Management

A more participatory and more engaged leadership style is needed for post-industrial organizations in which the nature of work has forever shifted away from repetition and drudgery.

In this new model where creativity and collaboration are needed from every employee, companies must transform their policies, philosophies, and organizational models to succeed. That is ultimately the objective of what we call open management.

Over time certain theories of management have had a profound impact on the way enterprises are perceived, organized and managed. Taylor’s Scientific Management and Porter’s Competitive Advantage are classic examples. But much of the intellectual work of developing organizational structures and management techniques has addressed only one specific set of challenges posed by the industrial revolution, efficiently scaling an organization of semi-skilled laborers engaged in repetitive tasks.

While efficiency in the management of labor remains important today, over the past few decades a new set of imperatives have been forcing their way onto the management agenda. An increasing amount of the productive capacity of our economies is now dedicated to tasks that engage the intelligence of our workers — not just their bodies. Furthermore, in virtually every industry the role of innovation has profoundly changed the competitive landscape. We believe these two challenges call for accelerated change in the governance model for organizations of every size and type.

Technology is changing both the nature of our work and social dynamics in our workplaces and as a result is altering the manner in which we must organize, manage, and reward employees. These shifts are also breaking down walls between “employees” and “customers” and create entirely new models of activity across all of our business processes.

Open-First can help your company embrace these new models and help you develop the creative and collaborative culture your company needs to succeed in this new era.

Read more — our white paper on Open Management