While the shift from Mass Production to Mass Customization has rendered the conventional mental models of management obsolete, most managers still cling to them. Relying on outdated thinking to get the job done today works just about as well as trying to pitch two tons of hay with a salad fork … it doesn’t matter how hard you work at it, you’re doomed.
THEN: Mass Production aimed to create identical outputs in high volume at a low cost.
NOW: Mass Customization aims to create customized outputs in high volume at low cost.
If you do not act on the profound differences between THEN and NOW, you will almost certainly find yourself torpedoed by competitors who have learned to operate at the speed of need. Mass Production (THEN) relies heavily on centralized control and specialization
while Mass Customization (NOW) relies heavily on decentralized autonomous action. This shift completely changes the game with respect to customer strategy, required agility, the main organizational drivers, organizational logic, decision-making authority, knowledge strategy & use, who and how people use data, and the improvement and problem solving strategies.
Given the often-invisible nature of these management assumptions, you must bring them up to the conscious level before you attempt any shifts from THEN to NOW. You can’t sit back and hope that some happy accident will install the new thinking in your organization’s culture. You could more easily create a dictionary of the Chinese language by setting off a bomb in a French print shop. It takes intention, work and more work to make the transition from THEN to NOW.
As many of you know, we are heavily involved with installing a system of management (NOW System). The topic of transparency threads throughout this system and often invokes intense debates between leaders. In any case, John Moore’s article is excellent. Please take a look!
(via John Moore) Transparency sounds like a great goal, a key attribute that people point to when they discuss the benefits of social media and nearly every social+ framework. Why wouldn’t transparency make sense, the concept makes us think of pulling aside the curtain (picture the Wizard of Oz), eliminating hidden deals, hidden agendas, working purely for the goals stated.
It sounds a little Utopian, in fact…. Aldous Huxley would be excited to see it taking up so much of our time, so much of our thinking….
The problem with transparency, of course, is how far does an organization need to take the concept and what does it really mean when applied to any given function?
Well, first off, the key for any organization is to meet their defined goals, deliver information/value where and when needed. In fact, each organizational goal will require a different degree of “transparency” ranging from completely open to completely closed. Each can be right for a given organizational goal at a given time.
The key for success within The Social Ecosystem (or any of the components of the overall Ecosystem), is to focus on organizational goals first, define strategies and tactics second. The strategies and tactics will lead you to the level of transparency required. As always, let common sense organizational strategies lead your way, not buzz words.
John
These two videos of Sir Ken Robinson speak volumes to our need to look at education completely different. Separated by 3 years, he continues to tell his story with humor and wisdom. It matters not if your perspective is that of being a parent, a hiring manager or purely academic. Change is essential. Who knows, maybe a new Social Standard will come along and help us move forward. Time will tell. Meanwhile, what do you think?
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