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7.4 What Is a Skill Set, and How Do I Get One?

the company—was extremely important in terms of pay and company benefits, and every Figure 7.6: Modern organizational structure
step you took up the ladder meant more seniority, more responsibility, and more pay.
The modern organizational structure contrasts the more hierarchical version of a business because of
the focus on sharing and collaboration to enable the company’s success.
Figure 7.5: Typical 1980s career progression

Hierarchy was the main focus of organizations in the 1980s. The idea of the corporate ladder was
important, emphasizing the start of one’s career in an entry-level position and then working one’s way
up to a senior level.

In contrast, you might visualize today’s typical organization as a solar system of people with
different talents and skill sets who work together for a single purpose or mission, as shown in
Figure 7.6 (see also A Closer Look: Are Job Titles a Thing of the Past?). It is true that most peo-
ple have a manager, and a hierarchy still exists within most organizations. However, most
organizations today engage in cross-functional meetings where people from different parts of
the organization share ideas and work as a team on company projects. It takes all members of A Closer Look: Are Job Titles a Thing of the Past?
the team, working together and applying their different skill sets, for the organization to be
successful. Can you imagine starting a new job and being told that you have no title? This is the case for the
employees of Zappos, the pioneering online shoe company. Read the following article and consider
Today people rarely stay with one organization for their entire career; they usually apply what it would be like to work at an organization with no job title, no boss, and no hierarchy.
their unique skill set in different organizations or different industries during their career. http://qz.com/161210/zappos-is-going-holacratic-no-job-titles-no-managers-no-hierarchy
Success and pay usually are not defined by how long someone has worked for the company,
Reflection Questions
his or her rank or title in the hierarchy, or the amount of responsibility or number of people
managed. Instead, the skill set and the value the person brings to the team are key factors. For 1. What is the difference between a hierarchy and a holarchy?
example, a newly hired technical specialist may earn a higher salary than someone else who 2. Would you be interested in working for a holacratic company? If so, why?
has more seniority and may even be given a signing bonus to join the company. 3. How do you think you would fit into such a company? What strengths would you bring
to the organization?
4. What might be the drawbacks or challenges of working at a holacratic organization?

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