The digital organisation has begun invading our world and thus we must grasp the full meaning of it [see photo].
The digital organisation is about the flow of information. Therefore many current concepts of organisation have become [or are about to become] redundant. This new version of our organisation is full of AI bots which often eliminates the need for humans. For example take a trip from Heathrow to London Bridge [or from Charles De Gaulle to Saint Michel- Notre Dam] and all you need is a touch-and-go credit device. Indeed for your stopover in London or Paris you need no "currency" given that the digital information system is up and running.
Here I seek to provide a sample of what is coming. We are about to experience a radical change as people management is replaced by information management. Naturally the demand for traditional workers will shrink. However... the demand for "just-in-time information" will expand. For instance, legal firms will need fewer and fewer humans to process contracts, litigation, and dispute resolutions. In this example we can expect every individual who has job to be paid at rates that have never been seen before. They will be highly paid because only "the best of the best" will be hired. And this syndrome will be repeated in all other areas of professional services. It can be expected that each employee will be a contractor who is hired to perform a specific set of tasks for a limited period.
The digital organisation is like a school without walls. It is not a tangible entity but rather a system that exists to process information. And this processing task is prescribed not described. It is prescribed in terms of purpose. For example in the near future there will be no train drivers, not platform attendants, no security staff, etc on the trip from the airport to town. All these functions will performed by visible or invisible AI bots. When you reach your destination in the downtown area you will join a parade of people who are engaged in the ever expanding business of face-to-face contact. Almost every human you meet will be there to provide a service to you or someone else who is wandering around the streets. Here the physical world is only accessible via information systems [digital money]. And you will access the physical world much as one calls up Uber transport, receives the digital key for Airbnb lodgings, or is allocated a table at a cafe.
Perhaps the key to understanding a digital organisation we should use the analogy of water flowing in a river. Every drop of water flows. Sometimes the flow is fast. Sometimes the flow is slow.
Richard.
Comments