Thriving in an Organization Without Borders: How People Can Make a Difference

September 9, 2021 0 Comments

Without borders, horizontality, multifunctional. These terms, and others, have been used to denote the need to move beyond traditional organizational designs to a new way that is based on enabling people to do their jobs and serve customers effectively.

The way people collaborate, share information, learn from each other, generate new knowledge, and spread this knowledge throughout their organizations is the main reason why change is urgently needed. I have chosen to use the absence of borders in this article. But it is not the word that matters, but the change of mentality that must accompany its use. Otherwise, we run the risk of depriving people of their political rights as they become desensitized to the most proposed concepts and promises.

The Organization Without Borders (initially coined by Jack Welch, former CEO of GE) is, in fact, an organization without walls. This type of organization is based on interdependence and trust. Without these two key features, an organization is effectively blocked from moving from the old organizational model to the new model characterized by the absence of walls and functional grass.

The person working in a borderless environment must understand the importance of these characteristics. You need to trust your coworkers and be willing to support them at any time, to constantly back them up when needed.

She is well aware of the need for a high level of interdependence between people and, in turn, of the importance of mutual responsibility. People share when they are given credit and conversely, they share when mistakes are made. Scapegoats are unheard of.

The person without borders is one who sees the big picture. See the interrelationships and patterns within the organization, as well as emerging trends in the outside world. You continually strive to build strong and lasting relationships with others.

He is not in the least interested in protecting his “territory.” His focus is on the best interests of the organization, its future and well-being. Also, he has an obsession for customer service. Not only does he respond quickly to customer needs, he also does his best to anticipate them.

To achieve this, and to be effective in the borderless organization, this individual is agile and agile. He moves effortlessly through the organization, seeking input from people and making things happen.

The individual without borders has a direct and profound impact on management and leadership. In this type of environment, managers take on a new role. They too now work throughout the organization, forgetting about previous fiefdoms. They thrive on inspiring their people to connect with others, make things happen, and serve customers to the highest degree possible. The manager serves as a catalyst for his people. There is less confidence in managing things (that is, doing things well) and more confidence in leading people (that is, doing the right thing).

A high level of energy prevails in the borderless organization. People need to know that they are making a significant contribution to the organization. They are avid learners, continually seeking new information and acquiring new skills. They realize that the more they learn that, the more ignorant they are. However, they are self-confident and realize that learning is an endless journey.

Therefore, the borderless individual can be seen as someone who exhibits the following traits:

o Has self-confidence,
or trust others,
o See interdependencies and patterns,
o Works throughout the organization,
o Build relationships,
o Take the initiative to make things happen,
o You are obsessed with customer service,
o Has an enthusiasm for learning.

Learning to work through organizational silos is indeed a very challenging goal, requiring perseverance and focus. But it’s also incredibly rewarding when you start to see synergies occur with the emergence of a following of like-minded people. With the support of top management, who must also model limitless behaviors, an organization will begin to undergo transformation to improve performance and results.

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