Functional departments, divisions, sectors:the way businesses and organizations are structured is a holdover from a bygone industrial age, where tasks and duties were scheduled and regimented. Although very stereotypical, these roles actually created problems within companies:people performing the same tasks sat next to each other and inevitably silos were created.
Such complexities and organizational structures made sense in an analog world. Ours is connected, however, and the opportunities are far too great to rely on such inefficient and archaic methods. Organizations are realizing this, but have yet to strike the right balance:while they can act on issues with cross-functional project teams, people and tools remain in the “siloed world.”
Flash organizations are a way to use technology and focused expertise to find solutions to problems, bringing organizational problem solving firmly into the 21st century.
In the past, if you wanted to hire the best experts to solve a problem, you had to have access to an amazing network living in your area. However, technology is removing barriers to accessing talent and also making communication and administration easier, allowing organizations to find the optimal mix of internal and external talent for a given challenge much faster than before.
With access to an online job market, organizations can hire a team of experts from around the world and assign specific roles to solve a single project. Once the project is completed, the team disbands. As Taylor Kubota writes, for Stanford News, “The workforce in Flash organizations is…assembled on demand from massive online labor markets,…[and is] made up of experts assembled in an organizational hierarchy.
In 2017, a research team from Stanford University produced a study that supported the idea that Flash organizations could be built and deployed to accomplish tasks efficiently. The results showed that not only were they easy to build, but they produced more effective results than traditional forms of work and enabled the teams involved to behave more creatively and responsively to changing circumstances and objectives.
The outstanding examples of Flash organizations are actually all around you. Films, albums, and most major consumable cultural products have been produced by Flash Organizations. A production company obtains a script, hires a director, a producer, a team of actors and a whole technical staff. There is a clear purpose and hierarchy, with the manager delegating tasks and telling his staff what to do. Once the film is shot, the team disbands and everyone moves on to different projects.
Another example is the rescue operation in Thailand in which a team of young footballers became trapped in a cave. The boys were rescued by an international team quickly assembled by the Thai authorities. It included divers, organizers and health workers from all over the world.
Clarity of roles and hierarchy, as well as clear communication made this possible; in fact, all emergency relief operations are organized in a flash format, since they are formed in a reactive way, with urgent deadlines.
Technology makes this available to every organization. We are convinced that on a global scale, this will be an opportunity and a challenge for every company; only those who can quickly assemble a team of the best experts to tackle important projects will be successful.
