the know?
Understanding
the business locally, while not losing the big picture, improves
self-organising capability deep in the organisation.
The
business becomes less reliant on ‘Task Triangle’
teams parachuted in from headquarters or external consulting
firm.
'Seeing'
differently
People think of organisations as machines, which generates change
programmes to fix, or move, the parts. These parts aren't seen
to have vital relationships that might be severed when the pieces
are moved or removed.
Instead,
seeing the organisation as a system of relationships creates
a shift from believing relationships are secondary, to realising
they are primary.
Old
models of organisation provide limited space to act and restrict
the capability for self-organising. 'Seeing’
the organisation as knowledge networks, as well as task triangles,
provides a wider repertoire for creating change.
June
2006
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FeatureTask
triangle to knowledge network
