Loosely coherent networks...

I continue to be fascinated by the notion that our organisations are 'getting beyond people'. All my adult life the core asset of an organisation was its people. Sure people are still important yet, it is information or more precisely conversations about ideas and actions that is the new lifeblood of an organisation. Why? Because we have begun to move on from people-based processes. We have essentially turned the notion of our C20th organisational form and function inside out with a mixture of automated processes and consumer self-service. We have outsourced the core activities of the traditional organisation to computers or customers. As a direct result our organisations have become 'loosely coherent networks' rather than bounded entities. These networks stretch equally well around the globe as around the block. They are elastic in ways that traditional organisations never could become. The key to understanding these networks is to understand their revenue models. If you understand how these networked entities make or derive (ie taxes or charitable contributions, etc) their revenue then I believe you will better understand why and how they make the types of collective decisions they do.

One day it all clicked for me - I suddenly seemed to understand this new organisational form. It all happened because I stumbled upon the notion of 'Chattering Clusters'. It just made sense to me that people are chattering all around the place with 'delight' about their vast arrays of Spring flowers or with 'a driving passion' for some new ideas or ways to succeed with a project at work.

Then I noticed that there was more to this network - much more. To get beyond the general chattering the 'early adopters' form Clans which tend to promote change in a broad sense. Senator Barack Obama is running for the White House because he has a Chattering Clan following for his simple storyline of 'change we can believe in". Once a Clan is up and chattering the focus will often shift from the broad canvass to a much more specific 'framework for action' or to 'a prototype for change'. This is a networked or distributed activity and so the key to cohesion and success is trust. Within Clans the trust levels are not too high because they are built 'to flip' not built 'to last'. For a network to be built to last you need deeper levels of trust to be present.

As trust levels build within a Clan so a shared purpose (or even a shared set of values, ideologies, ideals, mores, etc) becomes evident and so the more dedicated members tend to form into Tribes... Tribes are more likely to have some face-to-face contact or regularly scheduled meetings. By meetings I mean a formal or informal device to support a conversation. Chattering Clans and Tribes have 'meetings' on Twitter, Facebook, Skype, etc to chatter about all manner of things. Clans chatter about change, fads, fashion, trends, etc. whereas Tribes chatter about a purpose driven project. Same technological platforms host very different conversations for Clans and Tribes.

Does your workplace work as a 'loosely coherent network'? If not why not? What would you have to do to make it so?