Permissionless. Sounds risky?
Framework and freedom are not opposites
Rita McGrath talks about how we develop our strategies and move towards what she calls the permissionless and distributed organization. One where "leaders create the framework, then tell the organization what’s non-negotiable and what’s up for grabs."
Does it sound risky? Or is it the right move in our current era?
I talked to Rita on the Imaginize.world podcast recently, and want to share some examples from our conversation. Our conversation was short - 25 minutes - and there's an interactive table of contents on the YouTube version.
Rita asks the questions below, and offers ways to think about them. Please share your thoughts at the bottom in the comments.
Speaking of large companies successful in the past...
"So why is it that they just can’t seem to manage from transition to transition in a capitalist economy?"
Getting the balance right between global organization agreements and local freedom to experiment...
"And I think that’s part of the challenge, which is how do you provide enough structure and coherence that the organization operates well as a whole, but give people the freedom to really let their humanity flourish and let their ingenuity flourish?"
AI and democratizing expertise...
"With the introduction of AI, with increasingly digitalized ways of living,... a lot of the existing frameworks for how to live a good life are going to be up for grabs (...) Let’s just say we democratize expertise...such as medical diagnosis...
The last point below about tripwires is relevant for people thinking about leaving their organization.
Tripwires that warn us...Do I stay or do I go?
"...the idea of tripwires is we’ll agree in advance what action we will take if a certain combination of futures transpires. And for an individual, I think the idea of tripwires is you need to think to yourself...
“If this happens at work and that happens at work and this other thing happens at work, do I stay or do I go?"
Please share your thoughts on the questions above or drop me a note on my Imaginize contact page.
https://imaginize.world/contact-jane-mcconnell/
Links:
Intrigued by the notion of personal tripwires, for me it was learning the markers else I stayed focused on my role and work. Curious how we might build this into personal development plans or degree programs.