How do we set the boundaries of a Boundary-less organization?

Alina gets a call at 8 o’clock on a Friday evening, it’s her manager on the other end. She needs to submit an RFP in a couple of hours. She had planned the next hour to spend with her 2 year old daughter. Since she began working from home things have been sort of disjointed for her. Throughout the day she is swamped with meetings and the real work begins post 6 pm.

It doesn’t make sense to raise a formal complaint to her manager since his situation is no different. Everytime Alina brings it up, her manager begins cribbing about how he is spending nights coming up with marketing strategies, because meetings are a critical part of the day.

He says, “We got to do what we got to do. We should be grateful that we have jobs.”

With such cultures creeping into organizations as a fallout of remote work set-ups, we must question the psychology of a healthy workforce.

Recently, I heard the term #boundaryless organisation used for the first time in the context of the WFH implications of the pandemic. In the context, it was used with a positive connotation and to contextualise the need to adjust many HR policies to the new situation.

The term hit me like a blow. It was supposed to project the design of a frictionless work culture. Instead, it felt like rejection and exclusion, right in my face. Why?

Organizations are, according to the great historian, philosopher and author Yuval Noah Harari, “constructs of our human mind, not a reality”. They only exist, because we have constructed them in our minds and created a whole system of supporting rules, laws, etc.

If you want to understand more, read Part 1 of “Sapiens” on the Cognitive Revolution.“The myths that surround us and make up our lives dictate so much of what we believe and what we do.” 

A boundaryless organization thrives on some deep-seated myths and flawed perception of realities.

What does that mean and what upsets me about the idea of a boundaryless organisation?

It starts with understanding and practising the term ‘boundaryless’.

Does a boundaryless organization refer to a workplace without boundaries?

Does it mean that we should eliminate the concept of boundaries at the workplace?

Does it mean that a boundaryless culture leads to increased fluidity between work and family and that it’s healthy?

With organizations practising this flawed meaning of boundaryless organizations; I feel threatened and concerned for them at the same time.

Sure, remote or hybrid work models paint a promising picture. It is compelling to now be allowed to work from anywhere and everywhere. But does it actually mean work-life balance, or does it reflect Planned Work - Unexpected Work balance?

In my coaching interventions with teams at workplaces, a point that clearly stands out is that work-time eats into their family time. Gradually at first and once it reaches a threshold, one where a section of employees and leaders begin accepting it, it gains momentum and spreads like wildfire in the system.

Nights are no longer private time, people are working till 3 in the morning, and I am not referring to night shifts. In a very creepy and scary way, boundaryless organisations are turning their employees into boundaryless employees.

Is it a harsh reaction? Maybe.

But unfortunately, it’s shaping up to be a hard reality, and, that’s why we must address the issue before it becomes an imagined reality – the one where the truth is built by collective lies we tell ourselves.

In such situations, there are people who have a clear demarcation of work and life in their minds. They are confident and able to silently reject the practices affecting their personal lives. This includes shutting their minds off work, putting the phone on ‘Do not Disturb’ mode, and not answering work-related calls during that time.

But is that sustainable?

Once this culture becomes the new normal, even the most confident employee won’t be able to defend boundaries.

However, for many others, raising their voice against this system isn’t an option. It seems like a threat to their survival in the organization. Especially when their peers and superiors seem to be conforming to the rules and laws, no matter how beguiling they are.

What does it mean for employees at large – a locked-down space and into their home with no escape from a boundaryless organization.

I know these are some strong words. But again returning to Harari, he states, “we humans come to believe the constructs of our minds if we only repeat them often enough” (aka conspirational theories…). I appeal to the community here to not contribute to creating corporate jargon which is inhumane.

So, the question - how do we set boundaries to a growing boundaryless culture? Well, that requires a long answer, but for starters, we can begin with a few to-dos -

• Segment your employees and teams basis geography, role, and frequency of coordination required with different teams. Add filters that work for your organization. This will help define practical working hours that are feasible.

• Conduct internal surveys and 1:1 discussions with employees both old and new. Understand what challenges they face at work and at work-from-home, assimilate the data to identify patterns and trends.

• Identify the most relevant communication tools for your company and inculcate the practice of efficient communication. If something can be finalized over a collaboration tool, why set-up an hour-long meeting just to review the same email.

• Minimize the duration of meetings to keep them as specific as possible.

• Give people a defined break. During the workday, assign an hour where no one is expected to work. With remote working flexibility, people choose that duration themselves. Many a time, it doesn’t align with other team members’ breaks, ergo unproductive to all parties.

• Trust people. Build a culture of trust where you don’t have to doubt if the employee is working at home or chilling at home. Find practices to inculcate honest behavior so that professionalism doesn’t seem to be a function of the number of hours one puts in.

Really keen to hear your reactions – also of those who use this term.

If you wish to discuss more on this, let’s connect.

Book an exploratory call with me here.