Peer-to-Peer Leadership

* Book: Peer-to-Peer Leadership: Why the Network Is the Leader. By Mila Baker. Berrett-Koehler, 2013

URL = http://www.bkconnection.com/static/Peer_To_Peer_Leadership_EXCERPT.pdf

Description

From the publisher:

"Mila Baker believes that most of today's leadership theories are old wines in new skins and still rely on the leader-follower hierarchy. Yet hierarchy is breaking down everywhere in society, from politics to religion to social relationships -- and most particularly in computers and networking.

Baker's inspiration is the peer-to-peer model of computing, which is also mirrored in social networking technologies where a network with "equipotent" nodes of power -- think peer leaders -- is infinitely more powerful than a "client-server" (i.e., leader-follower) network. By creating organizations with leaders at all levels, architects of peer-to-peer organizations can build flexibility, resiliency, and accountability."

2.

"* Shows that a radically decentralized approach can revolutionize leadership just as it has revolutionized computer networking

• Turns leadership on its head—the job of the leader is not to tell followers what to do but to create, enable, and facilitate a network of peer leaders

• Features examples of what some organizations are doing and what all organizations can do to implement and benefit from this new approach

Our leadership models are still stuck in a top-down, command-and-control, Industrial Age mentality. But our globalized, data-drenched, 24/7 world is just too complex, with too much information coming from too many different directions, for any single person or group of people to stay on top of it. The idea of hierarchy is breaking down everywhere, from politics to religion to social relationships—why should leadership be any different?

Mila Baker’s inspiration for a new way to lead is the peer-to-peer model of computing, which is also mirrored in social networking and crowdsource technologies. She shows that a network with “equipotent” nodes of power—think peer leaders—is infinitely more powerful than a “client-server” (leader-follower) network.

In organizations of equipotent nodes, leadership isn’t fixed or siloed — it shifts based on the particular strengths of individuals and the particular needs of a situation. Rather than being guided into narrow predetermined channels, information flows freely so those who need it can find it easily and are empowered to act on it immediately. Constant change is built into the very structure of these organizations, and giving feedback is no longer a separate (and often dreaded and ineffective) process but becomes an organic part of the workflow, enabling rapid course corrections.

Baker still advocates the need for top-level executives and senior leaders, but their job is to optimize the health of the network rather than issue commands. Companies such as Gore and Herman Miller practice these principles and have achieved long-term success—Baker provides a structure for this approach that any organization can adapt to build flexibility, resiliency, and accountability." ([1])

Contents

Chapter 1: The Language of Leadership

Leadership and the Tech Revolution 4 Individuality and Equality 7 What Is Peer-to-Peer Computing Technology and How Is It Related to Leadership? 8 The Difference between a New Theory and a Paradigm Shift 12 Summary 14

Chapter 2: Node Community

What Is a Node Community? 20 The Power of Node Communities: Instant Information Sharing 23 Power to Create Change and the Dangers of Misinformation 24 Disruption of Traditional Communication Models 26 On the P2P Path: Giant Hydra 26 The Value of Node Communities in Organizations 27 Efficient and Effective Flow of Information 28 The Expertise of the Whole Community 28 Nimbleness and Response to Change 29 Real-Time Feedback and Dialogue 30 Summary 30

Chapter 3: Organizational Equipotency

The Power of Equipotency in Organizations 36 All Nodes Are Created Equal: Everyone Leads and Everyone Follows 37 Driven by Communication (Nodes) 38 The Value of Equipotency in Organizations 39xii Contents Serving as an Enabler 40 Driving Commitment 40 Engendering Positive Intent 40 Motivating Everyone to Give Their Best 41 Implications for Organization Design 41 On the P2P Path: BMW Designworks 42 Implications for a New Leadership Paradigm 43 Summary 44

Chapter 4: Relational Dynamics

On the P2P Path: Google 50 Relational Dynamics 52 On the P2P Path: Stiletto Network 53 The Value of Relational Dynamics 54 People, Information, and Connections 55 Organizational Anarchy 55 Shared Decision Making and Governance 56 Implications for a New Leadership Paradigm 57 Summary 59

Chapter 5: From Survival of the Fittest to Survival of the Connected

Darwin Misinterpreted 66 Adaptation and Mitigation 67 Protective Processes 68 Solving Problem Solving 70 Summary 72

Chapter 6: The Flow of Information

Traditional Barriers to Communication 79 Day-to-Day Sharing: Network as Communication Infrastructure 81 Benefits of the Open Transfer of Information 82 Summary 84

Chapter 7: Nimbleness and Change

P2P and Drivers for Change 90 The Space and Time for Change 93 The Evolutionary Model 94 Contents xiii The Dialectical Model 94 The Teleological Model 95 The Life Cycle and Cultural Models 95 A Case for P2P Architecture: Herman Miller 96 Summary 97

Chapter 8: Real-Time Feedback and Dialogue

Starbucks: Two Observations, Two Outcomes 105 On the P2P Path: NYU—A Global Network University 107 A Better Way 109 Summary 113

Chapter 9: Implications for Organization Design

Why is P2P Architecture Important? 120 The Work Experience 122 On the P2P Path: Hot Spots Movement 123 The Work Environment 125 Summary 128 Chapter 10: Implications for Leadership 131 Organization Formation 135 On the P2P Path: ROWE 139 Human Resources and Organization Development 140 Questioning Traditional Leadership 142 Leadership as a Dyad Exchange Structure 145 Summary 146 Moving Forward 149 On the P2P Path: Paul Polman at Unilever 153