Designing alternative models for organizing in an uncertain world

Anna Rylander Eklund, Researcher, Chalmers University of Technology

Experio Lab is inviting to the Experio Seminars. Once a month we’ll invite interesting researchers to talk about service design, service logic and user-driven services in public sector.

Today’s models for organizing work are designed to achieve a set of specific pre-defined objectives in the most efficient way. What are really the assumptions that underpin these mechanistic organizational models and their view of people’s contribution? And are they really appropriate for people-dependent organizations in today’s uncertain world? In this seminar we will uncover the underlying assumptions of these models and explore alternative organizational forms based on a different set of assumptions that put people and their creative, collaborative capacities at the centre. We depart from the ideas of Mary Parker Follett, a social reformer, philosopher and activist in the early 20th century America, and show their relevance for understanding the agile, self-managed, purpose-driven forms of organizing emerging today. What are the practical challenges and benefits of these alternative organizational models?

Recording from March 18th

Anna Rylander Eklund
Anna Rylander Eklund, Researcher, Chalmers University of Technology