Spinuzzi ia2009 - two cases

Emergent Leadershi

p:Two

Cases

Clay Spinuzzi, University of Texas at Austinclay.spinuzzi@mail.utexas.edu :: @spinuzzi

Case 1: Telecorp

> 300 workers20 functional

groupshigh turnover

rapid expansionmultiple fields,

trades

Long-term or lifelong jobs

Steady contacts with other organizations and public

Linear development of expertise

Clearly defined roles

Vertical expertise

Organizational, disciplinary, trade boundaries

Interior vs. exterior

Traditional work

But ...Downsizing

Automation

Flattening of work hierarchies

Proliferating intercompany relationships

Continual reorganization

Breaking down of “silos”/ “stovepipes”

Increase in telecommunications, making it possible to connect any two points in the organization

“Interpenetrated”Anyone can link up with anyone else inside or outside the organization, so any work activities can be intersected.

*

Case 2: FreelancersGD1: Sophie, mid

30s, working from home office.

GD2: Bob and Tom, early 30s,

working from Bob’s condo.Both must

assemble federations for every project.

Freedom: How and with Whom

Flexibility: When and Where

Creativity: What to produce

GD1 and GD2 did not mention greater earnings potential as a motivator.

Autonomy in federations

Organizations and leadership change for each project.

Federations are built on social links, but enabled by information technologies.

Trust is an ongoing achievement, constantly evaluated, constantly localized.

Federations are temporary, but networks of contacts had to be more durable and broader.

Leadership in federations

persuasion, collaboration

time and project managementadaptability

strategic thinkinglifelong learning

Implications

Spinuzzi, Clay. (2008.) Network: Theorizing knowledge work in telecommunications. New York: Cambridge University Press.