#orgdesign — Public Fediverse posts

Organisational Dysfunction of the Day

Tyranny of the majority

Context: The workshop is wrapping up. There are too many ideas on the wall, and a decision needs to be made, so dot voting is introduced. Everyone gets three dots and places them on their favourites. The tallied results are clear, and the facilitator announces the winners. Most people seem satisfied. A few do not. Their priorities were lost, their concerns were not addressed, and the vote moved on before the reasoning behind the minority view was ever really heard. They leave with a decision they had no real part in making. In meetings, the same pattern plays out through a show of hands, anonymous polls, or simply the loudest voices drowning out the quieter ones. It feels democratic. It is not.

OST explains: Dot voting and majority voting are representative democracy mechanisms, which really are DP1 in disguise. They produce a winner and, by definition, a loser, and the minority does not just lose the vote; they lose the ability to influence the outcome, making them unlikely to commit to implementing something they actively disagreed with. Fred Emery called the alternative rationalisation of conflict: instead of forcing a resolution through voting, the group stays with the disagreement long enough to understand it. The goal is not the most popular option, but the option nobody has a reasoned objection to. A higher bar that takes longer, but produces genuine shared ownership that majority voting never can. A decision reached that way does not need to be enforced; people carry it forward because they helped make it.

#OpenSystemsTheory #SocioTechnical #OrgDesign #collaboration

Since many of you are enjoying a day off, I’m hitting 'pause' on my Dysfunctions series. Instead, I want to address a common objection to OST: the idea that while these principles work in manufacturing, IT is 'too unique' for them to apply.

Here is my take (and the #OST perspective):

The design principles are about where responsibility for coordination and control sits. They are content-agnostic. They apply equally to stitching shoes, nursing, and writing software, because they describe the structural relationship between people and their work, not the work itself.

Knowledge work actually requires DP2 more than routine work does. The whole argument for self-management is variety: when work demands judgment, context, and adaptation, you cannot pre-specify it from above. DP1 is a worse fit for knowledge work than for assembly lines, not a better one.

Big software companies are full of DP1 patterns dressed in agile clothing: product managers who own the goals, engineering managers who own the headcount, architects who own the tech, PMOs who own the process. The product manager role itself is often a DP1 supervisor function relabeled.

My International Workers' Day speech.

#OpenSystemsTheory #SocioTechnical #OrgDesign #agile

The Cost of Role Confusion: Why One Person Can't Own Two Functions

https://alexhunter.net/blog/blurred-lines/

#Business #Leadership #UKBusiness #Work #FutureOfWork #Management #OrgDesign #WorkCulture #Burnout #ProcessDesign #Documentation #StartupLife

I look forward to returning to Berlin and the wonderful #kanDDDinsky conference this week. It is one of my definitive highlights of the year, and I am really happy to be able to speak there again. This time, I will challenge the approach many companies have to what they regard as self-organisation, like when attempting an agile transformation, like rolling out Team Topologies or similar attempts at "empowerment."

Decades of research in the social sciences have clearly shown how this ought to be done. Unfortunately, most in the IT industry seem to be ignorant of this. Hope to change that. It is surprisingly easy, but it will require systemic changes in thinking. 😊

#systemsThinking #sociotechnical #selfOrganisation #agile #teamTopologies #orgDesign #KanDDDinsky

Subscribe now to the Red42 web magazine, get tomorrow's new article delivered to your mailbox, automatically! It's all free of charge. It's a great way to get inspired around #leadership, #organizationaldevelopment, #orgdesign, #change and #transformation, #agility, #lean and #BetaCodex!

Visit the website here: https://nielspflaeging.substack.com/

Subscribe now to the Red42 web magazine, get tomorrow's new article delivered to your mailbox, automatically! It's all free of charge. It's a great way to get inspired around #leadership, #organizationaldevelopment, #orgdesign, #change and #transformation, #agility, #lean and #BetaCodex!

Visit the website here: https://nielspflaeging.substack.com/

Subscribe now to the Red42 web magazine, get tomorrow's new article delivered to your mailbox, automatically! It's all free of charge. It's a great way to get inspired around #leadership, #organizationaldevelopment, #orgdesign, #change and #transformation, #agility, #lean and #BetaCodex!

