What is Wirearchy?
Does the term Wirearchy sound familiar to you? If not, you're not alone. Many people wonder what Wirearchy is. It's important to emphasize that this is not a technology! It refers to the power and effectiveness created by a group of people working together and maintaining collaborative relationships, taking personal and group responsibility for their actions while not relying on the hierarchical status present in the organization.
Most people today are aware that the Internet significantly impacts their daily lives through various activities, with numerous examples such as Amazon, Flickr, YouTube, and more.
Since this influence touches almost every area of our lives, the question arises whether it is also relevant to activities in organizations, government, culture, education, and essentially in any field where "people organize together to perform a certain activity." If so, can this form of action organization be channeled into the execution of innovative and creative ideas?
If so, Wirearchy is an organizational principle that can explain the mode of operation in connected networks worldwide. Wirearchy's mode of operation is a dynamic and mutual flow of power and authority relationships based on knowledge and trust, focused on results, and enabled by people connected through technology.
Fluctuations in power and authority relationships manifest for better or worse in everyday events around us, in the way we live, work, and behave, especially in today's digital-electronic era. An example of this is the phenomenon of "e" (Electronic) for everything, from shopping to news to access to databases, as well as the speed at which information reaches awareness almost simultaneously from the moment of occurrence.
These new conditions of rapid information flow and electronics significantly impact the traditional hierarchical structure in organizations, creating a change in the way people operate and behave, for good (calming, shaping, guiding) and for foul (stressing, confusing). As a result, new and dynamic dimensions of power and influence are created in the workplace network.
An illustration comparing a Wirearchy network structure to a traditional hierarchical structure
It should be noted that the dynamics in Wirearchy are seemingly very different from the traditional hierarchical structure, but they need structure and order to function smoothly and enablers.
If a technological infrastructure has been built in the last thirty years that allows communication and the exchange of information worldwide, then the next fifty years will undoubtedly be devoted to learning how to behave in workplaces in a connected, linked, and interactive world.
What does Wirearchy mean for you?
As a leader, you must be aware of connected markets and how information flows between them. You also need to understand how and why people connect, talk, and share information and, no less importantly, be actively listening, responsible, and transparent.
As a manager, you need to be familiar with online systems and how the need for collaboration in collaborative environments changes the nature of managerial activity. You also need to learn to coach your people.
As an employee - you need to be aware of the change in the hierarchical authority structure in your workplace and understand how to act in changing situations in your work environment.
As a citizen, you need to understand the possibilities and responsibilities arising from the existence of an open and transmissible network of information and your ability to influence a participatory and shared electronic environment.
Response options to Wirearchy conditions
Personal: In response to Wirearchy conditions, you need to adapt yourself in real time to different situations in a constantly changing environment. This means being aware and identifying changes, setting your vision for future activity, defining goals accordingly, learning how to achieve the goals, and acting to fulfill them.
Organizational: As information technology penetrated organizations, the nature of the work environment also changed and adapted itself to a globally connected and linked environment.
The following types of organizational response forms can be expected:
Transition to a flat organizational structure with an emphasis on teamwork
The conflict between the need for flexibility to experience change versus the need to hold onto the existing hierarchical power and authority structure
Difficulty in finding time and implementing dialogue in light of people's apparent internal need to experience sharing and community fellowship in their work
Reducing uncertainty by involving people in assessments and action planning for future situations
Integration of interdisciplinary methodologies and tools such as Balanced Scorecard, network analysis, and more
Use of knowledge management tools in the Web 2.0 era, such as Blogs and Wikis, to teach employees how to navigate and cope with the flow of information freely and fully
Investment in team development as part of dealing with cross-organizational synchronous and asynchronous information and knowledge
Use of emotional intelligence and coaching tools as part of repositioning the authority and status structure
Integration of technological infrastructure supporting activity in a Collaboration environment
Use of e-Learning tools
Leading Talent Management as part of the change in employee-organization relations and cultivating adult-adult style behavior among employees with all that implies.
In conclusion, Wirearchy architecture, which has developed in the technological electronic era, requires us to adapt and adjust to both the social and organizational environment.
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