Increased Surface Area: The Socially Dynamic Organisation

I liked a notion that came up today in conversation: that by increasing the social connectivity of the organisation, we increase the surface area. This probably harks back to my 1st degree, which included aspects of material science, that taught me how an increased surface area can speed up the rate of reaction. By increasing the surface area of the organisation, we make it able to react faster, to be more effective.

Whilst technology may connect us, it’s the coherence of the communities themselves that make us Socially Dynamic and able to move beyond constraint. In other words, the increased surface area comes not from the technology itself, but rather from the evolved relationships and expanded capability that are built upon it.