Visit the website here: https://nielspflaeging.substack.com/

Subscribe now to the Red42 web magazine, get tomorrow's new article delivered to your mailbox, automatically! It's all free of charge. It's a great way to get inspired around #leadership, #organizationaldevelopment, #orgdesign, #change and #transformation, #agility, #lean and #BetaCodex!

Visit the website here: https://nielspflaeging.substack.com/

Subscribe now to the Red42 web magazine, get tomorrow's new article delivered to your mailbox, automatically! It's all free of charge. It's a great way to get inspired around #leadership, #organizationaldevelopment, #orgdesign, #change and #transformation, #agility, #lean and #BetaCodex!

Visit the website here: https://nielspflaeging.substack.com/

🗓️ Coupon will be available on Saturday: "CELEBRATE"
🎁 25% off all courses – one day only! https://bit.ly/3N3pdZG

Here’s to continuing the journey of building better, more effective teams! 💙
#TeamTopologies #4YearAnniversary #DevOps #PlatformEngineering #OrgDesign #SoftwareTeams

🎶 They tried to make me do a reorg, but I said no, no, no 🎶

Inspired by a comment by Anders Bruvik, I asked ChatGPT 4o to write some lyrics. They don't disappoint!

#TeamTopologies #OrgDesign #reorg

https://buff.ly/4bMgW5n

Check out all our research papers on Cell Structure Design - published between 2008 and 2024! https://betacodex.org/white-papers/ #betacodex #cellstructuredesign #decentralization #orgdesign #holacracy #sociocracy #eodf #odf #agile #lean #leadership #collaboration #beyondbudgeting

Learn about the Cell Structure Design approach to organizational design through this "classic" episode of #BetaCodexLIVE, on "Cell Structure Design Patterns" - with @nielspflaeging and @rijon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P8kUDtvggk
#betacodex #leadership #orgdesign #eodf

This has been a great conversation. Learn about the past, present and future of organizational development (OD) from one of the most prolific (and most likeable) pioniers of the field: Paul Tolchinsky.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cORGx-EOzKM #betacodex #eodf #orgdesign #leadership

This is likely going to be an eye-opener for many of you, Rijon and I discussed "From Trist to Today" with my wonderful friend Paul Tolchinsky – co-creator of #WholeScaleChange, #EODF founder and author of 2 books & many articles in the field of #OrgDev. In our conversation, we traced the history of OD in practice, from its beginnings to today, and into the future. This 67-min. video should be worth your while!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cORGx-EOzKM #betacodex #orgdev #orgdesign #leadership

Watch the conversation "From Trist to Today" now on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cORGx-EOzKM
#BetaCodexLIVE #betacodex #trist #stc #tavistock #orgdev #orgdesign #eodf

Watch the conversation "From Trist to Today" now on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cORGx-EOzKM
#BetaCodexLIVE #betacodex #trist #stc #tavistock #orgdev #orgdesign #eodf

Watch the conversation "From Trist to Today" now on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cORGx-EOzKM
#BetaCodexLIVE #betacodex #trist #stc #tavistock #orgdev #orgdesign #eodf

Watch the conversation "From Trist to Today" now on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cORGx-EOzKM
#BetaCodexLIVE #betacodex #trist #stc #tavistock #orgdev #orgdesign #eodf

Watch the conversation "From Trist to Today" now on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cORGx-EOzKM
#BetaCodexLIVE #betacodex #trist #stc #tavistock #orgdev #orgdesign #eodf

Join us on Wednesday for a new edition of #BetaCodexLIVE, with special guest Paul Tolchinsky: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cORGx-EOzKM

#EODF #orgdesign #orgdev #betacodex #leadership

Watch videos about the #CellStructureDesign approach to organizational design here:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLicFnvd5hlVn6zmm3zW-wsMHCxMMalgSH
#betacodex #orgdesign #cellstructure #decentralization #eodf

