The Coming Shape of Organization

by R. Meredith Belbin

This book from Meredith Belbin, the UK's leading expert on teams, takes the reader on a different and fascinating journey. His insightful analysis takes us from the faults of typical hierarchies to the new world of restructured, flatter organizations where new sets of problems are emerging. In the search for alternative systems, Belbin outlines ways in which continuous deployment and career development can result in more effective use of people's talents. He describes the world of the higher social insects where evolution has generated a common set of principles governing organizations at their most advanced. He then suggests that these integrated strengths could be combined effectively with the strategic abilities of humans.A model in the form of the helix, is foreseen in which individuals and teams move forward on the basis of excellence rather than function. Here information technology can assist in the evolution of human organizations to enable them to become both more complex and more viable in the future.

148 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 1996

About the author

Raymond Meredith Belbin was a British researcher and management consultant best known for his work on management teams. He was a visiting professor and Honorary Fellow of Henley Management College in Oxfordshire, England.

Reviews

[Ryan Barretto · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is unique because the author is describing ideas for organization structure that are far ahead of it's time. To give you a perspective, this was published in 1996, and I'm reading it in 2021.

There is a clear problem of reconciling egos that exist at senior levels with the need for new structures along with the egos at middle and junior levels to showcase to their neighbourhood and audience that they have "reached" somewhere in the world by virtue of a designation.

From today's perspective, there are changes in terms of more women at the workplace (which he advocates), but I guess he didn't see discrimination reaching the levels it currently has.

I like particularly the perspective he shared about how colonies of bees, ants and termites function and how they're actually superior to humans.

This book is a good read for a history buff who wants to know what organization's were like in the 80s and 90s.