It is a fact that we are living in a rapidly changing world and there is nowhere else where this is palpable than in workplaces. In the recent past, which is still deeply rooted in the present, everything was clearly laid out including reporting structures, decision-making, job titles and rigid job descriptions. All of these workplace elements presented people with certainty.  

This scenario was in line with the rest of society where seasons flowed smoothly from one to the next, society was also packed in an orderly fashion along fixed structures. In fact workplaces are modelled along military lines.  Therefore, the hierarchical structures with strong command and control reporting lines, which resulted in rigidity. But again, this was fine in the recent past, which is still rooted in the present, where knowledge (strategies, plans, schedules, designs) resided in the top office behind heavy-duty door strong rooms and with the top guy. Typical job titles of this era were and still are chief executive officer, general manager, superintendent, officer (HR officer, marketing officer, PR officer, etc.) and workers. And there was nothing wrong with this as you found the same pecking order in hospitals, police stations and dare I say even in homes. This structure defined or still does define the top down communication flow that is typically rigid in form and function. Whilst the world has changed a lot in function, some organisations are still battling to break away from rigid hierarchical structures to create form, which supports function, resulting in confusion, uncertainty and stress.

Coincidentally, with the now scrambled seasons, changing geopolitical systems, and the growth of the democratic world, we have digitisation, which has achieved what Karl Max and Engels, as proponents of radical socialist thought, observed and sought to challenge â€" that who owned the means of production controlled the lives of those who worked for wages. Bethany Johnson writes that according to Marx, there was one social element that would determine where one fits in the social class hierarchy: that of who controls the means of production, meaning who owned the resources necessary to produce what people needed to survive, controlled their destiny. Digitisation has put the means of production in the hands of everyone who cares to produce what other people need to survive and thrive. Individuals now own the means of production as in their expertise and the tools in the form of technology digitisation. This means that the means of production are no longer the preserve of the chief and the generals. In fact, it gets even better because in the democratic world, the lowest level person could even provide input in the decision to appoint the chief. Empowerment of the individual, both in terms of technological advancement and individual rights flowing from the democratic dispensation, demands flexibility in thought and application. The ownership of the means of production, which now resides with individuals, has changed the game plan so much that individuals are able to have much more impact than corporations. These individuals are everywhere, in our homes, teams, firms, communities, next door and just about everywhere they choose to be. If we are to provide effective leadership and efficient management, we need to be flexible in our approach. 

A lot of people and organisations are aware of the need to be flexible, however the depth of the penetration of the past’s roots makes it difficult for most to move away from rigidity.

Interestingly, the criminal economy is quick to adapt to changing circumstances. They operate with less certainty but more with clarity of purpose. They are about fulfilling the clearly stated mission, which is constantly shape fitted to the prevailing circumstances. This is what makes it difficult for the military establishments of nation states to conquer the modern warfare organised in loose and virtually interconnected cells that are harder to pinpoint and annihilate.   

There are some fundamental things we could learn from these operations. The ever-changing environment we find ourselves in requires less certainty, but more clarity of purpose, and that we should have delivery processes and systems that are flexible enough to be adapted to fit the tasks at hand. This adaptation has far reaching implications for such seemingly simple processes as job descriptions. In a rigid world, job description rules the roost but in a digitised ever-changing world, adaptable and broad outlines of task/s at hand is all that is required.  Physical proximity is another mental construct that the world of work has to make peace with ditching or doing without. It is a reality now that leaders, managers, customers, clients, and other key publics cannot be interacted with physically although expecting to be kept in the loop at all times.

The flexible, shape-fitting organisations call for different sets of leadership and management skills, which are less rigid whilst decisive, inclusive and emphatic in approach.   As alluded to above, everyone appreciates that indeed we are living in a different and everchanging world, yet it is difficult to adapt, as we are yet to develop the literacy and the right language to effectively deal with the everchanging nature of the shape shifting organisation structures. In fact, the question I get often in the leadership and management sessions we facilitate is, are organisations expected to do away with hierarchy? Not really, as there is still a place for it, particularly as regards execution where you still expect people to approve and others to action decisions. But, where you need ideation, you need no rigid structure as this may shut people up and out. It becomes important to know when to shape fit a structure that suits or fits the task at hand, meaning structures need to be set on a project by project basis in order to ensure optimal decision making and performance. Therefore, the notion that the rapidly changing world calls for flexibility in approach to leading and managing.

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