Cell Structure Design is about creating a consistently #decentralized, #selforganized and #democratic organization that's capable of sustainable high performance. Such a structure, or "transformation" is achieved within no more than 8 to 12 weeks (it should not take longer!). We usually do this through the #OpenSpaceBeta approach to transformation. But I am currently undertaking a client transformation just through the #CellStructureDesign approach - which in some cases is also feasible. It's a company of 140 people from 15 or so countries.
Here are a few insights about Cell Structure Design that are worth being aware of: https://lnkd.in/ecqfh8rb
For more on Cell Structure Design: https://lnkd.in/ezGA3h8Y
#betacodex #orgdesign #transformation #betatransformation #vfot

So, it's been a while since I did an #Introduction #ConnectionList #TwitterMigration post where, I find interesting people for you to follow on #Mastodon, and use my reach to more closely connect the #Fediverse :fediverse:

@ANUResearch is the official Mastodon account of #ANU Research (I think, it all looks very legit, but I don't know the person behind the account) #research #university 🇦🇺

@drwaus is the new official account for Digital Rights Watch in Australia (h/t to all the good work Sam @floreani is doing in this space - don't forget to catch her #keynote at @[email protected] later this month!)

@AoIR is the official Association of #Internet #Researchers account. Read more at https://aoir.org/about 🇺🇸

Professor @nilsph1 works in #knowledge organisation and information retrieval #IR at the Department of Archive, Library and Information Studies at #Oslo Metropolitan University @oslomet :flag-no:

@fionatribe is an #anthropologist, workplace #strategist and #ethnographer who works in #architecture and #OrgDesign 🇦🇺

@dcm is Dimitri Coelho Mollo, an Assistant #Professor in the Philosophy of #AI at #Umeå University :flag-se:

@anders is a #Communication strategist for #AI #Sweden :flag-se:

@rachaelvdm is a #MetaData #librarian #GLAM interested in #nature #art #history 🇳🇱 🇦🇺

@bentarnoff is a technical #writer, who recently wrote a brilliant piece on Joseph #Weizenbaum for The Guardian. You should read it. 🇺🇸

@observablehq is the official account of the #dataviz platform, based on #D3js from @mbostock

That's all for today, don't forget to share your own #ConnectionList, particularly as we say #RIPTwitter ❤️

Culture change is neither hard nor easy.
Neither fast nor slow.
Neither good nor bad.
Culture is a bit like the weather:
you cannot change it, even though it changes all the time.
Culture is read-only.

#betacodex #culturechange #transformation #vfot #openspacebeta #culture #orgdev #lean #agile #teal #scrum #orgdesign #leadership #futureofwork #newwork #systemsthinking #systemstheory

Watch ☮️💜🎶Rijon Erickson 🎶☯️🐿️ and myself talk about the latest #BetaCodex Network research on decentralization, value creation structure, and organizational design that works!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P8kUDtvggk

You can find our new white paper here: https://betacodex.org/white-papers/

For more about Cell Structure Design visit www.cellstructuredesign.com

#orgdesign #cellstructuredesign #decentralizerepeat #eodf #odf #relativetargets #workthesystem #futureofwork #newwork #leadership #agile #lean #teal

This is how #democracy in #organizations works.
https://betacodex.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BetaCodex19-CellStructureDesignPatterns.pdf

#cellstructuredesign #decentralization #selforganization #orgdesign #orgdev #systemsthinking #leadership #futureofleadership #newwork #eodf #odf #workthesystem #itsabouttime #openspacebeta #red42

If you are interested bringing about organizational transformation to Beta, then checking out this latest research of ours about #decentralization, coherent self-organization and #CellStructureDesign will be worth your while!

