Talk from State of the Net 2015 in Milan. See http://postshift.com/organisations-in-the-age-of-algorithms/ for the narrative of this talk

1. Organisations in the age of algorithms
Towards a new Operating System for Organisations
State of the Net, Milan, October 2015
POST*SHIFTLee Bryant

2. This is an exciting time for
organisational development,
especially at the intersection
between new ways of working
and emerging technologies

3. the world is changing faster than our organisations

4. can we build long-lived institutions for the C21st ?

5. management is based on some very old assumptions

6. conventional org structures are no longer fit for purpose

7. conventional org structures are no longer fit for purpose

8. conventional org structures are no longer fit for purpose

9. conventional org structures are no longer fit for purpose

10. Current structures are not
sentient, nor capable of change

11. most firms lack the imagination to organise in new ways

12. most firms lack the imagination to organise in new ways

13. social tools help, but cannot change the org on their own

14. Morning Star: efficient peer-to-peer self-management

15. Valve: employees flock towards work that matters

16. Valve: employees flock towards work that matters

17. Valve: employees flock towards work that matters

18. Now, however, the game is
changing in dramatic ways

19. What are products?

20. Products as Platforms

21. Data+Services+Experience > Hardware

22. Internet culture inside and outside

23. FrameworkGrafting new data skills onto old systems is not enough

24. command & control versus software and algorithms

25. Towards the
post-human organisation?

26. extreme vision: entirely algorithmic DAOs

27. nice vision: the help-bots are coming !

28. in manufacturing, we have lived with robots for years

29. but we are seeing humans returning to robot factories

30. but we are seeing humans returning to robot factories
“We cannot simply depend on the
machines that only repeat the same
task over and over again,” Kawai said.
“To be the master of the machine, you
have to have the knowledge and the
skills to teach the machine.”

31. augmented human intelligence vs. artificial intelligence

32. "the best chess player on the planet
today is not a computer. Nor is it a
human. The best chess player is a
team of humans using computers."
augmented human intelligence vs. artificial intelligence

33. but what to do with a generation of middle managers?

34. shared activity streams for smart machines & humans

35. we need to socialise and collectively interpret data flows

36. We need a new
operating system for the
modern organisation

37. Frameworksoftware went from vertical integration to layers, services

38. we need the organisation to evolve in a similar way

39. we need the organisation to evolve in a similar way

40. org systems need to be evolutionary… alive… sentient…

41. Frameworkshared data platforms are a key capability for the OS

42. Structure
• Decentralised
• Resilient
• Adaptive & Emergent
• Networked
• Service-oriented
Culture
• Open
• Customer-centric
• Innovative
• Experience-led
• Passion & purpose
Practice
• Agile & Iterative
• Data-driven
• Collaborative
• Task-focused
• Podular
we need self-aware, adaptive, learning organisations

43. Where to begin for an
existing organisation?

44. start by defining key capabilities and health measures

45. use internal social data to track ‘real-time’ change

46. ask your ‘human sensor networks’ to determine success

47. FrameworkThe Quantified Org: always be changing

48. always be capturing employee ideas, problems, needs

49. we need a new form of leadership, not management

50. My Point of View:
Connectivity is our
new superpower.
A modern, algorithmic
organisational OS can
help us use it better.

51. thank you for listening :)
{ }Please continue the
conversation with us:
• @leebryant / @postshift
• lee@postshift.com
• www.postshift.com
POST*SHIFT

52. Image credits and references
https://flic.kr/p/foH23g
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http://www.morningstarco.com/
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http://www.vanityfair.com/news/business/2012/08/microsoft-lost-mojo-steve-ballmer
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