Large institutions typically travel at a snails pace - unless a dictate comes down from the top.
And even then there’s no guarantee of success.
The steady state of progress in large traditional organisations, is slow governance, political decision making, un-coordinated work practices and outdated systems.
I call it the bureaucratic molasses.
And don’t assume it’s well intentioned incompetence.
Organisations are like living beings, with habits, and objectives, and have enormous political power. You can’t just walk in and change them.
But it does offer you an opportunity.
The bureaucratic molass
- People working in bureaucracies wont have decision velocity. Either to start something, do something, or scale something. It’ll have to go through multiple levels of governance.
- In the bureaucratic environment you spend a LOT of time, with Governance and Process rather than execution.
- A key feature of this environment is People give up.
- They just stop trying to innovate because culturally it doesn't work.
What individual agency looks like
- You can do anything, in the order you want.
- You have less resources, but more time to navigate options.
- If you can go part of the way, you can call on others or organisations to help.
- The key here is the viability of what you build.
In an AI world, which of the 2 approaches do you think will be more effective?
Even if you look at it from an ultimate success point of view, what do you think that looks like?
Here is an example that encapsulates it in a single image:
If you work in a bureaucratic molasses - its like working to turn around a massive ship with a small rudder. No matter how much power you apply to the engines, i’ll only turn slowly and clumsily.
But you also have the option to work independently
In that case, you might not have the resource base, but you’ll be able to zip around like a speed boat and talk to anyone without permission.
Think about what works better in an AI world…
Conclusion
The AI revolution gives you a unique opportunity to outpace bureaucratic organisations.
Here's how you should approach it:
- While you may still be in bureaucratic organisations you want to start identifying speed boat opportunities: Find areas where your independent work can create immediate value without waiting for organisational approval.
- Build minimum viable solutions: Create lightweight, adaptable tools that solve specific problems now, rather than waiting for the perfect comprehensive solution.
- Leverage AI as your force multiplier: Use AI tools to dramatically increase your individual productivity and compensate for limited resources.
- Create small, nimble teams: Connect with like minded colleagues who can move quickly outside the standard approval channels.
- Document and share your wins: As you demonstrate success, you'll gain allies and potentially influence the larger organisation to adopt your approach.
It really comes down to this:
- You can follow every rule and achieve nothing.
- Or break rules and manage the consequences.
In the AI era, the advantage will go to those that can accelerate faster and continously adapt.
Perhaps it’s not smart to wait for the bureaucratic molassess to thaw.