dispatches from the new world of work

Velcro or Cement?

In this disruptive age, the organizational structures we know and love are just a tick tock away from blowing up! In February 2005, there was an article in the Harvard Business Review suggesting that global organizations need to become "Velcro organizations." That is, organizations that can quickly and easily rearrange their roles to meet the challenges of specific tasks.

Some organizations have such rigid structures that real work can't get accomplished. These organizations don't have the flexibility to pull the right team together to tackle the job and then return to their previous jobs upon its completion. I consider these organizations to be "Cement Organizations"; they've poured a hard foundation that is full of cracks, but they aren't budging.

Are you part of a Velcro organization or are you part of a Cement organization?

Val Willis posted this on 04/18/05.

Comments

At the beginning of Superman, the infant was protected and sent far away...what will happen to our children in this changing and dangerous business world?

Joel

Posted by Joel Heffner at April 18, 2005 7:16 PM

The velcro, flexible, elastic organization is clear - ... " the tick tock away from blowing up ... " phrase is a poor choice of words in this terror-islamofascist infested world.

Posted by Sean at April 18, 2005 7:30 PM

I find cement wherever I look at, itÂ´s like a concrete jungle. But the cement does not resist well the effects of time and starts to break up.

Posted by felix gerena at April 18, 2005 8:04 PM

"Some organizations have such rigid structures that real work can't get accomplished."

But some organisations change so often that real work doesn't get done there either!

In both cases it's usually the customer who loses out.

Posted by PaulH at April 19, 2005 4:41 AM

Great topic Cathy

I worked over in the UK national health service for 35 years - it was double-thickness concrete walls!!

Since being on my own as freelance I now see it much more clearly.

The only way to break concrete is to smash it - if you 'chisel away gently' the concrete remains in one large piece with edges simply 'nibbled.'

We meed a sledgehammer to smash the concrete. Then and only then we can rebuild from scratch.

I am more convinced than ever you simply cannot 'incremnentalise' your way to a new world

In my 'new world' the only structure I have is that I am my own Chief Executive, My own Finance Director, My own Human Resource Director, My own Quality Manager, My own Sales Director, My own Office Clerk, Tea Maker, Coffee Maker and Cleaner.

My point is - there should be no walls whether they are concreete or velcro

Amen to blowing up concrete!!

Trevor

Posted by Trevor Gay at April 19, 2005 5:44 AM

My first thought on velcro-vs-cement was that it would be about the way the org treats its people: giving them the freedom to come & go, move around als free agent, as opposed to locking them into single functions & expecting them to be stationary...

Just another dimension of the excellent metaphor, I suppose.

Posted by Dan at April 19, 2005 9:53 PM

Cement foundation with Velcro structure.

You have to have some stability as a company. The consumers need to know what the company is about, what it stands for, etc. Consumers want integrity in a company.

However, the company needs to have something of a Velcro structure from the standpoint of adapting to business/economic/tech changes.

My company sustained some losses in January that we're recovering from. It is out of those losses that we transitioned into a new focus on the types of clients we're looking for. We're still using the same commitment to how we approach marketing for each client, but we're focusing on a select client type now. That new focus is bringing tremendous success.

Posted by Tony May / Mayday Media at April 20, 2005 10:35 AM

Sean,

Your comment is well taken!

Valarie

Posted by Vwillis at April 20, 2005 4:03 PM

Velcro works, if its too big however, it holds too hard and it makes it hard to move/remove. An organisation can be like that but needs to be aware of the size of the 'bits' of vlecro it would (metaphorically) use.

Posted by Steve at April 23, 2005 7:17 AM

A very good Post Cathy !! Thought Provocative. I just may harvest !!

Posted by /pd at April 24, 2005 9:02 PM

The "Velcro" article was written by Joseph L. Bower in Feb 05 of Harvard magazine, pg 19. Reading the comments above - it makes me wonder why most of you HAVE NOT read the actual article - since some of your comments are a off center to what the author was actually postulating.

& C'mon Sean, really, it's a bit trite to let the "tick tock" be anything more than a comment. We have had terrorist problems for centuries... the last century was no exception... Islam, Vietnam, Korea, Ireland, etc. etc. It's just that it wasn't in your backyard - while others around the world lived and do live with it every day.

Posted by John Malone at April 27, 2005 9:22 AM

Thanks to all who thanked me, but Val Willis is the one responsible for this blog entry, and I say Yay, Val! Keep 'em coming!

Posted by cathy at April 27, 2005 8:52 PM