Are We Process Improving And Business Transforming Into Pods Of Goo?

We’ll all be housed in pods of goo soon. And it seems like we want it that way.

This, of course, is a reference to the 1999 science fiction film, The Matrix. If you’re unfamiliar, the film depicts an alternative reality where the world as we know it is a simulation (the Matrix), and the real world is a post-apocalyptic wasteland where humans are birthed into pods of goo where they remain for the duration of their lives, immersed in a simulated fantasy while producing energy to power the Matrix. Think perfect temperature, all-encompassing hot tub where you play a character in your favorite Netflix series while being fed your favorite meal that is never not delicious.

Talk about standardization of work and an efficient use of human capital. Not an ounce of waste. While those two previous sentences are in jest, they also underscore founding principles of process improvement and lean thinking.?

I first encountered process improvement when employed by a gentleman who left Silicon Valley to found a start up on the east coast. Where did you first hear of process improvement? Probably at your job. It's everywhere now. One of the more glaring examples is the curated content we increasingly edit and fine tune that keeps us engaged and in our evermore privatized, one-person world (more on this later).?

After spending time in process improvement and seeing the rigidity of linear systems and the inherent problems those create, I moved into the worlds of system design thinking which led to an interest in change management.?

Even with smart minds working together, both linear process improvement and system design thinking causes friction, i.e. disgruntled workers, underwhelming return on investment, and stakeholders showing up to meetings all but grinding their teeth down to the nub in order to hold back mounted frustration that not so long ago the kick-off meeting brought thoughts of utopia and world peace.?

Said differently: when working together, people get frustrated, anxious, fearful, angry…they fall into negative states of emotion is what they do. And this seems to be a factor behind the increased interest in change management within large organizations and project-based work.?

If you’re unfamiliar with change management, it’s a structured approach dealing with a transition or transformation of an organization’s goals, processes and technologies. PROSCI, a leading organization in the space, refers to change management as ‘the people side of change.’

In the not too distant past, change management was a nice to have. Now it’s increasingly becoming a must have. Which makes sense. People are an organization’s most valuable resource. Retaining talent, and professionally parting ways with those that leave, are vital to an organization’s success, reputation, and well, the avoidance of legal matters.?

So it’s the people. Solving the people part of change/work/projects/organizations will mean better processes and better results. Okay. New working theory: If the people are happy, the processes, systems and results will take care of themselves. Boom! CEO seat here I come.?

Alright. Alright. It’s not that groundbreaking a thought. Human resource departments and sports teams aim to do this all the time. Shoot. There’s an old wives tale that in the 1980s, Southern Methodist University bought All-American running back Eric Dickerson's grandma a pair of gold knitting needles to keep a smile on his face. You know, on top of the (alleged) duffle bags of cash and the sports car parked behind the stadium.?

A more recent area where there’s a focus on happiness is the current job market, or at least the conversations that are transpiring around the topic: Unfair return to work mandates! Nightmare, marathon interviews! AI generated resumes! Quiet quitting! And ghosting. Oh, dear, the ghosting.?

Both sides do not seem happy. Which, again, is the worst case for everyone, right? Happy workers mean productive workers. Which means loads, and loads, and loads of cash for the stockholders…or something like that.?

Of course, unhappiness seems inevitable. Merely going to work even in the most pleasant environment is at one point or another going to cause resistance. In essence, what is happening is people are being pulled away from their personal lives (joy) to what allows them to have those personal lives (work). Thinking about it on an emotional spectrum, someone is being pulled from happiness to a state of less-than-happiness. Except Snoop Dogg. That guy seems happy in every line of work.?

Okay. Snoop Dogg aside, as well as those that actually love what they do, once an employee/worker/person is at work, maintaining a sense of security and purpose is a goal for long-term employment, a reasonable state of happiness, and production (not to mention foundational elements of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs).?

