Organizing Principles

Ideally, I believe that organizational designers are the ones responsible for crafting an environment where the three motivational factors identified by Daniel Pink, purpose, autonomy and mastery, can flourish.

Organizational design is more about cultivation and “gardening” the organization, than it is about controlling it. It is more about creating opportunities for interaction, rather than planning transactions. 

Think of an architect who designs a small space into a large room. In that small space are two chairs and a small table. What is that space other than an opportunity for interaction? It calls people from the large environment into the small and supports a certain kind of communication to take place. 

Organizational designers should take the same attitude about organizations. To create “small spaces” for individuals to find their purpose, discover their autonomy and develop mastery. These things can’t be forced, but they can be supported or suppressed.