The Promise of “Unstructure”

Our excitement about MIX’s potential grows out of our own experience trying to generate new management ideas in unconventional ways.

HCL Technologies has experimented with a variety of ways to reinvent management – many of them described in a book by CEO Vineet Nayar, to be published by Harvard Business Press in June.

One is concept not described in the book is Unstructure. And what, you ask, is that?

Let’s back up a little. Evolution is necessary for organisms in nature to survive. The same is true for business. If companies are to sustain and evolve, they need to adopt a life-form that not only co-exists but also “co-evolves” with nature. That requires the individuals who represent business to relentlessly challenge the status quo, to engage in a global dialogue unfettered by corporate structures. It requires them – to use our newly coined term – to “unstructure” their thinking.

To help that process, we launched Unstructure, an ongoing discussion platform that takes the form of an “open to all” online forum[www.unstructure.org], various in-person gatherings around the world (including the upcoming Global Meet 2010 in Orlando), and an annual “white book” summarizing the discussions.

The aim is to allow current and future business leaders to step out of their corporate roles and mingle with a new generation of seekers and thought leaders. Unstructure creates a democratic environment in which anyone with a passion for ideas – whether a young blogger or a seasoned executive – can contribute to new thinking about the evolution of management and business.

We see MIX as an exciting new enabler of just that kind of discussion.