Monolithic and Holographic Organizations
02.18.2008 | Chris BaileyAt first, I was just going to make a short comment at Ben Martin’s blog on his latest post concerning organizations and branding. Yet, the more I thought about it and started writing I realized this is a blog post in its own right. Putting aside the dialogue on marketing, the central theme of the post is the organization as a monolithic or holographic entity. Now if you’re thinking, “I’m not interested in organizational theory and similar crap, why should I care?”…give me a second and I’ll show you why this may matter to your everyday working life.
Organization as monolith (aka no one is the organization)
This is the old-school version that no matter how much folks try to kill it, it just won’t die. It’s a vestige of our industrial society past where the top controlled everything and the workers underneath were just happy to not have their arm chewed off by the machinery that day. This concept was further set in stone with the idea of the blindly loyal organization man. In this case, the worker and newly formed middle manager were just happy to not have their head chewed off by the boss that day.
Unfortunately, the monolith as organizational model hasn’t passed into history despite the increasing evidence that it no longer serves a purpose to either the individuals working within it or the folks on the outside who purchase its services and products. How do you know whether you’re working for or dealing with a monolithic organization? Here are a few clues:
- The monolith talks at people
- The monolith sees people as things
- The monolith sets rules above relationships
- The monolith creates narrowly defined roles for people
If you see something strongly resembling an engineering mindset here, that’s not by accident. The monolithic organization is built around notions of efficiency, practicality, economy, and order. These are precisely the kinds of things that folks at the top of organizations want because they believe it makes their jobs easier. All of which is pretty much crap.
Organization as hologram (aka each person is the organization)
For us organizational leaders who understand that the 21st century calls for a different paradigm, we’re driving the movement from the concept of one to concept of the many. The power and control that used to be jealously guarded at the top is being dispersed downward and sideways to the point where the whole fixed hierarchical dynamic has become blurred and increasingly useless.
Rather than viewing an organization as a bland, uniform, static structure, consider the organization as a hologram. Within a holographic image, each section contains a complete image of the original object. So the real beauty of the holographic perspective is acknowledging that the organization is a vibrant collection of all the individuals within it. It recognizes that each individual is fully reflected in the whole. The organization is the individual and the individual is the organization. The interests of each individual and the organization are interconnected and interdependent.
This approach offers a more human organization. Coming back to the marketing and branding conversation that got this whole subject started for me, it means that there’s not one message but scores of messages that define the organization. Each person brings their own stories and relationships to the anthology that is today’s organization. And these stories evolve as the people within the organization learn, grow, and change.
Let’s recap…
If your organization is monolithic, what’s that getting you right now? Employees who give a damn about their work? Doubtful. Customers who want to buy from you? Maybe. Customers who are passionately loyal? Probably not. Just keep asking yourself what’s the price of control and what will it cost you to keep a tight hold on something that is only going to slip through your fingers eventually?
7 Responses to “Monolithic and Holographic Organizations”
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I loved the questions about the cost and price of control from the monolith and I think the holographic metaphor is very powerful and creative.
Terrific statement:
So the real beauty of the holographic perspective is acknowledging that the organization is a vibrant collection of all the individuals within it. It recognizes that each individual is fully reflected in the whole. The organization is the individual and the individual is the organization. The interests of each individual and the organization are interconnected and interdependent.
I will offer this next Saturday at Slacker Manager as one of the Top 5 Zingers of the week. I have already copied the article and I can see voicing the metaphor in a few in person sessions I am doing.
Thanks Chris, this was a gem or should I say a holographic gem?
Dang, David…if I was quicker and more clever I would have had a picture of the holographic Princess Leia from Star Wars where she says, “Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” Don’t know why that just sprung to mind, but there ya go…
Let me know how the metaphor goes over in your session. There’s definitely a rich vein of ideas and imagery here that will likely call for further exploration in the near future.
Use the force…no wait a minute…that almost sounds like the monolith speaking…of course the force we are talking about is internal yet in a holograph it will also manifest internal…
My work is focused on employee engagement and trying to help people develop new views and practices on the topic. I have decided to excerpt a quote from your article and put it in a feature on ZENgagement this week at http://www.davidzinger.com.
Okay I guess I am in the Chris Bailey fan club…send the Mickey Mouse ears and the secret decoder when you get the chance.
Keep up the your exceptional writing and point of view.
David
For you, David…you shall be henceforth known as the Great Grand Poobah of the Chris Bailey fan club with full honors. And you shall have your official moose hat as soon as I find a moose to make it from…they don’t seem very plentiful here in Texas for some reason.
You know…we need to figure out a way to collaborate soon. Not sure what it might be, but two smart guys like us will figure it out.
Chris,
Collaboration sounds good as long as we don’t have to dress in some moose costume and I have to be the tail end! I always liked Winnie The Poohbah and now we just have to find our holographic woozle.
Very interesting riff, Chris. Thanks for the link!
[...] Monolithic and Holographic Organizations by Chris Bailey on the Alchemy of Soulful Work is a must read for all of us to think of our organizations with a fresh metaphor that captures work and organizations in 2008. In fact, I recommend that you read the article a few times, assess how well you organization is doing, and then remember that you are the organization: Rather than viewing an organization as a bland, uniform, static structure, consider the organization as a hologram. Within a holographic image, each section contains a complete image of the original object. So the real beauty of the holographic perspective is acknowledging that the organization is a vibrant collection of all the individuals within it. It recognizes that each individual is fully reflected in the whole. The organization is the individual and the individual is the organization. The interests of each individual and the organization are interconnected and interdependent. [...]