Hacking HR to Build an Adaptability Advantage

Subscription

By Julie Steel on May 29, 2022

Relationships between individuals and how power is distributed in a truly adaptable organisation needs a new paradigm.  Could a principle of subscription offer a new way of defining, working, relating and connecting?   Describing what I pledge in contribution against that which is offered in all relationships.  No contracts but instead diverse levels and types of subscription between an individual and an organisation, leader, manager and peers. Subscription renewal conversations, each individual's ability/right to terminate a subscription or de-subscribe from a toxic manager or bullying peer etc... Underpining any subscription are core explicit organisational values and shared purpose statements.

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When reading all the other ideas about principles it made me think about cause and effect relationships and how 'structure' can drive behaviour and the challenge of how you introduce self control as opposed to imposed management control in an organisation. My initial thought was subscription (subscribing to a magazine, club or service) and what a subscription culture might look like.

keith-gulliver's picture

Interesting thinking and idea. Thanks for sharing, got me thinking too!

Does this principle work both ways Julie? i.e. individuals subscribing to an organisation (the work, its values and so on) and an organisation subscribing to an individual (his/her skills, reputation, what s/he brings to the organisation and so on)?

KeithG

Yes, subscription would work both ways. Subscription in any organisational relationship in principle, irrespective of the type of organisational structure, such as within a management team, a boss and their team. I see it potentially as a living, renewable form of relationship contracting - something that shapes how relationships could be agreed, managed and how the relationship performs. A way to give people a tool to jointly 'performance manage' their relationships instead of imposed central policies that often don't work like grievance policy. My thoughts then run into how you could monitor it all. Could you imagine a staff survey in which you ask staff - If able to do so, would you de-subscribe from your boss Yes/No & why?