The Emerging Work World

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Participate and Share

In the early 2000s I read a riveting blog post by a young guy who talked about having to leave himself in the car every day as he went into work. It ended with, “And in the evenings I always hope I’ll get off in time to come back out and reunite with myself… before I’m gone.”

We are living at the intersection of two opposing work worlds, The Industrial Age, which is still strangely dominant in the front office of most companies. And the Participation Age, which is emerging as the new standard for how we work.

In the production area, we have replaced Industrial Age assembly lines and smokestacks with things like nanotechnology and clean rooms. But the front office looks pretty much the same way it did a hundred years ago, with managers in ties making all the decisions. These Industrial Age management practices, which recreated humans as extensions of machines, are colliding with the emerging Participation Age workforce that wants to Make Meaning at work, not just money.

The hallmarks of the Participation Age are simple, participation and sharing. Companies are discovering that if they invite everyone to participate in the building of a great company, and to share in the rewards, both the company and the people, profit more. The Participation Age is also creating workplaces with a soul. This isn’t woo-woo crap; these are hard-core success strategies. And it isn’t a fringe idea. Those who embrace the Participation Age will thrive; those who don’t will be left behind.

What does a Participation Age company look like? Imagine a company with no departments, no corporate ladder or promotions, no HR department, and no written policies—just a few written beliefs. And with no managers, just a very few leaders, who lead because people are following them, not because they have a title on their door.

Could you imagine a company with no office hours, even in manufacturing, with self-managed work teams who own the decisions they will have to carry out? Or unlimited vacation, and profit sharing for everyone? Is it possible this way of doing business would work better, for both the company and the people who work there?

Well the good news is this isn’t something we have to imagine. Participation Age companies are springing up all around us, in every size, and in every industry. We have worked with many and have identified thousands that have either fully transitioned, or are racing to embrace the Participation Age as fast as they can.

To that end, managers (those who embrace authority and control) are disappearing in favor of exponentially fewer leaders (those who embrace participation and sharing).

And employees, who are treated like children, herded into Office Day Care Centers, and supervised, are being replaced with Stakeholders; self-motivated adults who are able to make decisions and don’t need to be managed, just led.

To the leaders of some companies this may all sound like sappy HR stuff to placate the workforce. But in future posts we’ll show how Participation Age companies outperform the overwhelming majority of companies still hostage to Industrial Age front-office management.

They grow faster, are more stable, have higher profits and higher productivity, and have exponentially lower employee turnover. In future posts we’ll look at many successful Participation Age companies, and we’ll talk about how to find one to work for, or how to build one yourself.

There are a few dozen giant corporations, hundreds of big ones, and tens of thousands of small to medium sized companies racing to embrace the Participation Age, or who are already there. Don’t settle—find one you can join as a Stakeholder; or build one yourself.

The emerging work world is waiting for you. Come join us in The Participation Age!

Article as seen on Inc.com

Embracing the Participation Age

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Inviting Stakeholders to participate, share, and rehumanize the workplace

In the early 2000s, I read a riveting blog post by a young guy who talked about having to leave himself in the car every day as he went into work. It ended with, “And in the evenings I always hope I’ll get off in time to come back out and reunite with myself… before I’m gone.”

We are living at the intersection of two opposing work worlds, The Industrial Age, which is still strangely dominant in the front office of most companies. And the Participation Age, which is emerging as the new standard for how we work.

In the production area, we have replaced Industrial Age assembly lines and smokestacks with things like nanotechnology and clean rooms. But the front office looks pretty much the same way it did a hundred years ago, with managers in ties making all the decisions. These Industrial Age management practices, which recreated humans as extensions of machines, are colliding with the emerging Participation Age workforce that wants to Make Meaning at work, not just money.

The hallmarks of the Participation Age are simple, participation and sharing. Companies are discovering that if they invite everyone to participate in the building of a great company, and to share in the rewards, both the company and the people, profit more. The Participation Age is also creating workplaces with a soul. This isn’t woo-woo crap; these are hard-core success strategies. And it isn’t a fringe idea. Those who embrace the Participation Age will thrive; those who don’t will be left behind.

What does a Participation Age company look like? Imagine a company with no departments, no corporate ladder or promotions, no HR department, and no written policies–just a few written beliefs. And with no managers, just a very few leaders, who lead because people are following them, not because they have a title on their door.

Could you imagine a company with no office hours, even in manufacturing, with self-managed work teams who own the decisions they will have to carry out? Or unlimited vacation, and profit sharing for everyone? Is it possible this way of doing business would work better, for both the company and the people who work there?

Well the good news is this isn’t something we have to imagine. Participation Age companies are springing up all around us, in every size, and in every industry. We have worked with many and have identified thousands that have either fully transitioned, or are racing to embrace the Participation Age as fast as they can.