Read the "Cell Structure Design Patterns" white paper here: https://betacodex.org/white-papers/ (no registration needed)

#transformation #newwork #orgdesign #agile #agility #lean #beyondbudgeting #teal #scrum #agiletransformation #agilemindset #scaledagile #scalingagile #eodf #odf

This week, the 19th #BetaCodex research paper was published! "Cell Structure Design Patterns" continues our groundbreaking work on #OrgDesign from previous papers on #CellStructureDesign, #OrganizeForComplexity and #OrgPhysics. Read the new paper here: https://betacodex.org/white-papers/
#leadership #futureofleadership #spotifymodel #agilescaling #eodf #matrix #selforganization #agility #organizationaldevelopment #organizationaldesign #transformation #newwork #okrs #newleadership

On Monday, 9.00am EDT/3.00pm CET: BetaCodex LIVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P8kUDtvggk
#CellStructureDesign #decentralization #orgdesign #orgdev #eodf #odf #agile #lean #teal #betacodex #betacodexlive #decentralization

Yesterday, the 19th #BetaCodex research paper was published! "Cell Structure Design Patterns" continues our groundbreaking work on #OrgDesign from previous papers on #CellStructureDesign, #OrganizeForComplexity and #OrgPhysics.

Read the new paper here: https://betacodex.org/white-papers/

#orgdev #organizationaldesign #eodf #odf #change #decentralization #newwork #leadership #systemsthinking #lean #agile #agiletransformation #leanbase #red42 #betacodexnetwork

I am delighted and super-happy that we can present a brand new #BetaCodex white paper today! It is our 19th research paper – and we are discussing no less than 10 highly practical insights and patterns from 20 years and more than 50 consulting projects on #CellStructureDesign!

For more about the paper, read our press release: https://redforty2.com/post/cell-structure-design-patterns-a-new-betacodex-research-paper-by-silke-hermann-and-niels-pflaeging

This is the direct link to the paper: https://betacodex.org/white-papers/

#orgdesign #orgdev #eodf #odf #decentralization #orgphysics #systemsthinking

Also next week.
Free of charge.
Get all your questions answered about #CellStructureDesign.
https://eventbrite.com/e/info-hour-cell-structure-design-org-design-for-the-age-of-complexity-tickets-629452839387
#orgdesign #betacodex #decentralization #orgphysics #eodf #odf

- Matrix Structures
- The Spotify Model
- #Agile Scaling (SAFe etc)
- Silo structures
- Sociocracy/holacracy
All that stuff is exactly the same: It leads to #centralization, bureaucratization, fear, waste, demotivation & learned helplessness.
A better way: https://www.redforty2.com/cellstructuredesign
#betacodex #cellstructuredesign #decentralization #orgdesign #orgdev #orgphysics #valuecreation #eodf #odf

LOVE is in the air!
There is a bit of news to share around #BetaCodex research projects: Niels Pflaeging pushed ahead with a new research project the other day. First results will be published within the next 2 weeks!
Read more about it under "Research Project No. 3": https://betacodex.org/about/beta-people/
#betacodexnetwork #managementresearch #systemsthinking #orgdev #eodf #odf #orgdesign #cellstructuredesign #decentralization #orgphysics #red42 #workthesystem #openspacebeta #relativetargets

I have a new #BetaCodex research paper in the works. The last one, from June 2021, was about #OrgPhysics in Follett's Words. You can read it here: https://betacodex.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2021-06-27-BetaCodex-OrgPhysics-in-Folletts-words.pdf.

I don't want to disclose the new paper's topic yet, but I can say it is about findings from practice work.
#selforganization #lean #agile #OrgPhysics #decentralization #cellstructuredesign #orgdesign #orgdev #change #eodf #odf #organizationaldesign #leadership

Check out the Red42 shop - for a huge array of amazing products around organizational development, org design, org change, leadership and transformation!
https://www.redforty2.com/shop

#betacodex #orgdev #transformation #agile #lean #beyondbudgeting #organizeforcomplexity #deming #drucker #cellstructuredesign #openspacebeta #workthesystem #essaysonbetavol1 #relativetargets #orgdesign #change #newwork

Organizational #scaling is the opposite of #decentralization.
As an #orgdesign concept, it just as dumb an idea as #matrixorganization.
A much more elegant, more simple and more conservative approach to org design: www.cellstructuredesign.com

#betacodex #agilescaling #cellstructuredesign #agile #agiletransformation #scalingagile #eodf #odf #orgdev #systemsthinking #lean #weichselbaum

Join me later today for a free Info Hour on #CellStructureDesign – the world's best approach to agile-lean organizational design!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/info-hour-cell-structure-design-a-work-the-system-approach-tickets-546320478257 #betacodex #orgdesign #leadership #newwork #eodf #odf #decentralization #workthesystem

On Tuesday, May 2nd, I will host this free of charge info hour on #CellStructureDesign. Sign up now and learn about the world's best approach to organizational design, for companies of ALL kinds!

