Gene Roddenberry was a visionary. In Star Trek he depicted an Earth where there was no labour. Where due to both emotional and technological progress everyone was free to do whatever made them truly happy. They were free to explore the world and their own selves. His vision was of a humanity which, while not problem-free, exceled both economically and ethically.
We believe the cultural development in many countries and the development of management as a science have reached the point when the building blocks needed to rebuild the economy in a smarter, leaner way are available. What’s necessary is a will to change, to explore possibilites and final frontiers of how we organize.
A new, healthier economic system is needed. And below is our interpretation of this need, our dream.
Roadmap to Star Trek Economy:
▲ #1 Collective management
The idea derives from early models of Participatory Management but the word is not consensus but UNANIMOUS. Let people engage to their own cap.
▲ #2 Open Company
Give your friends a real possibility to look at your work and help you with it. Let negotiations be a “prisoner’s dilemma” no more.
▲ #3 Product co-creation
A collective of actual users is involved from the very beginning to engage the clients and deliver a fitted solution.
▲ #4 Give-What-You-Feel
In experience economy a product’s value depends on its significance to the user. The payment model reflects this.
▲ #5 Receive-What-You-Feel
To have sustainable, lean flow, the RHYF model must follow GHYF. Let everyone engage themselves to their fullest potential, no cap.
▲ #6 Imagination Work
Work in a company should be a Huizingan “game”. Gamify it on the level of emotions and imagination. Make it truly interesting for ALL the agents.
The above concepts are not immediately applicable in many industries. However, the main theme is universal: SPACE, SPACE, SPACE and more SPACE. Space to allow the shift from external, formal structure, duty type control to internal control. Space to the point where motivation comes from following one’s passion and being ready to monetize it.
After the initial growth the company and its staff should slow down and use deep embedded patterns to determine which plans are outdated. They need to learn to stay still for a space to form. In that space new ideas can be channeled. Ideas more aligned with both the job and the client markets and more informed by the Zeitgeist. In an environment where the majority of companies follow a project-based paradigm, almost every digitalized market with low entry barrier and good information synchronization between agents is a hit-driven market.
The old management/business paradigms are irrelevant in a growing number of contexts. The old structure-/control-based paradigms have reached their critical mass rendering them useless, devoid of utilitarian power. For example it has been proven that it is impossible to effectively control a knowledge worker in high-velocity markets in knowledge industries.
In some countries there are industries that already operate on ^ #6 Imagination Work. Gamification has laid remarkable foundations but needs to evolve to result in a genuine interest in one’s work. Imagination Work is the ability to immerse oneself in storytelling and metaphors thus activating the right brain hemisphere in order to tap the unused potential. It is through heightened intuition that businesses will be able to escape the cycle of information overflow and paralysis by analysis, and to boost their cycle frequency.
In short, the effect observable from the outside is:
✰ Low Frequency Firms (i.e. brick & mortar business):
work->get paid
✰ Middle Frequency Firms (high tech, creative sector):
play->work->get paid
✰ High Frequency Firms (???):
play->get paid
The search for working practical models has already begun. This is a perfect opportunity for entrepreneurs, geeks and social scientists to engage in a dialogue and try out new approaches based on complementing, not competing, perspectives on how things can be done.
These changes happen a step at a time. At this point it’s not about perfection. Many hybrid models will lead us through the changes. New paradigms will rise and fall broken by our kids when they have their own ideas on running things. But as long as there’s progress it’s good enough until critical mass is reached.
We are the “???”. But STE is just a theory, a set of concepts. So let’s share them and play with them. Let’s see how much fun emerging business models can be and how many more people will be able to shout “MAMA I MADE IT!” Success doesn’t have to be exclusive. Reality is not a zero-sum game. STE is for all of us. Together let’s boldly go where no one has gone before.
Cartoon Tree - Creative Software House 