Managing without Hierarchy
As we move towards a flatter organization with distributed and transparent communications, there is a real conflict growing between those who would have us believe that management hierarchy is a necessity and those who do not. With more collaborative teams forming through informal networks and groups, companies need to start thinking about how they will manage output while maintaining an open structure.
The current influx of Social Media technologies both inside and out of the organization is still very peripheral (in that it is not truly effecting the structure of an organization), but these technologies will become a stronger and integral part of many companies in the upcoming years. Maintaining a balance between a management structure and open communication platforms will be necessary to avoid projects from becoming chaotic.
This new level of communication will require companies to think about how information that flows through these new channels will be integrated into business. There is a reason why hierarchy works. It sets a clear decision maker, and as groups get larger, it is a necessity to define an individual or body to make the final call on what information to use and what to ignore. This is one of the main reasons that I believe governance is such a huge issue with respect to Social Media. Without a strong leader at the top making decisions and delegating based on new information through user generated media, I believe that companies risk falling into analysis paralysis.
