“Leadership in networks does not come from above, as there is no top.”
What you need to do to create a "wirearchy"
If you are convinced that your future workplace should look more like a Wirearchy, (a dynamic two-way flow of power and authority based on, knowledge, trust, credibility, a focus on results; enabled by interconnected people and technology) then the best thing you can do now is prepare.
- Prepare yourself to be a continuous learner.
- Prepare yourself and your team/department to work collaboratively.
- Start narrating your work.
- Become a knowledge curator and share widely.
- Engage in professional social networks and communities of practice.
Finally, watch for moments of need, when the organization has a problem or crisis and then be ready with the tools and skills to help. It’s like being your own upstart company, developing asymmetrical skills under the radar, inside your organization.
- Model the behaviours you would like to see in others.
Via SocialEnterpriseToday.com
How complexity affects our work — and the ways in which we can change our organizational structures to account for it without adding more complication. Via Harold Jarche
Telling stories that share what we know. Once social technologies have been installed, modelling new work behaviours becomes the main organizational challenge. Two ways to do this:
- By fostering and supporting communities of practice that connect work teams with the open social networks on the Internet.
- By narrating work, or learning out loud. Telling stories that share what we know may not be highly efficient, but it’s very effective for learning.
If the daily routine supports social learning, and time is made available for reflection and sharing stories, then an organization is on the right track. Via What’s working in social business | Social Enterprise Today
In networks, cooperation trumps collaboration
Collaboration happens around some kind of plan or structure, while cooperation presumes the freedom of individuals to join and participate. Cooperation is a driver of creativity. It is based on sharing rather than working together toward a specified goal.
What are the implications of this distinction? Via Harold Jarche
