When it comes to transformation, small is beautiful

Just as Newtonian physics of the big and the slow required supplementing with quantum theory explaining the small and the fast, so grandiose theories of transformation are being replaced. Why? Because the fundamental unit, or quantum, of transformation is the individual not the organisation. Moreover transformation is to do with the emergent organisation that is not rather than the fully functioning organisation that is.

And like a wolf pack reconfiguring after losing its alpha, changes can be rapid once some simple techniques are understood. Here are some examples:

Provoke behavioural changes to reduce social distance

Ed Morrison, co-author of Strategic Doing describes an elegant experiment at Purdue's school of Mechanical Engineering that rewired the brains of students and faculty to reduce social distance within a few minutes. This was achieved simply by means of getting faculty to give out chits for a raffle in return for students' questions. Any question got a chit regardless of merit.

Note: this technique can be used to break cliques and silos as well as reducing the alpha intimidation factor.

Don't ask permission to build your emergent organisation, just do it

A moment's reflection will show how obvious but overlooked this is. Consider the following:

I wait expectantly for the blueprint for self-organisation and devolved decision-making to be handed down from above.

See how silly it sounds? It reminds me of this scene from Monty Python's Life of Brian:

FOLLOWERS: Brian! Brian! Brian!...

BRIAN: Good morning.

FOLLOWERS: A blessing! A blessing! A blessing!...

BRIAN: No. No, please! Please! Please listen. I've got one or two things to say.

FOLLOWERS: Tell us. Tell us both of them.

BRIAN: Look. You've got it all wrong. You don't need to follow me. You don't need to follow anybody! You've got to think for yourselves. You're all individuals!

FOLLOWERS: Yes, we're all individuals!

BRIAN: You're all different!

FOLLOWERS: Yes, we are all different!

DENNIS: I'm not.

ARTHUR: Shhhh.

FOLLOWERS: Shh. Shhhh. Shhh.

BRIAN: You've all got to work it out for yourselves!

FOLLOWERS: Yes! We've got to work it out for ourselves!

BRIAN: Exactly!

FOLLOWERS: Tell us more!

BRIAN: No! That's the point! Don't let anyone tell you what to do! Otherwise-- Ow! No!

See what I mean? Just crack on and build the new org. Use your initiative and start self-organising. Initially you will not have budget and you will not have reporting lines. No matter. This means you should use communities of practice, guilds, what Niels Pflaeging in organisational physics calls Value Creation structures based on reputation and mastery. Resist the temptation to ask for money as you reinforce the power structure you are trying to displace.

Done right, your experience may not be unlike forming a union, a masonic lodge or even double agent infiltration. And in the early stages you may even suffer a whiff of paranoia. And the reason: transformation requires that you create new power structures. This is not insubordination, it is a necessity. In the short-term this may take some power away from the existing hierarchy but in time as the network evolves it will increase the overall power of the organisation. And once your structures get more powerful they can emerge from the shadows.

Shrink the hierarchy in your mind

When reconfiguring your org you need to make the hierarchy and line of command diminish in importance. This means putting greater emphasis on Pflaeging's other two structures, Unstructured (the social influence network) and Value Creation.

Another technique is to push on the codification of principles. Break your reliance on the hierarchy by agreeing the creed you must follow. I am a big fan of the Agile Manifesto format and it is proving surprisingly adaptive. Amazon's fourteen leadership principles is another source of inspiration.

A related principle is to shrink the org in your mind. You can do this within Value Creation structures like communities of practice and guilds by stepping outside your org and going to conferences, networking, attending meet-ups etc.

Ignore the alphas

A bit more contentious this one, but self-evident. They do their thing, you do yours. If you can meet in the middle then all the better.

Go gonzo

This is my original article on this topic showing the techniques I use, which as you will see are predicated on considering the problem of rewiring a large interconnected network:

Teach people the language of culture

I introduced the term "psychological safety" in a presentation recently. Now others have started using it. The thing I love about culture is once it is spoken about we soon find out we are all experts. It flattens the organisation in a human way. As I said, a senior vice president of culture is an oxymoron: culture is one person one vote.

Focus on the green shoots of change

Little moments, little victories, little changes. They all add up. They may be ignored by the hierarchy as they do not attract the headlines, headcount and budget that organisational orthodoxy craves. But this is where the transformational energy flows. This is the field of quantum transformation.

The art of transformation is to focus on the small and the emerging and the individual because ultimately that is what transformation is all about.

----###---###---###----

Trojan Mice article on a similar theme:

And meatless Mondays at a retirement home: