It's not often that I'm utterly blown away by a book or idea. But that is what happened when I read One from Many: VISA and the Rise of the Chaordic Organization by Visa founder Dee Hock.
Sometimes we resist the ideas that we need the most. I had seen this book sitting on the shelf of a local book store probably a half dozen times over the last year. I'd picked it up a couple times, turned it over in my hands, and put it back. One day, I took it to the counter and purchased it for under ten dollars.
The book is about the creation of VISA international. What makes the book revolutionary is the story of how the company rose up as a self-managing adaptive system. No hierarchy. Limited structure. No job titles. Instead, a group of interdependent business leaders and organizations functioning in shared self-interest around an operating constitituion and a commitment to consensus and innovation. And did it work? You probably only need to look as far as your wallet to see the success of Visa International.
For the last year or so I've been wrestling with this idea of a self-managing network of consultants, organized for shared benefit but without the traditional hierarchy and constraints of a larger consulting firm. The ideas were floating around in my mind - but I could hardly bring them down to earth. Imagine my surprise to learn that many of the issues I have been thinking about were tackled back in the late sixties by of all things - a banking institution!
If you are interested in learning how organizations can operate in a more organic or systemic fashion, I highly recommend the book. In the mean time, you can click here to learn a bit about Dee Hock's perspective on leadership. Great stuff. Enjoy.
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