Michael Lissack
with Harvey to help the boss land that big contract. But in that world Lisa couldn’t be the boss. In the complex world of today, Lisa is the boss and Jeff (reachable by video call at a moment’s notice) still can’t get to the school to pick up Josh. Lisa’s multiple roles have all reared at once: boss, mother, supplier, spouse, daughter, parent, and consumer. And it is only 11 a.m. The next common sense recognizes the multiple roles and understands both that they will conflict and that each has its place. This understanding will not solve Lisa’s multi-lemma, but it can shed light on how not to get into the trap in first place. Lisa’s mistake is to have assumed that she could handle all the roles at once. Like the rest of us, she is only human and it is hard to express several roles at the same time. We can have several roles at once, that is to be expected. But expressing them is a horse of different color. The issue is one of attention. Success Through Multiplicity Recognizing and respecting multiple roles is a specialty of some very successful companies. Increasingly, organizations recognize that in a com- plex, fast-changing environment, allowing for role multiplicity rather than enforcing rigid job descriptions creates adaptability and resilience. Whole Foods, now part of Amazon, has long been a believer in local stores having autonomy for local decisions. Though centrally owned and making use of central shipping and purchasing, each local Whole Foods store has a definite community feel. Food choices, layout, and timing of price specials are decisions made by the store team and not headquarters. This approach has evolved in the digital age, with Whole Foods stores functioning as both traditional grocery outlets and fulfillment centers for Amazon Prime deliveries. Store employees may simultaneously serve in-person shoppers and fill online orders—multiple roles that require different skills and mindsets but that coexist within the same individuals and teams.
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