To that end, managers (those who embrace authority and control) are disappearing in favor of exponentially fewer leaders (those who embrace participation and sharing).

And employees, who are treated like children, herded into Office Day Care Centers, and supervised, are being replaced with Stakeholders; self-motivated adults who are able to make decisions and don’t need to be managed, just led.

To the leaders of some companies this may all sound like sappy HR stuff to placate the workforce. But in future posts we’ll show how Participation Age companies outperform the overwhelming majority of companies still hostage to Industrial Age front-office management. They grow faster, are more stable, have higher profits and higher productivity, and have exponentially lower employee turnover. In future posts we’ll look at many successful Participation Age companies, and we’ll talk about how to find one to work for, or how to build one yourself.

There are a few dozen giant corporations, hundreds of big ones, and tens of thousands of small to medium sized companies racing to embrace the Participation Age, or who are already there. Don’t settle–find one you can join as a Stakeholder; or build one yourself.

The emerging work world is waiting for you. Come join us in The Participation Age!

Article as posted on Inc.com

Barry-Wehmiller – Another Great Participation Age Company

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They’re Everywhere.

Participation Age companies make higher profits, are more stable, have more cross-trained people, exponentially higher Stakeholder satisfaction and retention, and great longevity. Are you looking to join one, or become one? Here’s another great example:

Most companies are still mired in the front-office business practices of the Industrial Age. But the Participation Age is a tidal wave breaking over the workplace. Those that embrace it will thrive. Those that don’t will be left behind.

Hallmarks of most Participation Age Companies:
1) Leaders, not managers. Stakeholders, not employees.
2) PARTICIPATION in building a great company. SHARING in the rewards.
3) Decisions made by those who will carry them out.
4) Results-based (not the traditional time-based workplace)
5) Profit-sharing (includes time-sharing – extra time off for good results)

Barry-Wehmiller – Embracing The Participation Age and Thriving
Company Name: Barry-Wehmiller
Industry: Diversified manufacturing technology and consulting
Revenue: $1.7 billion a year
Headquarters: St. Louis, MO
Founded: 1885
Growth: 20% compound growth every year since 1987
Ownership: Privately Held

Key Culture Belief
Leaders shouldn’t manage people; they should steward them. Who in your life do you “manage”? Your spouse? Your children? No, you care for them. You acknowledge the deep responsibility you have for them. They wanted to be sure Truly Human Leadership becomes permanently embedded in their culture. So they taught leaders to become good stewards of the lives entrusted to them.

Key Leadership Practice
THL – Truly Human Leadership

Key Moment
1997 – Bob Chapman, CEO, had “an epiphany” while visiting a company B-W had acquired. He was hanging out in the kitchen before work watching people have fun talking, but noticing the closer it got to the start of the workday, you could see the “joy went out of their bodies.” He asked himself, “Why should people have to leave work to have fun?” And that was the beginning of a new way of doing business at B-W.

Key Mindset
Bob Chapman decided and the company’s Guiding Principles of Leadership cultural vision statement needed to be lived out, not in employee handbooks or on posters – “we’re going to put this in people’s heads and hearts, not just on the walls.”

Key Participation Age Practices
(an extension of their Key Beliefs (no managing):
1) No managers, just leaders who seek how to make others successful
2) No timecards, even in their manufacturing area
3) Free phones for line workers to call out any time
4) Take breaks when needed, not at prescribed times
5) A multitude of other things based on the principle of de-emphasizing hierarchy and elevating equal voices in building a great company
6) Results-based rewards: “Measurables allow individuals and teams to relate their contribution to the realization of the vision”
7) A deep commitment to their Stakeholders personal growth

Key Results
1) Exponential revenue growth (20% compounded annually since 1987) and overall company expansion
2) 88% of employees of Industrial Age companies feel they work for an organization that doesn’t care for them. At Barry-Wehmiller, 79% surveyed by an outside organization said they believe BW cares about them – 180 degrees from “normal”.

One Fun Thing They Do
Guiding Principles of Leadership SSR Award Program. Team members nominate their peers as great examples of leadership in our culture, celebrating the everyday greatness in those that they work with day in and day out.

The entire organization gathers for elaborately planned celebrations designed to make the winner feel honored for his or her contributions to our culture. Winners are awarded the keys to a unique sports car, which they can drive for a week. Unlike a plaque for your desk, winners get the chance to drive their “trophy” for a week, inviting questions from family, friends and neighbors about why they have this unusual car.

They’re Everywhere
Companies of every size, in every industry, are embracing the Participation Age to be more successful. If you are a Stakeholder and want to Make Meaning, not just money, leave your Industrial Age company and go find one (see other examples on this blog). If you’re looking to build one, read Why Employees Are Always a Bad Idea

Story confirmed with Barry-Wehmiller. Click here for more information on Barry-Wehmiller’s Participation Age culture