The hierarchical corporate culture was what was predominantly seen due to its stability and risk minimizing capabilities. The recent shifts to technology has created a world that is fast paced and requires a flexible and innovative system to implement changes and staying relevant in the marketplace.

Zappos was a company that promoted self-governance, employee empowerment and the abolishment of job titles. Though Zappos was relatively successful, this model did not catch on, and the lengthy debate of what type of corporate structure is the most beneficial to both the company and its employees rages on in both our classrooms and in the HR world.

This topic greatly interested me, and the article Are Managers Really Necessary by Sharlyn Lauby on her blog HRbartender along with her reading Who’s the Boss? There Isn’t One, provided me with some additional insights.

My original thoughts were that the success of this structure was highly dependent on the motivation of the employees, how driven and specialized they are. Though this may be true, it is only the tip of the iceberg. I realized the key word in the question, are managers necessary, is the word manager. A manager is not a leader, they are someone who assigns tasks, provides benefits and punishes wrongdoers. These were never the people who were motivating employees, or determining the next best innovation. I was and many people were confusing them with leaders.

Boss vs Leader, John Lester

While I may agree with Sharlyn that the de facto boss may feel discouraged since they are not recognized for their hard-work, I would also say that this is because of the poor system that is in-place. Like her next comment that people needs to be trained to work bossless, so do systems need to be changed to implement bossless. Like Valve, if each employee were to rank their co-workers, the de facto boss would be recognized if they are preforming. Hence, I do not believe that would be an issue. Rather, these de facto bosses are not just a manager, they are leaders. They chose to take charge of the project because they like the project, they want it to go well, and not because of their title. I have experienced first hand the difference between a good leader, and a poor leader in the startups that I have been in. It makes the difference between working on the project because you love it, and working on it because you want something on your resume.

So yes, if we are to have a strong leader in place of each manager I would be sold, but if it is replacing each manager for an average employee, that would be anarchy.

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As technology evolved, so did the currency, we went from bargaining to notes and now to cryptocurrency. Each one of them being a disruptive innovation, changing the landscape of business and technology. Bargaining utilizes the relationship between two individuals, notes utilizes a central network in a party, and cryptocurrency utilizes the internet technology that allows for the decentralization of a network. In the recent years, there has been many new releases of cryptocurrencies, basing off the technology of Blockchain, with the most well known being Bitcoin. People are no longer restraint to the notes issued by the governments, and no longer in need of having a bank to handle the transactions.

(Block Chain, Geralt)

Just recently, the Bank of China banned the usage of cryptocurrency, and other countries like the USA may not have banned it, but is also unsupportive. The choice of banning the currency is stemmed from the lack of knowledge of the technology, and in consequence its security concerns and lack of regulation.

I believe this ban and reaction from the governments are temporary, and is their way of recognizing that they do not comprehend the technology and only after further analysis, could it be proceeded. Despite these restrictions, the dividends of Bitcoins are on a steady increase, commonly seen as a conservative option. This action puzzles me, as I would have assumed the governments’ actions would be seen as more serious by the general public, and is more influential on people’s decisions. This result is a clear indication on the powers of globalization, and how the Internet has changed people. Even if the value of cryptocurrency may be zero in China, people have the realization that it is still worth hundreds and thousands in foreign countries.

Bitcoin Price, Bitcoin.com

Just recently at the largest hackathon in Canada, Hack the North, Blockchain released a challenge for for the students in creating the best application of Blockchain technology. Despite being in the competition and placing as a finalist, I am still very unfamiliar with Blockchain. Just like the governments and financial personnels, it is very difficult to understand and be able to implement the technology without serious studies. Therefore, I am able to relate with the officials’ anxieties towards the new currency. The governments are unable to react as fast as the industry, leaving them behind in the creation of new laws and regulations. Though I agree with the government’s attempt in unnaturally restraining the development of this new disruptive innovation, but I do not believe it is possible. It is difficult for a government to sway the people’s preferences, and impossible for a democratic government. Therefore I would suggest for a great attempt in adapting to the new system.

After reading Denico’s post Get Off that, WeChat, I realized that I had a few thoughts on the topic of WeChat’s compliance in providing user data to the Chinese government.

 They would lose traffic as people are now put off from the fact that China is now watching every move of WeChat users

– Denico Espadilla

iOS / iPhone, Álvaro Ibáñez

I agree with Denico’s opinion on how these actions are infringing on user privacy. It should be recognized that not only China is doing this, US is also on every single one of their borders. What I do realize from this information is the fact that Weixin (social media platform of WeChat) is a very ethical company. They are taking responsibility for their actions, making their decisions known to their users, and willingly facing the foreign critics head-on.

In discussion about their strategy as a company, I believe that they have made the best decision they could have made in the situation. I agree that if they did not have to provide information to the government, it would be best if they did not, but I do not believe this was a time where they had a choice. Foreign social medias are blocked in China, because the government is unable to control it. If Weixin were to decline the right of access to their user data, they would be no different than Facebook. Being blocked does not mean it is impossible to access, since a VPN will grant it, but that all transactions would be heavily monitored, and the general public would find it too much of a chore to use, and hence lose users. I applaud Weixin’s choice of making an announcement on this topic, if this was found out by a third-party who makes a big deal out of it, Weixin would truly lose their users’ trust.

One of the points of similarity of successful businesses in China are their compliance to the rules and regulations, only with these points of similarity, could they play the game of business and exist on a product positioning map.

I do not believe Weixin would lose many users over this decision, since the value of the network is greater than the security tradeoff. The Chinese government may be your largest stalker in China, but what about Facebook and Google. One of my friends wrote his math IA on how much people sleep using a loophole in Facebook’s system. He was able to find out when people were using Facebook or had it logged in with background clicks. I could swear they know everything about me, but that has not stopped me from using their services.

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(Amazon Inc., 2006)

Amazon is an e-commerce giant, hiring some of the brightest minds to innovate new technology, and they have announced that they are looking for a new North American city to be the home for their HQ2. Unlike many announcements, Amazon highlighted that it is a North American city, and not just an American city, meaning Canada is also being considered and preferred.

Utilizing SWOT analysis, it could be seen that Toronto has many strengths including a talented workforce with the University of Toronto being the best computer science university in Canada and a developed business environment. There are evident weaknesses such as expensive rent and the lack of space for the 100 acres or large building that is demanded. Limiting factors may include how the business is cross border, which may also become an opportunity in the future. Though all of this makes sense and seems like a compelling argument as to why the expansion should be in Toronto and not Detroit or anywhere else, the largest reason that I could see are the government policies that are hindering immigration in the US.

The ‘genius visa’ fuels many of the tech giants, and it is just as important to Amazon. It is likely that Bezos is considering the trend of nationalism in the US and is trying to exit before it becomes a constraint. In many of the articles, it is about the people working, the innovators who will no longer be able to immigrate to the US, but I think it is also about what the geniuses in the US are unable to do. I do not think that as a multinational e-commerce platform, it should be suggested to hire only purebred Americans as their software developers. In order to cater to different populations and promote a positive user experience, it is essential that input from varied sources are heard. There is no easier way than having many immigrants and foreign workers who are more familiar with their countries and customs representing the varied customers. It is profitable for Amazon to have their customers being understood, represented and connected with HQ. When customers are satisfied with the service, feel like they are valued, they become returning customers, essentially the group of people who will make Amazon the most profit.

I believe that the majority of the employees would be dispensable if all their capabilities lies in their skill to perform exactly what is included on their job description. True innovation and creation of a business product requires that the individuals are unique and that the team is high performance. There is no time to deal with the politics of immigration, there is only time for innovation.

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