Scaffolding and Collective Leadership in Organization Design

The speaker discusses the concept of scaffolding in a complex systems approach to design thinking. Scaffolding can be seen as either an extoskeleton or an endoskeleton, and it provides structure around which diversity can evolve. The typology of scaffolding includes distinctions such as internal or external, resilient or robust, and rethinking object orientation. Organizational design and software systems have a co-evolutionary effect on each other. The level of uncertainty and scaling determines the type of scaffolding needed. Objects, such as organizational units, and their linkages are defined in relation to the scaffolding. Different types of organizational design, such as crisis management teams or entrepreneurial companies, require different amounts and types of structure. The decision-making process resembles that of a landscape garden designer. The idea of collective leadership and crews is discussed, where predefined interactions between roles create collective intelligence. Informal networks and connectivity play a vital role in this type of leadership. The speaker suggests shifting from individual leaders to various forms of collective leadership to enable organizations to grow and adapt according to the new type of scaffolding.