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"First, we shape our structures
Then, our structures shape us"
—Winston Churchill
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Wirearchy is defined as "a dynamic two-way flow of power and authority based on information, knowledge, trust and credibility, enabled by interconnected people and technology"
Jon Husband, 1999
Contact :: jon.husband AT gmail.com
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What Is Wirearchy ?
We all know and understand hierarchy - the enduring principle of the institutions that govern us and in which we work and live. The people at the top control the agendas and make the decisions.
And yet...
... taking decisions and managing organized activities are being impacted in powerful ways by interconnected networks of people and technology. The Internet is connecting customers, employees and communities and empowering them with information in ways never before possible.
Every week the impact of hyperlinked, horizontal and vertical networks is being felt more clearly and more insistently. The impacts are creating new dynamics in organizations as well as emergent forms of organized activities that are nimble, responsive, focused on results and based on participation and peer-to-peer interaction.
A shift, from command-and-control to champion-and-channel, is occurring in many spheres of human activity. When customers have more power and employees want to communicate and be heard, the dynamics have to change.
A new organizing principle is emerging, called Wirearchy ...
a dynamic two-way flow of power and authority based on information, knowledge, trust and credibility, enabled by interconnected people and technology
Wirearchy will continue to emerge and have impact. The generations coming into the workplace have interactive games, instant messaging, downloading and chat rooms under their skin. They're equipped with smarter software, and they take interconnectedness for granted - it's second nature to them.
Over the last two or three years, it has become clear that the impacts of these living social networks will only grow, both in depth and reach.
Are you wondering about how blogs, wikis, interlinked interactivity, and social media will affect your organization, your work, and relationships with customers, employees and constituents ?
I may be able to be helpful.
I combine skills and experience in:
- strategic foresight
- using social media / Web 2.0
- organizational development .. the design and facilitation of initiatives
- designing and facilitating strategic planning and organizational change
- research, analysis and writing ..
to offer consulting, strategic research, briefings, and workshops that help deal proactively with an interactive hyperlinked environment.
The contributions I can make are outlined below.
I can be contacted at jon (DOT) husband AT gmail.com or (1) 604-689-1671
Roles
Strategic Advisor - I've acted as a strategic advisor, researcher, and thought leader for a range of clients over the past decade.
I am co-founder of Qumana, a software company involved in the blogging and online advertising domains.
I also have significant experience in organizational change and management / executive coaching, and will work with open-minded and progressive leaders willing to question, learn and grow.
Blogging in Organizations - With many years of organizational consulting, and 5 years of blogging, I can help organizations decide whether to get into blogging ... the whys, whens, hows and what-to-do's.
Speaker - I have spoken about the future of work, wirearchy and interactivity at various North American and international conferences and summits.
I focus on the workplace of the future, leadership in a wired world, participatory democracy, and ways to think and act strategically in an environment of constant interaction.
Management Workshops - What does managing effectively mean, in an interconnected hyperlinked workplace ? What does management mean when access to information is ubiquitous, when boundaries are transparent and there are continuous flows of information and knowledge ?
I can help management teams think through these issues and develop practical approaches to coping with this enormous challenge.
>More About Wirearchy
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Originally a (not-yet-posted) guest blog piece for Worlblu's 1st Annual List of the World's Most Democratic Organizations
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December, 2004Just a question, really. I wonder how long it will be before there's acknowledgment of blogs, blogging and its dynamics in the workplace ?
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Introductory Quotes SimCity Essay: Every encounter between reader and text is a kind of exchange. A book lies inert until it you pick it up and begin to read, extracting meaning out of the jumble of markings on the page. . . . What makes interaction with computers so powerfully absorbing - for better and worse - is the way computers can transform the exchange between reader and text into a feedback loop . - L. Trippi
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In an organizational world of constant e-mail, transparency and trust have leapt into prominence over the past year or two.
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The principle of mass customization is pervasive today throughout manufacturing, marketing and retailing. Now, it's beginning to appear in the wired, interconnected workplace
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The workplace of the future will be surrounded by smart software, and full of people for whom interconnectedness is a given. How will the nature of work change?
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Still an emerging discipline, Knowledge Management has been addressed very slowly by most organizations - because of confusion, a slow economy, too many definitions and the lack of a coherent framework.
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Old versus New - the debate isn't as vociferous as it was a year or two ago, but the forces of knowledge continue to make themselves felt.
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The dynamics of communications in networks, and pervasive accessibilty of information, show how corporate credibility is in question.
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>Article Archive
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Visit the Wirearchy blog here.
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posted: Thu September 4, 2003 - 03:00 AM
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