The management revolution reflects a coherent constellation of fundamentally different principles in leadership and management. The principles involve not merely the application of new technology or fixes or tweaks to hierarchical bureaucracy. They represent a paradigm shift in the strict sense laid down by Thomas Kuhn: a different mental model of how the world works, leading to a different way of thinking, speaking and acting in the world.
I also noted that a set of books has been delineating the principles and practices. These books constitute a canon of radically different management. It is appropriate that different writers are fleshing out the canon, sometimes using different terminology and perspectives. The new management paradigm is a large idea and different takes on it can help us get our minds around it.
One of the books in the canon of radical management is Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization (Wiley) written by Dan Pontefract. I spoke recently with Dan and began by asking him whether the term “flat army” might perhaps be regarded as an oxymoron: armies have historically been—and mostly still are—quintessential models of steep hierarchies that frustrate everyone by their mindless application of rules regardless of context, and by their overriding respect for authority over competence.
Dan told me that he is using “army” in the sense of “a group of people who share similar aims or beliefs”. The word “army” derives from the medieval Latin term of “armata” which loosely means a flotilla of vessels moving together. A “flat army” is thus an organization (or a team) that works together to achieve a business result - a corporate commonality. It is part situational hierarchy, part heterarchy and part common purpose.
I put to Dan the seven questions that I have used to identify books that form the new canon of management.
1) Does your book recognize that the Creative Economy is a new paradigm of leadership and management?
Dan Pontefract: Flat Army is an organizational culture enhancement playbook depicting management and employees as an unobstructed flow of corporate commonality. It rewires leadership to be connected, collaborative and engaging. It abhors command and control (and hierarchy for the sake of hierarchy) in favor of a model that espouses inclusion, participation and direct network building -- versus hoarding, harmfulness and hebetude.
2) Does your book constitute a constellation of coherent business principles, not a bundle of individual fixes?
Dan Pontefract: Flat Army is a cohesive model – a constellation of coherent business principles – backed by five key frameworks:
- Connected Leader Attributes (15 key leadership behaviours designed around three key stages: becoming a connected leader, being a connected leader and going beyond a connected leader)
- Participative Leader Framework (the practice of demonstrating CARE – continuous, authentic, reciprocal and educating – when consuming/contributing ideas and intellect through networks)
- Collaborative Leader Action Model (6 key daily actions to involve your people – team or organization – in ideas, actions and decision making) Connect, Consider, Communicate, Create, Confirm and Congratulate)
- Pervasive Learning (the recognition that learning is not merely an event, but like leadership it must be part formal, informal and social)
- Collaborative Technologies (not the technology itself but the behaviours of conversing, providing content and ensuring context)
3) Does your book distinguish the principles of the new paradigm from the individuals and firms practicing them?
Dan Pontefract: Littered throughout Flat Army are a number of examples from organizations who demonstrate either ‘Traditional Economy’ or ‘Financial Capitalism’ thinking, such as Hewlett Packard [HPQ], Goldman Sachs [GS], Blackberry [BBRY], as well as new ‘Creative Economy’ examples such as TD Bank, LinkedIn [LNKD], Telus [TU], HCL Technologies [HCLTECH].
4) Does your book separate core principles from a multitude of related practices?
Dan Pontefract: Healthcare, Finance, High Tech, Telecom, Retail are several of the verticals investigated and discussed whilst the entire thesis/framework/model and running commentary of Flat Army creates a Venn diagram between connected leadership, pervasive learning and collaborative practices. It is not solely about leadership, it is not solely about learning, it is not solely about technologies … it is the combination of all three that helps to establish the ‘Creative Economy’.
5) Does your book distinguish drivers from results?
Dan Pontefract: Throughout the book, the five key frameworks are defined (with drivers) alongside practical examples and actual individuals and/or organizations demonstrating it in action. The results are found within the examples as well as Chapter 12 (The Culture Quest of Flat Army) which outlines how to get the results over an implementation timeline.
6) Does your book recognize the history of leadership and management?
Dan Pontefract: Chapter 2 (How’d We Get So Rigid?) tears apart and shoves an ice pick into the eyes of our management/leadership/historical past including Taylor, Fayol, single room schoolhouse, the monarchy, religion, war amongst other avenues.
7) Does your book break free from the obsolete thinking of the Traditional Economy?
Dan Pontefract: Flat Army is written and intended to break free from a 100 percent hierarchical, outdated, antiquated and classically command and control leadership style and organizational culture to one that focuses on its people as not only its number one asset, but as its driving force of innovation, engagement, customer service and business results. The Traditional Economy was rooted in the industrial revolution. Flat Army is intended for the “creative revolution”; an organizational model that is collaborative, connected and participative yet actually driving solid business results through a highly engaged and productive workforce. There is situational hierarchy employed as necessary – infrequently, ideally – but the operating principle shifts from ‘me to we’, aided and abetted by connected leadership, pervasive learning and collaborative practices.
And read also:
The management revolution that’s already happening
Don’t Diss the Paradigm Shift: It’s Happening
Leadership in the three-speed economy
The Phase Change to the Creative Economy
How America lost the capacity to compete
The five surprises of radical management
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Steve Denning’s most recent book is: The Leader’s Guide to Radical Management (Jossey-Bass, 2010).
Follow Steve Denning on Twitter @stevedenning
