fun and turf
Vinay Kamat
Will tomorrow's organizations be bothered too much about culture? After all, culture, as we know it, is linked to hierarchy, process, brand image, strategy, and most importantly, history. But these goal-posts are being constantly shifted in a fast-changing marketplace. In fact, by default, process is becoming culture in today's organization.
But, gradually, process will shrink as firms outsource sub-processes to suppliers. Culture, then, will be a set of shared values. John Micklethwait and Adrian Woolridge argue in The Company that the "dicrete" company could well be replaced by the "network" or the "boundaryless firms of Silicon Valley". These could be an ecosystem of individual entrepreneurs or organizations turning fractal by creating internal entrepreneurs.
Even as the reorganization of the organisation is under way, how do companies prevent themselves from being cultural clones? Indeed, how do they retain their cultural buoyancy and exclusivity despite living on the edge? How do they become cultural enclaves first and profit centres afterwards?
In a piece on Google (June 2004, www.cioinsight.com) management expert Warren Bennis outlined the challenge of creativity: "Even obsessed geniuses burn out. Once the bomb is built, or the PC is invented, the members of the group suddenly realize that they have been working 20-hour days for a long time, and they can't remember the last time they petted the dog or ate a meal with their children. Suddenly, work that seemed like play isn't fun anymore."
Still, despite being in a domain where the business model must always be flexible, Google may have just got its cultural algorithm right.
Who's the typical Googler? What makes her tick? You can get the answers to those questions on Google's site. "Googlers range from former neurosurgeons, CEOs, and US puzzle champions to alligator wrestlers and former-Marines. No matter what their backgrounds Googlers make for interesting cube mates."
"Google engineers all have 20 percent time in which they're free to pursue projects they're passionate about. This freedom has already produced Google News, Google Suggest, AdSense for Content, and Orkut – products which might otherwise have taken an entire start-up to launch."
What Google has done is simple: it has created virtual organizations and individualized corporations within. It has wired itself for tomorrow's necessities. It's a future that Tom Peters has been reminding us: "Buildings are tumbling. Boundaries are vanishing. Temps…are coming. Where 'you' start and where 'I' stop are no longer clear. Where 'I' stop and where 'you' start are no longer clear. How far will it go? Very far."
Yet organizations like Google may have found an answer by creating a fun atmosphere in the workplace. "Forget turfs. Think of people innovating across functions--and delivering. That's Google," says Google's Ashish Kashyap, country head, India sales and operations.
Fun knows no turf. It requires no buy-in. It is a feeling that is equated with quality of life. Just imagine discovering fun where you least expect it: the shopfloor. For the corporation, it is the only way to pre-empt the boundaryless organization.
Will tomorrow's organizations be bothered too much about culture? After all, culture, as we know it, is linked to hierarchy, process, brand image, strategy, and most importantly, history. But these goal-posts are being constantly shifted in a fast-changing marketplace. In fact, by default, process is becoming culture in today's organization.
But, gradually, process will shrink as firms outsource sub-processes to suppliers. Culture, then, will be a set of shared values. John Micklethwait and Adrian Woolridge argue in The Company that the "dicrete" company could well be replaced by the "network" or the "boundaryless firms of Silicon Valley". These could be an ecosystem of individual entrepreneurs or organizations turning fractal by creating internal entrepreneurs.
Even as the reorganization of the organisation is under way, how do companies prevent themselves from being cultural clones? Indeed, how do they retain their cultural buoyancy and exclusivity despite living on the edge? How do they become cultural enclaves first and profit centres afterwards?
In a piece on Google (June 2004, www.cioinsight.com) management expert Warren Bennis outlined the challenge of creativity: "Even obsessed geniuses burn out. Once the bomb is built, or the PC is invented, the members of the group suddenly realize that they have been working 20-hour days for a long time, and they can't remember the last time they petted the dog or ate a meal with their children. Suddenly, work that seemed like play isn't fun anymore."
Still, despite being in a domain where the business model must always be flexible, Google may have just got its cultural algorithm right.
Who's the typical Googler? What makes her tick? You can get the answers to those questions on Google's site. "Googlers range from former neurosurgeons, CEOs, and US puzzle champions to alligator wrestlers and former-Marines. No matter what their backgrounds Googlers make for interesting cube mates."
"Google engineers all have 20 percent time in which they're free to pursue projects they're passionate about. This freedom has already produced Google News, Google Suggest, AdSense for Content, and Orkut – products which might otherwise have taken an entire start-up to launch."
What Google has done is simple: it has created virtual organizations and individualized corporations within. It has wired itself for tomorrow's necessities. It's a future that Tom Peters has been reminding us: "Buildings are tumbling. Boundaries are vanishing. Temps…are coming. Where 'you' start and where 'I' stop are no longer clear. Where 'I' stop and where 'you' start are no longer clear. How far will it go? Very far."
Yet organizations like Google may have found an answer by creating a fun atmosphere in the workplace. "Forget turfs. Think of people innovating across functions--and delivering. That's Google," says Google's Ashish Kashyap, country head, India sales and operations.
Fun knows no turf. It requires no buy-in. It is a feeling that is equated with quality of life. Just imagine discovering fun where you least expect it: the shopfloor. For the corporation, it is the only way to pre-empt the boundaryless organization.
posted by vinay kamat at 8:24 PM
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