However, and as previously stated, organizations are increasingly introducing and enduring change for any number of reasons: mergers and acquisitions; to remain competitive; claim new market share; etc. The increasing occurrence of change explains the rise in change management, which aims to ease these transitions, from an emotional state point of view.?

Said differently: Change Management reduces the emotional swing from one state of being (consistency and security) to another (uncertainty and newness) by introducing a structured approach to change. But what if an employee/worker/person never had to change emotional states? What if an employee/worker/person maintained peak happiness at all times and was paid to do so? Enter stage right…pods of goo.?

You know what else looks like a sign we’re headed for pods of goo? Go walk down a busy street, preferably with a Gen Z element. Increasingly that experience involves passing someone plugged into a world of their favorite podcast(s) via earbuds that block out the real world. They connect with podcast hosts they've never met instead of the person right next to them.?

This is similar to the ideas and thoughts shared in French philosopher and cultural theorist Jean Baudrillard’s 1981 philosophical treatise Simulacra and Simulation, an influential text on The Matrix. Within it Baudrillard writes:?

“Our society has become so reliant on models and maps that we have lost all contact with the real world that preceded the map.”

Don’t have a crowded street to walk down? Perhaps you manage, work with, or are a part of? the Millennial or Gen Z generations. Now try to get these folks - or any folks, really - to pull away from their social media streams (joy/an unreal world) and focus on work (activity pulling them away from joy/the real world). Another example along these lines is the return-to-work conversation that is transpiring.?

While the pandemic opened the floodgates to remote work, employees/workers/persons are increasingly being called back - or have already been called back - into the office. They are being asked to go from joy and comfort (no commute, money saved on expenses, more time with family, etc.) to being uncomfortable (sitting in traffic, increased costs now even higher due to inflation, less time with family, etc.).

If it's in the interest of organizations to keep an employee/worker/person happy, why bother tearing them away from comfort and joy? Why not monetize social media activity? Not in the sense of going viral, but in the sense of compensation for the positive effects caused by liking, supporting, heart-shape-emojing content on their stream. This, again, points to pods of goo.?

Perhaps that’s far fetched. After all, not everyone works in marketing. But isn’t the spirit of the thought in line with human’s non-stop ‘march of progress?’ Isn’t this concept baked right into democracy’s founding principle of life, liberty and the pursuit of HAPPINESS?’ Didn’t Henry Ford implement the five-day, forty-hour work week to increase productivity and MORALE??

A more recent example that mirrors Ford’s motives - and perhaps one more founded in reality - is the work being done at Sussex 4 Day Week, a UK-based organization where a team of doctors use MRI brain scanners to show the decline of cognitive ability when an employee works five days instead of four. Another example is The Work Time Reduction Center of Excellence, a recently launched venture by the transformation-focused consulting firm Curium Solutions, whom outline their efforts in the following way:

“We strive to change the world of work through shorter hours, smarter working, improved performance, and enjoying a greater quality of life.”

Reducing emotional swings via change management. Curated content to increase engagement. Improving employee morale to increase productivity. MRI brain scans. Shorter work weeks to improve quality of life. Isn’t all of this more or less just biohacking? And isn’t the ultimate biohack to put humans in pods of goo where they produce peak, positive energy via a curated reality? So there’s the case that we’re all headed for pods of goo.?

The rosier outcome to ending up in pods of goo seems to be a world in which technology increasingly augments the workforce while humans are increasingly allowed more time to improve their health and morale via activities that bring them joy (which could be work).?

I mean, come on? Pods of goo? Humans are far too inclined to freedom and autonomy to ever willfully sign up for pods of goo. Then again, maybe not.?

Okay. Some of this is playful imagination, and some is worth diving into. Some of this will never happen, and some of this is already happening. But whatever way this goes, and whatever domino falls next in an effort to increase productivity, workplace harmony, and overall well being, it stands to reason that we’ve already come a long way from trading gold knitting needles for touchdowns.