From Hierarchy-Bureaucracy to Networks:
Going “From Me to We”
"Only connect..."
Two words from novelist E.M. Forster capture the spirit of our time. When we collaborate, when we truly connect and work together, our organizations thrive and so do we.
In these still-wild, still-early days of the Internet, organizations are under a lot of stress. Companies, non-profits, NGOs, governments, and grassroots groups tap their ingenuity in unpredictable circumstances. This step change in collaborative capability flows from the top-down and sideways-out as networks self-organize.
Whether they’re called “virtual teams” or “virtual companies” or “networks,” these new organizations perform in ways unimaginable only a few short years ago. When many minds come together, using better tools and smarter processes, they are more creative, diverse, and capable than their predecessors.
What does the networked organization look like? It has four basic layers of connections.