Invitation & registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/info-hour-cell-structure-design-a-work-the-system-approach-tickets-546320478257 #orgdesign #leadership #betacodex #organizationaldesign #orgdev #eodf #odf

An Info Hour on #CellStructureDesign is coming up!
Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/info-hour-cell-structure-design-a-work-the-system-approach-tickets-546320478257
#betacodex #leadership #orgdesign #agility #lean #newwork #selforganization #systemsthinking #orgphysics #eodf #odf #decentralization #orgdev

Fabulous oxymorons:
"org designer"
#betacodex #orgdesign #agile #lean #eodf #odf

On 2 May. A free Info Hour on #CellStructureDesign - simply the world's best approach to #OrgDesign. Suitable for every industry. Every organization.
Infos & registration:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/info-hour-cell-structure-design-a-work-the-system-approach-tickets-546320478257

#betacodex #decentralization #leadership #eodf #odf #orgdev #change #transformation #workthesystem #agile #lean #beyondbudgeting

Coming soon: Cell Structure Design - the handbook by @silkehermann and @nielspflaeging. Pre-order now! https://redforty2.com/product-page/cell-structure-design

#cellstructuredesign #workthesystem #betacodex #orgdesign #eodf #odf #leadership #orgdev #organizationaldesign #agile #lean #scrum #organizationaldevelopment #orgdev

Coming soon: Cell Structure Design - the handbook.
Pre-order now!
https://redforty2.com/product-page/cell-structure-design #cellstructuredesign #workthesystem #betacodex #orgdesign #eodf #odf #leadership #orgdev #organizationaldesign #agile #lean #scrum #organizationaldevelopment

Any #OrgDesign concept that does not distinguish between #periphery and #center, and that thus does not understand #decentralization, is toxic and useless!
https://www.redforty2.com/cellstructuredesign

#eodf #cellstructuredesign #orgdev #OrganizationalDesign #OrganizationalDevelopment #agility #agile #lean #scrum #kanban #newwork #leadership #newleadership #betacodex #workthesystem #red42

Get the new "Our Cell Structure Design" work poster from Red42!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDcjiU8qoRY
Buy the poster here: https://redforty2.com/product-page/our-cell-structure-design-work-poster-a1-poster #orgdesign #cellstructuredesign #workthesystem #betacodex #eodf #orgdev #agile #lean

Organizations should NOT be flat.
Because flat organizations are still in command-and-control mode.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/flat-hierarchies-just-another-step-wrong-direction-niels-pflaeging/

#orgdesign #power #orgdev #eodf #betacodex #decentralization #cellstructuredesign

Companies should not be #flatter: In "flat", the logic of top-down/bottom-up and hierarchical #steering is preserved.
Instead, organizations must become #decentralized & #federative, in order to counter market complexity with internal complexity, effectively! (Which is why #MatrixStructures, business unit structures, #AgileScaling or the #SpotifyModel got it all wrong.)

Article 1: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/flat-hierarchies-just-another-step-wrong-direction-niels-pflaeging/
Article 2: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/decentralization-natural-inevitable-feature-niels-pflaeging/
#agile #betacodex #orgdesign #orgdev #orgphysics #teal

“The fundamental reason for the
study of #group psychology is that no one can give us democracy, we must
learn #democracy. To be a democrat is not to decide on a certain form of human #association, it is to learn how to live with other men.”
Mary P. #Follett, 1919

⸺
#neighbourhoods #community #organizing #peopleNotUsers #meta #federatedNotDecentralized #FediverseCollectives #decisionMaking 🧐#sharedGovernance 🏠#powerSharing #cooperation 🧩#orgGovernance 🧱#orgDesign 🧩#communityGovernance