Obolensky (2014) notes that complex adaptive systems (CAS) feature flat hierarchies, open information sharing, great emphasis on personal responsibility, and Morning Star and St. Luke are two examples of companies that share this methodology (Hamel, 2011).
Another similar business is Zappos. Zappos is an online shoe and clothing shop based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company was founded in 1999 by former Autoweb.com and Silicon Graphics worker. Like St Luke’s, there are no bosses at Zappos, a practice which the company has been practicing for a year. There is no explicit hierarchy; employees are self-governed, and team-inclusive (called "circles"). It is a "holocracy," a team working under the tenets of individual autonomy and self-governance (NOGUCHI, 2014).
On the site, holacracy.org, the freedom from hierarchical organization is explained:
The whole is involved in hiring and firings which can be initiated by something as simple as a conversation between employees. Bonuses are based on peer reviews, and group meetings are lead by one person but based on a set of mutually agreed upon rules for order. Maverick enterprises rely to a large extent on individuals who actually believe in the tenets that govern their environment. Not all do: Fourteen percent of the employees took a buy-out instead of working in this new environment. Why would someone not want to work in such a seemingly free world? Brian Robertson, a serial entrepreneur and developer of the Holacracy process, says that people are essentially lazy.
In traditional organizations, managers loosely delegate authority, but ultimately, their decisions always trump those they manage and everybody knows it. Any initiative outside the norm typically requires the boss’ approval, explicitly or implicitly. In Holacracy, authority is truly distributed and decisions are made locally by the individual closest to the front line. Teams are self-organized: they’re given a purpose, but they decide internally how to best reach it.
Most organizations, including mine, have management (directors, deans, heads, etc.) to look up to for leadership and direction; someone has to be the “fall guy/girl” (NOGUCHI, 2014).
"There's something almost safe and comforting, even when we don't like it, about being in a system where there's somebody else whose job it is to protect us, take care of us, nurture us," Robertson says. "And when they don't do that well, we get to be angry with them and blame them and hide behind them."
As someone who is highly motivated and open about my strengths and weaknesses, I would enjoy working in a place like Zappo's. In my position, I do have some flexibility to my working hours, but at times I wish I could escape the eventual overbearing, micromanaging manger who thinks that stopping in encourages better work. I enjoy environments where I can go to my supervisor when I need advice, can share my opinions on how to solve problems, and become involved without limitation. When everyone feels that they have input into their work environment, people may take more initiative and take more personal pride in their job.
References
Hamel, G. (2011). First, Let's Fire all the Managers. Harvard Business Review.
References
Hamel, G. (2011). First, Let's Fire all the Managers. Harvard Business Review.
Holacracy.org. (n/d). How It Works. Accessed at http://www.holacracy.org/how-it-works/
NOGUCHI, YUKI. (2014). Zappos: A Workplace Where No One And Everyone Is The Boss. NPR. Accessed at http://www.npr.org/2015/07/21/421148128/zappos-a-workplace-where-no-one-and-everyone-is-the-boss
Obolensky, N. (2014). Complex adaptive leadership: Embracing paradox and uncertainty (2nd ed.). Burlington, VT: Gower Publishing Company
No comments:
Post a Comment