In our last post, we defined and explored “effreshency” — a new organizational paradigm that WEB has identified moving into the future. A refresher formula:

Efficient + Effective + Innovative + Adaptable + Inclusive + Accountable = Effreshent

Another  fascinating recent development in this area…

Random Promotion & the “Peter Principle:  Psychologist Laurence Peter posited the “Peter Principle:” people in a workplace are promoted until they reach their  maximum level of incompetence. Italian Scientists have now discovered that this might be avoided by the rather counterintuitive idea of promoting people at random. While only theoretical, sometimes it takes a novel approach like this to affect real organizational change.

One blogger offers an insightful take on this issue here, discussing (among other things) how randomized algorithms can sometimes mitigate the undesirable effects of deterministic models.

Another blogger evaluates the profound implications that a newly-conceived structure borne out of this type of research would have on an organization and its employees. What if “promotions” were no longer the ultimate end goal?

Is this a truly “effreshent” approach for the future, or unrealistic and ill-conceived? Whatever the response to that question, it’s clear that we always have to maintain an objective lens when assessing the validity of this kind of research. Findings obtained within a controlled research environment may or may not translate into practical application within an organizational context. We will keep you abreast of any updates on this and related topics going forward…