Lateral layers and loops: Why managers need to curate the fabric of the digital firm in a post-lockdown world

Abstract

The sudden switch to remote working has exposed the fatuous and even unproductive nature of many conventional management techniques in the modern workplace. Rather than micro-managing performance of individual contributors, this article argues that leaders and managers should focus on curating the fabric of the digital firm to enable more productive and engaged online-first working in the post-lockdown world of work. Having inherited organisational structures and processes that are largely not fit for purpose in the digital world, this is a once-in-a-generation challenge for emerging leaders today, and if they are able to succeed then they will not only enjoy greater short-term productivity, but also leave a legacy for the future in the form of organisations that are better adapted and more fit for the digital, networked future of business.