These are the post-bureaucratic realities that tomorrow’s employees will use as yardsticks in determining whether your company is “with it” or “past it.”
1. All ideas compete on an equal footing. Ideas gain traction on their perceived merits, not on political power.
2. Contribution counts for more than credentials. What counts is not your resume, but what you can contribute.
3. Hierarchies are natural, not prescribed. Some individuals command more respect and attention than others—but they haven’t been appointed by some superior authority.
4. Leaders serve rather than preside. Credible arguments, demonstrated expertise and selfless behavior are the only levers for getting things done through other people.
4. Leaders serve rather than preside. Credible arguments, demonstrated expertise and selfless behavior are the only levers for getting things done through other people.
5. Tasks are chosen, not assigned. Everyone is an independent contractor, and everyone scratches their own itch.
6. Groups are self-defining and -organizing. You get to choose your compatriots.
7. Resources get attracted, not allocated. Human effort flows towards ideas and projects that are attractive (and fun), and away from those that aren’t.
8. Power comes from sharing information, not hoarding it.
9. Opinions compound and decisions are peer-reviewed. The Web is a near-perfect medium for aggregating the wisdom of the crowd.
10. Users can veto most policy decisions. Online users are opinionated and vociferous—and will quickly attack any decision or policy change that seems contrary to the community’s interests.
11. Intrinsic rewards matter most. The web is a testament to the power of intrinsic rewards. Think of all the articles contributed to Wikipedia, all the open source software created, all the advice freely given—add up the hours of volunteer time and it’s obvious that human beings will give generously of themselves when they’re given the chance to contribute to something they actually care about. Money’s great, but so is recognition and the joy of accomplishment.
12. Hackers are heroes. Large organizations tend to make life uncomfortable for activists and rabble-rousers—however constructive they may be. In contrast, online communities frequently embrace those with strong anti-authoritarian views. On the Web, muckraking malcontents are frequently celebrated as champions of the Internet’s democratic values—particularly if they’ve managed to hack a piece of code that has been interfering with what others regard as their inalienable digital rights.
These features of Web-based life are written into the social DNA of Generation F—and mostly missing from the managerial DNA of the average Fortune 500 company. Yeah, there are a lot of kids looking for jobs right now, but few of them will ever feel at home in cubicleland.
