Hacking HR to Build an Adaptability Advantage
Traditional control systems ensure high levels of compliance but do so at the expense of employee creativity, entrepreneurship, and engagement. Tomorrow’s control systems will need to rely more on peer review and less on top-down supervision. The goal: organizations filled with employees who are fully capable of self-discipline.
Del, it seems like your the authority on the use of jungian functions to measure and build social cohesion in organizations, so I will bow to your great knowledge. With regard to advancing as you put it, dont let me stop you, I think your doing a fine job.
So Marc. You are actually suggesting a post-peer system.
I am not sure Jungian psychology advances us much. Twenge yes, but Jung no (too obsessed with his shadow, congruence and religion).
A synopsis of the company you reference might help us advance?
Yes, and is used as a stepping stone in the developmental stage towards plurialism which is the end goal.
However without individuals being aware of their unconscious motivations and their shadow projections (Jungian 3rd and 4th functions) and developing the competencies, mental models and strategies to understand what motivates them, peer is attractive as it is a safe haven for the ego. Its the collusion in the safety, and the perception of being special that is the narcistic aspect.
To add to your point regarding needing a mechanism that empowers agency, the liberation is the development of and transformation of our individual motivations and shadows from what attracted them to wanting peer needs in the first place.
Once this transformation is made the concept of it being a peer falls away to the next level which is Plurialism.
A number of defitions for Plurialism are:
Pluralism (industrial relations), recognition of a multiplicy of legitimate interests and stakeholders in the employment relationship
Pluralism (Philosophy), The principle positing that ultimate reality is composed of more than one compound or basic type of being.
Plurialism (Scientific) The view that some phenomena observed in science require multiple explanations to account for their nature.
Plurialism (Psychology) The idea that any being has multiple facets and that it might have many causes and connotations, truths, and their is multiple truths that make away for falling away of the self ego.
Also other mechanisms that will enable this shift are more mechanical, that all stakeholders are made stewards and co owners, if all members of an institution are co owners (shareholders), this creates and nurtures a organization of permission for empowerment, without fear.
However is underpinned by the Developmental Aspects I speak to above.
Lastly for this to happen the underlying organizational structures, management competenices and needs that drove them in the first place will need to be transformed from a Hierarchical (Power/control/Avoidant learning) to Holonical(Servant leadership, Observational).
An excellent case study of an organization who made this transformation is St Lukes in London who designed a cocreative, co-ownership business model for all stakeholders.
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Company-Became-Agency-Agencies/dp/0471350265
@Marc, thank you, if I understand you, by restating the point in sociological terms you illustrate how peer groups are well used by institutions that facilitate developmental processes and as such, group reviews are a way for those who are 'not of the recognised standard' to progress within the norms of that group; v..i.z.controlling nor enabling. We concur on the narcissism aspect.
What we need is a mechanism that empowers agency. As Hendrik suggests of agency, "make you free"
How to interpret words is very important. Peer regulation sounds less inviting than peer support. The meaning may be the same: Help each other to do the right thing, in this case stimulate adaptability and self-management. To develop the capability of self-discipline you need feedback from others to adjust yourself. Defining peers as a control agency reflects a mind still controlled by what others think. Defining "regulation" as self-regulation based on a conscious decision given your aim with regard to yourself and others makes you free.
Del, at one level yes peer is not the operative approach because it's a relativistic paradigm, a social construct designed unconsciously to create safety, its an important paradigm for those who have not developed awareness to go through, as it makes way for more important social constructs as its part of the green meme development phase, its down sides are that it creates social narcissism, and ethnicity, however it an important development phase to plurialism, which is the end goal.
What happens when the individuals creativity is too much for the peer group (some classic examples include there is no God, the world is round, man can fly in machines, this movie will never make it, there is no such thing as an ego, lesbians do not exist)?
Peer groups, even as enablers have limitations (such as the development of vaccines).
My biggest concern about peers is the social conditioning that they engender harming careers.
Peer regulation can be a slipperly slope. A peer group can help to ensure that an individual doesn't wonder too far astray and hurt themselves or the organization. A peer group can also can hold back individuals who are truely creative and have the insight and ability to make a positive difference. But isn't this why we still need leaders? Shouldn't our leaders be engaged with their peer groups, providing education, coaching, and counseling. If a leader sees behavior that is detrimental, they need to interveen. If done correctly, this shouldn't permanently damage the peer group's autonomy.
Peer review strikes me a no more than thought control by committee at one level and as subject to the norms of acceptability on the other.
Religious thought is a classic example, where peer review determines what can be developed and changed and what is off limits.The medical profession is enough and scientific thought is often held back peers. Many Phd students often gripe about the restrictions placed upon them by their educational masters.
A decision process needs to be gone through, but peers (with their invested knowledge can contaminate).
Peer review strikes me a no more than thought control by committee at one level and as subject to the norms of acceptability on the other.
Religious thought is a classic example, where peer review determines what can be developed and changed and what is off limits.The medical profession is enough and scientific thought is often held back peers. Many Phd students often gripe about the restrictions placed upon them by their educational masters.
A decision process needs to be gone through, but peers (with their invested knowledge can contaminate).
Totally agree control is such a old school mindset, we need co-creation, co-stewardship, co-decision making, crucible learning, development best practices that moves the blue meme paradox of control to a green social organization and yellow mindset.
All of this remind me of the shift from egocentricity pre conventional, to ethnocentric ego conventional, to global centric ego and oneness post conventional organizations.
I also agree and like your suggested terms Marc. The word "regulation" is controlling because of its historic use and meaning. Initially I could not believe this was really a principle of adaptability. Peer Calibrated...Peer Managed...Peer Responsible
Thank you Stephanie, and remember peer is a relativistic mindset, so technically speaking nothing and everything is equal or a peer. Also there are multiple levels of the peer mindset, and I believe that we have to evolve through the peer meme to be able to establish the post conventional singularity.
Peer regulation is so valuable because most people aren't capable of self-discipline in all areas. Peer support on the realization self-defined goal setting in different areas (personal growth, development, project-realization, team productivity, e.a.) is one of the strongest drivers of adaptability. Peer regulation means transparency, systematic shearing of personal purpose, goals, development-targets and organizing reflection between colleagues. Defining of what each and everyone expects from the other can be a good start.,
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