‘You’re not the only Guerrilla Worker you know’ Ian said to me. I must admit I was a little taken aback by his tone. It was as if he was accusing me of claiming to be something that I wasn’t. When I stopped and thought about it however I felt better. Perhaps I am not the only one but I am the original. If others are doing what I have been preaching about for many years now, then this should be a cause to celebrate.
I may not be the Guerrilla Worker any more. Instead I may be one of many.
Perhaps it is worth reflecting upon how times have changed within my organisation since I first thought of its appellation. I don’t claim that what I was peddling was anything particularly new but the two main aspects of going where you can best add value, and bringing talent together to deliver what is right for the circumstances are still valid.
It is true that I see people everywhere working in different ways. In most meetings I attend now more than half of the people come with an electronic device. Indeed, in some it is those without who are the rarity. The canteen is filled with groups of people coming together to chat about things and the whole environment is sliding slowly but surely towards greater collaboration and communication.
This is great but we still have a long way to go in making the most of our talent. We still haven’t broken the link between where we work and what we do. The organisation still thinks in its silos. Problems are still resolved, in the main, within the reporting structures. Ownership is still seen as a way of getting things done. Teams are still moved based upon where the boss resides rather than around the issues that need to be resolved.
I am confident that this will come though. It is a natural progression of how we are changing. We have become much more progressive and fluid organisation than we were and I would like to take some credit for having played my little part. I am still ploughing away at my own furrow yet behind me there is a whole field opening up.
Guerrilla Workers of the world unite!
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 