Communitize.. Typically a verb only a non-native speaker would invent.. Since I (more or less..) coined the term, I guess am free to choose whether communitize is an active or passive verb: Do you communitize or are you communitized? I decided on both. Communitize is something you can actively strive for or it is something that simply happens to you.

So what does it mean? Communitizing expresses the current shift of organizations experiencing the limits of functional stratification, the evaporation of their boundaries and the surge of value creation networks.

De-stratification
We see the rise of a generation less impressed with the hallmarks of corporate life. They have experienced the egalitarian qualities of the Web and do not to acquiesce easily to top-down management. They are more independent-minded and less inclined to suffer corporate attrition. They freely float between private and social entrepreneurialism, between corporate careers and sabbaticals, nurturing their diverse talents. Trying to fit these people into a traditional, circumscribed corporate mould simply does not work.

Social, economic and technological trends have engulfed companies, forcing them to open up and become more adaptive to shifting circumstances. The drive toward more agility and impact raises questions about the enduring benefits of the classic organizational structure. New concepts such as heterarchies, holacracies and creation nets etc. are entering the corporate vernacular. The vertical command chain is giving way to a horizontal value chain, cross-cutting boundaries and linking resources

Evaporation
Organizations wrestle with the growing intrusiveness of external actors. Thanks to the Internet and the proliferation of media outlets, consumers, pressure groups and shareholders can easily keep track of corporate behaviour. Every step is scrutinized, making acceleration impossible without broad consent. Issues can easily escalate, spinning out of corporate control.

Instead of trying to keep these forces at bay, some companies have turned this trend to their advantage by issuing calls for open engagement and institutionalizing outside participation. In other words, they allow themselves to be communitized.

Networks
Web 2.0 has amplified what was already out there: Inconspicuous but thriving networks of people connecting each other on shared interests. As traditional societal structures erode, people increasingly rely on occasion-based networks to bypass daily hurdles. These strings of connections cover both our private and professional spaces, providing for individual leverage and access.

Internet offers a plug-and-play meeting ground for these networks, fostering scale, collaboration and visibility. The diminished costs of access and reach make these networks attractive hubs for outsourced value creation. Communities of practice are booming examples, spanning functional and geographical divisions and recruiting in- and outside experts.

So what’s happening? Companies are being deconstructed, acquiring a fluid, modular shape that allows them to link and absorb external constituencies and resources. People rally around issues and interests, mobilizing their collective expertise and passion to bring about small and big changes. Networks and communities drift in an open organizational ecosystem, coalescing when necessary or dissolving when obsolete. Organisations evolve into open, collaborative venues for value creation, harnessing the collective wisdom within their reach.

This is communitizing. Whether this will turn out to be a force for good, depends on a company’s willingness to abide by one fundamental tenet: mutual benefit and consent. If the balance gets skewed, the long-term consequence is diminished trust and access. In other words, you risk becoming decommunitized..