The Rise of Interparism
An organisational philosophy for the 21st centuryA new philosophy of organisation is emerging; a new way of solving problems, of getting things done. It goes by names such as peer production, peer to peer, the pro-am revolution, the network society, extreme or everyday democracy, fourth generation warfare, etc. depending on your sphere of interest. I have come to call it Interparism ("inter pares" is Latin for "among peers"). Interparism is based on the simple notion that problems are best solved by those affected by them, action is best taken by those who care. Though still fragmented and unarticulated, I think it is the organisational model of choice for the twenty first century. This is much to big a subject to cover in a single entry, the following can be considered an introduction.
Tipping point
With the spread of modern information technologies like the Internet and mobile phones, our social information and communication networks have reached a tipping point. The new infrastructure allows us to leapfrog to a new organizational form that is more survivable, inclusive, and innovative than traditional hierarchies. Interparism is a truly Smithsonian model in which modern network theory explains the invisible hand. Leadership is not monopolised through positions of formal authority. Power flows to the edges of organisations, creating a free market in which leadership can emerge through the interplay of its participants. This kind of leadership is a common good, through which a wider community is mobilized to collaborate as equals to meet a challenge or solve a problem. The resulting leaders are able to focus efforts on problems that they do not know how to solve, and mobilize people to generate long-term solutions. They choose an approach based on the values that matter in developing the solution, rather than the exercise of command or the certainty of conviction.
Organising for change
The interparist model is a source of inspiration and creativity in organizations by distributing power, responsibility and initiative widely across different people and communities. It provides possibilities to compete, collaborate and share information over a wide range of problems and possible solutions. It is a robust organisational model, equipped to face a wide diversity of desired (or feared) futures, but does not claim to bring utopia. It embraces diversity of cultures with communities loosely joined, a society prone to evolve with our rapidly changing environment. Interparism amounts to a radical democratization of all facets of life and a revival of political democracy. Rather than just having elections every few years, its proponents aim for a permanent meaningful connection with government. It creates new possibilities to influence our own social and physical environment.
The new model is about putting into practice an old adagium: if you want something done right, do it yourself. Averse to hierarchy and formal organisations, ordinary people like you and me, enabled by technology, are pulling resources to perform extraordinary feats. Through interest based communities we freely lend our time, expertise and resources to causes dear to us. We try to make up for our institutions' failings by influencing our environment in previously unimagined ways, because we enjoy it or because we care.
Outsourcing or Open Sourcing?
Companies are starting to understand the logic; if they can get people to help them design and create products, these people will probably end up customers. Maybe they will even sell the product to their friends. So instead of outsourcing to save cost, businesses are engaging potential customers and enthusiasts to improve everything from research and development to marketing. If employees work for the fun of it they will be better motivated and more productive then if they are simply bribed into being at their post during office hours. So successful companies really involve their workers. Management no longer directs the activities of the work floor, but enables workers' initiatives. Employees are probably the best placed people to improve business practices. By empowering them to do so, smart companies are becoming more innovative and efficient.
The era of using people as production tools or walking wallets appears to be at an end. Participation may be vastly more complex to practice than conventional corporate unilateralism, just as democracy is much more cumbersome than dictatorship. More cumbersome perhaps, but Semco, Google, Amazon, eBay and so many other companies prove it can be very productive and innovative.
Conclusion
A lot is changing on the technological level and the social sphere is following suit. I think interparism is part of a new pattern for life. I'm not exactly sure what this new society will or should look like, I am not a seer after all. But I think people and communities are figuring it out on an empirical bases. In the same spirit I put these ideas out here, for you to improve upon. I plan to write some more on this subject at a later date. Leave any thoughts or questions you may have in the comment section, I always enjoy the feedback.
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Posted by in Dreaming @ 10 12 05 | No comments / No trackbacks
