Nathan McGowan
Final Paper
The business environment represents a network of individuals logging into each others brainwaves to produce products and services as cohesively as possible. In this way, every business has created its own society. What we are dealing with in this class are the mechanisms that create the best possible societies for business to dwell in. Societies take many forms ranging from communism to capitalism and all the shades of the spectrum in between. The question which then arises is what devices do businesses have to mold their societies in their image?
The answer exists within the structures we have worked on this semester. To create complete and cohesive business cultures a company must focus on the following: Integrated Network Structures, Complex Adaptive Systems, Dynamic Decision Making, and their Unique Innovative Capabilities. Together these four structures generate meaningful societies similar to how the four elements control the Earth’s ecosystem.
The first construct we analyzed was Integrated Network Structures. This structure focuses on how companies represent networks with each individual operating as a single node of knowledge within that network. As my group and I contemplated our understanding of this feature we came closer to the understanding that the term Integrated is the most profound aspect of this term. This understanding arose as we tried to integrate our own opinions as we collaboarated on the document. There will always be a network present in any company but the strength of its integration determines the networks efficacy.
We live in a world where we are more and more connected. As technology increases methods and modes of communication continue sprawl through our world. Face to face interaction disintegrates as a result, but we create new avenues for engagement with our peers and coworkers. In other words we are losing communication depth while increasing in breadth. The integration of our networks challenges employees to increase their communication with their peers by reducing the distance between these networks. Allowing networks to speak as seamlessly as possible fosters increased communication and discussion within a business environment.
The second quadrant which we examined were Complex Adaptive Systems. As stated before, the world is accelerating at an unbelievable rate. For this reason we need to constantly adapt in evolve in order to stay relevant in the business world. Moore’s law states that computing power will double every two years. This law will be dwarfed soon once the advent of artificial intelligence kicks into overdrive.
The remedy for businesses is to stimulate complex adaptive systems within their companies so that they can change as quickly as the times. When we worked with this construct we discovered that adaptation is a continuous process which requires continuous input into the system. We all felt that when we examined our own lives we saw that that the more engaged we were with our work the more we naturally adapted and added various solutions to our problems. In the business world, systems will only get more complex as technology progresses. Working with complexity should not provide headaches for companies, but rather give insight into the amount of opportunities companies have to solve issues in the business world.
The third construct we tore apart was dynamic decision making. When I analyzed this construct I learned about the importance of roles in the business world. Every manager, executive, and employee has their own role which correlates to their own strengths and weaknesses. Making dynamic decisions applies to working with your personal strengths. We all have strengths and weaknesses and in order to be as dynamic as possible, it is important to work with what we are best at working at.
Companies can best show dynamic decision making when they make bold calls. In order to place ourselves in a position to be a top company or to have a top company culture, bold decisions need to be made. Taking risks, and trying to build a construct which has never been built before is how true progress is made. We want to empower individuals who are dynamic and give them the most opportunities as we can.
Finally we talked about unique innovative capabilities. Unique innovative capabilities represent our abilities to be different in the world. We are a changing and evolving organism existing in a business world which requires constant evolution on the consequence of death. If companies do not develop unique innovative capabilities then they have not created any advantage over their competitors. The landscape of business is undergoing a period of rapid change. Companies with the foresight to react to this landscape will have a short term advantage, but for the long run the businesses that focus on their unique innovative capabilities will conquer the future.