Where Does that Leave the Organization?
Friday: October 31, 2008 3:17 PM
It is no secret that the world of business is changing. Even prior to the Sub-Prime debacle, the world of business was going though some dramatic changes. I heard on the news that 80% of new jobs come from small business and roughly 70% of the workforce in now employed in small businesses. If you add in the unemployed (6.7% - 11%, depending on how you measure it) and government workers, that doesn't leave you much room for those of us working in large organizations. And, seeing what is happening to the Airlines and Auto companies, one has to wonder about the future of organized employment.
So what’s changing? Clearly, the mechanism of production has moved away from the large organization. We see this in the enormous amounts of outsourcing and specialty firms. With Web 2.0, we see the means of production moving to the individual as describe in the book "Free Agent Nation". Whether its architecture work (Slim Devices), design work (Threadless T-Shirts), production work (iStockPhoto), or information management (Wikipedia), the crowd is an emerging force of business. With the advent of FedEx, Amazon, eBay and the Internet, the means of distribution has moved to the hands of the individual.
The distinction between producer and consumer isn't as clear as it was a few years. In fact, one can argue the distinction between employee, customer, client, share holder, and consultant has blurred as well. If someone approaches me in the grocery store and ask who do you work for then I am an employee. I am a sales person when I suggest someone try U-Verse or saving money by bundling services. I am a shareholder when I demand efficiency and transparency from the leadership and I am consultant when I bring my experience to the table.
It is no secret that the world of business is changing. Even prior to the Sub-Prime debacle, the world of business was going though some dramatic changes. I heard on the news that 80% of new jobs come from small business and roughly 70% of the workforce in now employed in small businesses. If you add in the unemployed (6.7% - 11%, depending on how you measure it) and government workers, that doesn't leave you much room for those of us working in large organizations. And, seeing what is happening to the Airlines and Auto companies, one has to wonder about the future of organized employment.
So what’s changing? Clearly, the mechanism of production has moved away from the large organization. We see this in the enormous amounts of outsourcing and specialty firms. With Web 2.0, we see the means of production moving to the individual as describe in the book "Free Agent Nation". Whether its architecture work (Slim Devices), design work (Threadless T-Shirts), production work (iStockPhoto), or information management (Wikipedia), the crowd is an emerging force of business. With the advent of FedEx, Amazon, eBay and the Internet, the means of distribution has moved to the hands of the individual.
The distinction between producer and consumer isn't as clear as it was a few years. In fact, one can argue the distinction between employee, customer, client, share holder, and consultant has blurred as well. If someone approaches me in the grocery store and ask who do you work for then I am an employee. I am a sales person when I suggest someone try U-Verse or saving money by bundling services. I am a shareholder when I demand efficiency and transparency from the leadership and I am consultant when I bring my experience to the table.
