{"id":657888,"date":"2013-05-14T13:00:07","date_gmt":"2013-05-14T17:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/?p=644307"},"modified":"2013-05-14T13:00:07","modified_gmt":"2013-05-14T17:00:07","slug":"welcome-to-the-post-normal-age-of-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/657888","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to the post-normal age of work"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a now-prevalent notion that companies can advance by simply adding a social layer on top of existing business processes, integrating social tools with existing functional tools such as ERP, CRM, and HR solutions. The idea goes that this will make companies more social and therefore more productive.<\/p>\n

That idea isn\u2019t going to work.<\/p>\n

Why? In a nutshell, social network-based communication is primarily organized around the concept of a \u201cpull\u201d medium \u2014 that is, a medium where individuals subscribe to whichever information sources they prefer and find useful. Traditional business processes, on the other hand, use \u201cpush\u201d communications, where whoever created the information gets to decide whom it\u2019s most important to. Simply put, the two parties don\u2019t gibe.<\/p>\n

Perhaps more importantly, the nature of work in our era has changed. Most people now have jobs based on non-routine work, where the predefined and fixed roles of business process do not reach.<\/p>\n

I recently wrote a report as part of my activities in GigaOM Research, entitled \u201cSocial networks will displace business processes, not socialize them<\/a>\u201d (subscription required). In the report, I argue that we are drifting away from a business-process defined culture and towards a social network-shaped, cooperative one.<\/p>\n

\"Cooperation\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Source: Stowe Boyd\/GigaOM Research<\/em><\/p>\n

Above we see the variance between process-oriented organizational cultures and network-oriented ones. I consider this part of the transition from post-modern (1970-2005) to what I\u2019ll call post-normal (2005-present and beyond) economic eras. These cultures also differ in the nature of social affiliation, with a loosening of the bonds that tie people together in cooperative cultures\u00a0contrasted\u00a0with collaborative ones. People in cooperative organizations will have a higher number on connections, but the proportion of those that are strong ties decreases relative to collaborative cultures.<\/p>\n

\"figure2\"<\/a>
Source: Stowe Boyd\/GigaOM Research<\/em><\/p>\n

Some corporate cultures are stuck even farther back in time because they are based on competition. I don\u2019t mean competing with others in the marketplace, like Toyota competing with BMW. I am talking about a corporate culture based on zero-sum competition among workers, where one person\u2019s\u00a0advancement\u00a0is someone else\u2019s demotion. These are cultures strongly based on authority-based decision-making, and really are a holdover from the late modern era: the late industrial era.<\/p>\n

\"figure3\"<\/a>
Source: Stowe Boyd\/GigaOM Research<\/em><\/p>\n

In the report, I discuss the \u201cfit\u201d of different psychological profiles, or archetypes, in these cultures. For example, the Entrepreneur archetype (see above) fits well in collaborative and competitive cultures, and fits the entrepreneurial culture perfectly. But Entrepreneurs won\u2019t like working in a purely traditional, \u201ccooperative\u201d culture, because they like to lead collectives that are managed through consensus. A cooperative organization is too loose for them: It\u2019s a connective, and is based on laissez-faire decision making.<\/p>\n

\"3CModel\"<\/a>Source: Stowe Boyd\/GigaOM Research<\/p>\n

This is the debut of the 3C model \u2014 competitive, collaborative, and cooperative. It\u2019s a psychosocial model of organizational culture, and I hope it helps address some key issues in organizational dynamics in organizations today as social technologies and practices are being adopted. Marshal McLuhan said, \u201cwe make our tools, and they shape us.\u201d Keeping that in mind, we see the change that social network-based communication is causing.<\/p>\n

Businesses are not making these changes on a whim or because individuals are made happier by cooperative work relationships. The fast-and-loose business is most in sync with the digital realities of today\u2019s world, although most companies are still operating principally in a more traditional mode, and may even have a healthy dose of the \u201cfrozen-and-immobile\u201d at the core. Nonetheless, businesses must move towards a more cooperative work environment because in doing so they will successfully compete in today\u2019s fast-paced, digitally focused world. Older cultures that cling to traditional business processes will not.<\/p>\n

To read the full report, click here<\/a> (subscription required).<\/p>\n

Thumbnail image courtesy of\u00a0flickr user ShellVacationsHospitality<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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