The Individual Is the New Group - Yes, with Relationship Networks

For the past two years I have been asking the question, "Why has individual coaching become an industry?"

Finally, I think I have a glimpse of an answer. Stowe Boyd, reviewing a presentation Consumer Collaboration by Matthew Glotzbach of Google Enterprise outlined the following key characteristics of today's worker:

• not process driven -- their work flows, rather than being a bunch of boxes and arrows in a process diagram
• collaboration with a broad network of colleagues -- and wants to remain connected to them at all times
• intermingled personal and work lives -- the new blendo reality, where there is no firewall between work and "private" life
• needs information even when not at a desk -- they flow like their work, and need information even if working at Starbuck's
• does not spend majority of time in a single application {multi-applications, my words} -- they flow from one sort of work to another
• impatient -- don't want to spend a lot of time in meetings, or working with idiots[Stowe's words, not Goltzbach's]

I highlighted the words in italics as my take on critical differentiators of today's worker.

He likened Goltzbach's qualities to his own contention that The Individual is the New Group and gives a logical progression for how we have arrived at the "soloware" model from "groupware" model. BUT as a challenging colleague of mine always asks, "What is different?" The "I" center of the universe.  Is this different? Hasn't it always been about individuals, he would ask? "I think, therefore I am."  Seems someone thought this up a long time ago.   

My take is I interact, therefore I am.  Networks of relationships are the emerging difference enabled by the webs ability for us to link beyond a physical few.  The individual is the center yes and with frequently switching contexts of relationships.  The power of those relationships is the deep knowledge connections which they may hold.  The ability to tap into these connections is what makes some individuals more successful at what they do.

The old groupware model fit the industrial information age where we saw (and unfortunately still do see) people as assets, widgets and boxes on org. the chart.  Groups (really stood for teams) which evolved as the best process for getting work done, highly task oriented, clear outcomes, milestones and deliverables ... the software met the  need and still does in  some environments.

But as our work environments and tasks become ever more complex and interdependent, even an individual on a team with collaboration software becomes stretched thin.  So, it is no surprise the coaching phenomenon  emerged to give individuals support especially if they had weak networks upon which to draw.  Coaching will continue to grow, but with a twist - toward the individual and the relationships in their networks.

~Victoria G. Axelrod