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I'm happy to communicate the extinction of a species.  As a matter of fact I believe we will be much better after its complete disappearance.  It's an honor to be the one sharing the following announcement: The last Organizational Chart on Planet Earth was found lifeless in a trash can of a moribund corner office.

For the past 100 years that pyramid-like picture of boxes, lines, names and titles has been an icon of the corporate world.  It was such a powerful image it would make qualified people remain quiet and follow not-so-brilliant orders, great ideas to be lost, determine whether someone would lead or be led no matter what his or her skills were.  In its climax it has defined who commanded and who followed, who gave orders and who obeyed and who you should talk to if someone was not responding to his or her accountabilities (aka escalation).  Its summit was the objective of ambitious professionals.  People’s lives were framed by it whether regarding their education, sacrifices, moves or "friendships", which morphed into the so called "networking"; all with the sole objective to see our name in that isolated box at the top.

With the fast rise of Collaboration and Social Media capabilities, a more democratic and cooperative environment flourished, generating previously unimaginable consequences.  In our modern business world the Org Chart has become almost obsolete and as a result, companies got incredible new products, consumer insights unheard of before and unmatched speed to market.  Through the current collaboration and social media capabilities and the freedom recently acquired by the elimination of those limiting boxes, everyone is now empowered to contribute, perform and deliver.

The issue is that the extinction happened so fast that a lot of people are still living under that framework, from people who see the formal hierarchy as their way to hang on to power, to people who were not prepared for this newly conquered space.  Many old fashion leaders are proclaiming empowerment and collaboration when it's convenient.  However, when important decisions have to be made they will still refer to that mental image of the org chart and involve his or her inner circle only.  Fortunately this type of leadership is also threatened to become extinct.  Professional relationships became so dynamic we now work with multiple people across the globe, in multiple activities at the same time.  Sometimes we lead; sometimes we are led, no matter what the old boxes say.

The key becomes how to prepare people for this change.  It happened too fast and most are still catching up.  Companies will only thrive if they learn how to tap into all the knowledge available through collaboration to accelerate innovation, better match with consumer requirements and speed to market. Leaders managing people will only be able to survive if they are ready to empower others not only by distributing responsibilities but more importantly by giving up some of the decision making power; by creating an environment that foster collaboration and cooperation; by being able to listen more than talking.  For professionals in general success will depend on their ability to differentiate what is important from what isn't, being able to prioritize since so many things will be happening at the same time.  They no longer can afford to sit down and wait for their managers to do that for them.  Most importantly they’ll have to learn how to connect and influence people to deliver according to his or her priorities. In summary becoming a leader in his or her space.

Companies and professionals who can't adapt to this new collaborative world and consequently the “extinction of the org charts”, run the risk to become obsolete and extinct themselves.  The boundaries are falling and along with them all the limitations they imposed.  In this new professional world your capacity to lead and deliver the right things to the business will be much more important than your job title or level in the organization.  It may feel a little uncomfortable in the beginning but in the end it will enable people to use their strengths, share their knowledge, feel more engaged, improve and accelerate business results.

Certainly every step into the unknown can be scary for many but I can guarantee this one is worth taking, for there is no ground to step back.

--- Vinicius da Costa is Associate Director, Collaboration and Social Media Solutions at Kraft Foods. This text represents his personal opinion and does not represent the views of Kraft Foods, Inc.