In the 1950s the world inside the organisation matched the world outside. In 2019 the inside and outside world is no longer in sync. Why is this so?
The inside world [mind, workplace, community] is still modelled on an analogue theory and practice [see photo]. The outside world [markets, movements, cults and Cliques] is moving swiftly towards adopting a digital theory and model.
A simple example of this phenomenon is that the HR group in your workplace is expanding [adding people to its workforce] even as your marketshare is tanking. This is happening because the analogue models of command-and-control only survive inside closed systems.
HR is a growing influence on people because it is experimenting with employees as if they are lab rats not as free and independent beings. Lab rats are cool because they can be trained to behave in very predictable ways. This is so because they are closed-off from all natural stimulants and thus they become dependant upon those produced by the experimenters.
In these systems the experimenters soon need more lab rats and when they get them they need more experimenters. Of course the more rats in the system the more "exceptions to the rule" appear to be, and present as, a serous problem. The more the exceptions multiply the more the experimenters feel they must double-down on the procedures they use to control their subjects. This is an iterative process and thus the lessons drawn from these experiments can easily become disconnected from foci of the original brief.
The main reason the analogue theory and practice persists today is that many people make a fine living from it. They praise modern HR techniques at conferences. They train people in HR techniques of command-and-control. They pen articles and books on the great challenge of running modern HR empire. And so on and so on.....
The good news is that the digital world is thriving within all open systems of information exchange. It lives on computers, iPhones, videos, podcasts, etc. The impact of this digital transformation is breathtaking and the speed of changes it brings with it is exhilarating.
Richard
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