Working on the ResponsiveOrg White Paper
We at ResponsiveOrg Finland are really enthusiastic about the ethos of the ResponsiveOrg manifesto but the thing we’ve been missing from it is a bit of concrete examples and practices that organizations might adopt to assist in the shift from the Industial Era to the Connected Era. Thus we have taken the task of expanding the manifesto with them and some additional background to better communicate to stakeholders what ResponsiveOrg actually is. You’re welcome to join in!
To date we have organized relevant information on Kumu:
We’ve also drafted a first version of an outline for the white paper.
The outline is as follows:
1 Introduction — Evolving World Views
1.1 Assumptions that affect how we organize
Industrial Era
Information Era
Connected Era
1.2 World views
Connected, ever-changing world
Certainty-uncertainty
Tension in manifesto: Predictable-Unpredictable
1.3 Trends
Humanity
Technology
Complexity
Systems thinking — The power of AND
1.4 Collaboration Technologies
Social Technology
Collective Intelligence
Platform Economy
APIs
2 Idea of Man
Tension in manifesto: Controlling-Empowering
2.1 What motivates us as people?
Douglas McGregor: Theory X & Theory Y
Deci & Ryan: Self-determination theory (autonomy, relatedness, competence)
2.2 Humanity in organizations
Diversity
Participation
Employee Engagement
Culture
Evolutionary Purpose
3 Responding to Change
Tension in manifesto: Planning-Experimentation
3.1 How fast can we learn?
Timescale — 5 years vs. 1 week
Feedback loops (internal-external)
Example: yearly budgeting & beyond budgeting
Examples of learning forward:
Lean Startup
Lean
Agile
Design Thinking
4 Organizing Principles
Tension in Manifesto: Hierarchies-Networks
4.1 Adaptive Structures
Networks:
Open
Technology-enabled
Adaptive
Organic
Social Technology
Movements
Network Theory
Organizational/Social Network Analysis
4.2 Adaptive Collaboration Practices
Examples:
Self-Management
Agile people
Management 3.0
Sociocracy/holacracy
5 Expansive Purpose
Tension in manifesto: Profit-Purpose
That we’re changing to: Organizational purpose-Global purpose
Organizational purpose = focus on what the organization does and why it does it? Services or products.
Global purpose = what is it that the organization wants to impact itself and with partnerships?
From Input-Output to Outcomes-Impact
Collective Intelligence
6 Information Flow
Tension in manifesto: Privacy-Transparency
That we’re changing to: Restricting information-Sharing information
Examples:
Maker movement
Open source
7 Outro — A Responsive Society
Ad hoc purposeful organizing
Dynamic resource sharing in and between organizations
Shared governance (commons)
We’re looking to make the White Paper about 10 pages long and have yet to lock the outline nor determine who might be in charge of writing each chapter. Do let us know if you have any ideas for improvement or wish to collaborate!
ResponsiveOrg Finland invites you to explore and promote practices by which teams and organizations can be better at responsiveness to changes, people, futures and operating as a network.
Join in:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ResponsiveOrgFI/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ResponsiveOrgFI
WWW: http://responsiveorg.fi
Contact:
