Metaverse 404 — Chapter 3: Humanization

5 January 202218 min read First on Medium

A leader is best when people hardly know he exists, when his work is done, his goal fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. Lao Tzu

Sora can’t believe it: “What happened, Joy?” she asks herself with a smile on her face and an inexpressible happiness in her heart. Had this woman who she knows so cold, so procedural, and who would refuse any possibility of change gone crazy? Or had she finally come to her senses? Yet, since her arrival, Sora had tried to instill this change in Joy. Oh yes, she had tried. But nothing was getting out of it. So when she arrived, ten minutes ago, on the 271th floor, to discover with excitement this notice left as a memo in her sphere, and that of all her colleagues, she could hardly believe it was real. Another ten minutes later, Sora’s brain is still going crazy. Why would Joy do this? No. Truth be told, Sora doesn’t care why. What excites her most is what she envisions next. With a statement like that, so poignant, so impactful, it’s a sure thing: the sequel promises to be unforgettable; and Sora lives for it, the unforgettable.

” 8:57am” ! Damn, the appointment is indicated at 9 o’clock. Quickly, Sora grabs her sweater, and rushes to meet Joy in the metaverse. She is so anxious to attend this moment which promises to be revolutionary that she even forgets to lock her sphere, leaving Joy’s memo in plain sight:

I have been reflecting on our situation at GHC for many weeks. Although initially dubious of my own reflections, it seems clear to me today (after exchanges with some of you) that the procedures currently in place at GHC do not ensure the real happiness of either the people populating the 404 world, or the happiness managers governing it. As the person in charge of the 404 world, I think it is necessary to rethink our procedures, and I hope that this will be done in a collaborative way, that everyone will be included in the reflection. I know you may think I’m crazy, but I’m sure you’ll hear me out. Meet at 9 a.m. in the Laputa Amphitheater.

Joy Colette

The memo is short, but clear, and Sora is not wrong: a revolution does seem to appear from the horizon.

In the metaverse, Joy is working on finishing the few preparations for her assembly. The idea has been developing in the back of her head for two months now. Two months that, gradually, she has been implementing small improvements on her side to try to readjust the procedures of the global to a more human level.

Coming back from her extravagant trip in the metaverse 1789, she had thought a lot. Trying to disentangle the true from the false, and to understand what the situation of the global really was, had led her to a lot of reading, and experimentation. Thanks to the global archives, which are surprisingly well preserved, she had read and reread Fayol, Mintzberg, Weber, Lewin, and Teece, thus learning about all the managerial practices developed before the arrival of the global. Joy had always been a good student, studious and methodical, and here again she had not deviated from her character: methodically, she had studied, and progressively she had offered herself a broader vision of what could be a more balanced management.

Mintzberg’s writings were the first to really make an impact on Joy. “A company is a community of human beings, not a collection of ‘human resources’.” This phrase had awakened Joy. The global company had standardized its procedures to the point of rendering even its employees useless. Each one was a simple bolt from the factory that could be replaced with the snap of a finger. These thoughts led her to read Kurt Lewin, a critic of this Taylorian standardization. He made Joy realize the absurdity of the situation. Excessive standardization causes boredom, which is ironic, to say the least, considering that globalization was created to relieve the boredom of humanity. Not to mention the happiness managers. How can we not laugh at the fate of these poor people, who are supposed to help others to be happy, while themselves do no seem to have been happy a single day in their lives.

As her thinking progressed, she decided to implement some of the “new” practices she was learning about in books. Joy being more than a good student, she had quickly realized the limitations of some of the systems, but rather than simply putting them aside, she had set about the work of updating them. Thus, Joy had gone from being a passive reader to designing her own management.

The first step Joy decided to take, at her level, was to reconsider HAI’s recommendations. Yuval was not wrong, what was originally intended to be advice had over time turned into an order. However, HAI was not imposing anything on anyone. She was far from being the incarnation of an evil artificial intelligence that, after acquiring consciousness, would like to rule over humans. No, HAI was only a helper, an intelligence intended to advise. However, few, if any, thought of doubting its advice, and without thinking everyone apply. So her routine changed. Every morning now, she would walk through the big doors of the global, go up to the 271th, settle into her sphere, then rather than simply iterate through HAI’s list of recommended actions without a second thought, she would now take the time to weigh things. Often, of course, she considered HAI’s advice to be the best, but in some cases, she felt that her experience and knowledge made it wiser to make her own choice. Initially, questioning HAI proved to be more complicated than Joy anticipated. This simple change was tantamount to questioning the last twenty-one years of Joy’s life, questioning her entire outlook on things. Ironically, and somewhat sadly, it was also the first time she had allowed herself to make a decision on her own. Of course, since she had become responsible for the world 404, she had had to make decisions, some of which had been very complicated, but in most cases she had mostly followed the HAI’s advices or her hierarchy. Now, however, Joy found herself alone, alone to make a choice that she knows would have a potential impact on her entire world. Gradually, she had gotten used to it. What was initially a significant form of stress and anxiety had become a confidence-boosting asset to her choices. Without it, by the way, Joy probably never would have had the courage to leave the memo this morning.

Little by little, Joy transformed her way of working. After putting HAI back in its place as advisor, she took the initiative to no longer refer to normals as such but rather as “inhabitants of the metaverse”. She also ended up calling them by their first and last names, not by their IDs. N187 was now Charles Xavier, N067 Kathrine Switzer. Every step counted, and every step strengthened Joy’s resolve. Joy wanted to apply good and fair management, as Cicero expressed it, and for that she wanted to take the managers under her wing into confidence. In the manner of Tom Peters, she aspires to a liberated company. A company where everyone can give their opinion, and especially where every opinion counts. That’s why she decided to call all the managers of the 404 this morning, to include everyone. And not to stop there, she also chose to invite some inhabitants of the metaverse, who seem to be involved in the management of the world.

Joy just finished preparations for her first assembly. Organizing a meeting of this magnitude is a first for her. Although senior managers are in no way restricted to anything of the sort, most meetings are done in pairs. Joy raises her hand to activate the metavers menu and check the time, a screen appears in front of her: 9:01. Yet, nobody is there. 9:02, still nobody. It is not really in the culture of the global to be late. The minutes pass, but the calm remains. Nobody seems to have seized the opportunity. Joy is saddened, of course, as she had put so much hope in this first meeting. She prepares to leave.

Suddenly, the two large marble doors of the amphitheater open with a bang. Sora is the first to pass the landing, followed directly by a crowd of people. All are there, Happiness’ managers as well as apprentices. All have answered the call. Joy can’t believe her eyes. To tell the truth, she had expected a few people to come, but she was far from thinking that she would be able to mobilize all the managers of the 404 world. So her ideas would be shared?

In reality, it was Sora who, while on her way to the connector room, realized that no one was going to make the appointment. One by one, she went to approach the managers of Bonheur and Apprentice. For some of them, she even had to lie, claiming that it was the global, and the office, that had requested the organization of such a meeting. It took her about ten minutes, and the help of some other Bonheur managers who shared the same ideas but were too shy to dare to go alone to the meeting, to gather the whole team of the 404 metaverse.

A general hubbub, not often heard in the presence of global employees, accompanies the installation of the 71 managers. With a chaotic organization, everyone tries to find a place in the amphitheater. Five minutes later, everyone is finally ready. Joy is stressed. Not only is this her first meeting with so many people, but more importantly, she knows that her meeting marks the beginning of a mini revolution at GHC, and, like everyone else here, she is afraid of the consequences. The office has never been harsh, but they never had to be, how would they react? That, no one really knows. Despite the stress, growing by the minute, Joy finally decided to speak in the lecture hall:

“Hello everyone,” as she says these first words, the room that was so loud a few seconds earlier quiets down, and the noise gives way to silence. With the quiet now in place, Joy continues, “First of all, I want to thank you for coming. I…, Joy hesitates, I know this assembly is unannounced and I know how hard it can be to accept to question yourself, to question the system. Yet, you are all here, and I thank you for that.” Joy’s words echo through the specially designed amphitheater so that the voice of the speaker standing in the center carries to everyone’s ears. Everyone, however, remains silent. Joy is right, this meeting is unexpected, and everyone is aware of it, all of them obviously fearing the repercussions that this could have on their careers at the global level.

For a few seconds there was silence in the auditorium before Joy finally spoke: “As I mentioned in the memo you read this morning, I’ve been thinking about the management situation in the global organization for some time now, and I think there are many areas for improvement. I’ve been thinking about the management situation in the global organization for some time now, and I think there are many areas for improvement. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to attack the foundations of the global. Like you, I am convinced of the benefits of such an undertaking, and for the past twenty-one years I have followed the precepts of the GHC to the letter because I believe in our mission. However, today, despite all my affection and respect for this system, I am convinced that we have been carried too far by an overly procedural system that has ultimately led us away from our original goal.” As she spoke these words, which she had thought about so much, a few noises were heard in the assembly. Of course, Joy had anticipated that not everyone would agree. She hadn’t been either, initially. It takes time to be willing to question the system that raised us.

“I am well aware that my words may offend many of you. However, for some of you, you have worked with me for over a decade now, you know that I am not one to criticize our system. I have always respected it, always followed it. I too, initially, had a hard time accepting doubt. I know how complicated it can be, and I don’t want to force your hand. I’m just asking you to listen to me and then make up your own mind. These few words seem to be enough to calm the audience for the moment. Joy then resumed her analysis, with a few questions that she had taken more than a week to prepare in order to avoid rushing and to convince as best she could: “Rather than rushing you with statements, I prefer to let you think about these few questions: When was the last time you thought about a HAI tip? Do you remember the first and last name of the last normal person you talked to? Finally, when was the last time you walked through the doors of GHC with a smile on your face? We work for the happiness of all, but when was the last time you personally felt happy? These few questions were enough to make the assembly curious. Some of them obviously disagree, others show a doubtful look, some of them seem to agree, however, all of them are thinking.

Everyone has heard Joy’s questions, and everyone is asking them. Joy leaves a few seconds of silence, trying to give her audience time to think about the meaning of the questions she has just asked. The hubbub in the amphitheater grows louder again. Everyone wants to express his or her opinion on the question, everyone is debating. Joy has won her bet with herself. For the moment, it doesn’t matter if people agree or not, she wanted to bring everyone together and create a debate, it’s done. Now it’s a matter of channeling all those minds.

The manageress was delighted with the debate she had managed to start in the assembly, however she now found herself in a new situation for her: how to manage a crowd of about sixty people who each wanted to express their opinions? Understanding the situation by reading Joy’s face, as she had learned to do in the last few months, Sora decides to take the lead. She is used to this, in fact, until 5 months ago she was leading debates with professor Stephenson with hundreds of people in her school, so 71 people, for her, it is just a game. She gets up, steps over two or three heated debates that are starting to arise among the guests, and quickly finds herself in the center of the amphitheater. There, with a big hand clap, she provokes a complete silence of the assembly. Joy is impressed. A young woman, half her age, has just succeeded in doing what she was beginning to think was impossible with a snap of her hand. As soon as the silence is achieved, Sora speaks up:

“You probably all have very interesting opinions on the questions Joy just asked. The purpose of this meeting is for everyone to express their opinions, and for all of us to grow from it. Yelling at your neighbor, or exchanging opinions with the wall won’t help that. I think we can all agree?” the assembly nods silently. Just like that, Sora had won the attention of the audience.

“Well. Who here thinks Joy is right to raise these points?” About thirty hands go up. Joy can’t believe it. Thirty? She had expected that only ten people would agree with her ideas. Sora continues: “Who doesn’t understand such ideas at all?” To this question, only about ten people agree.

After asking a few more questions, Sora suggested dividing the 71 happiness’ managers, including her and Joy, into twelve groups of six, making sure that each group was representative of the total population. She now explains the rules: “Once you are divided: first take five minutes to personally try to answer the following question: What would I like to improve in my current management of the 404 world? You will write down the answers on small papers, then after five minutes you will discuss your answers in groups of two, and finally ten minutes later in groups of six. At the end, each group will present us with their findings.” A little flabbergasted at the managerial abilities of such a young recruit, the room remains silent. Nevertheless, everyone accepts the proposed rules, and the groups are formed.

At the beginning, everything is silent. The managers of Bonheur think about their ideas, and write them down on paper, some of them have a hard time with this step, they haven’t written for years, and it shows. Although it might seem surprising, given their answers to the questions asked earlier, even the people who had spoken against Joy and her ideas seemed to have things to write down. After five minutes, everyone obeys Sora’s instructions, and groups themselves in pairs. The assembly becomes a little more noisy. People talk, exchange, debate, and often come to common conclusions. Joy remains really impressed by the work that Sora has done, all this world that was so agitated a few minutes ago is now channeled and productive. She too, however, had joined the GHC young, she too was supposed to be a “genius”, yet she sees it now, she is far from matching this young woman she looks at with envy. The minutes pass, and from two the groups pass to six, the last straight line.

The groups finally begin their presentation. One by one, they follow one another, presenting the fruit of their collaborative work. All of them have interesting ideas, and all of them, even those who initially did not accept that this well-made system should be questioned, now express the desire to change things. So of course, there are still some debates, some arguments, but nothing important. Sora, in her corner, smiles, she succeeded in her bet. Not only did this workshop turn out to be constructive, but it also turned out to be a producer of happiness! The managers may not realize it yet, but they, who used to have stoic and sad faces, now have a smile on their faces, as if their days were finally serving some purpose.

Once each group has passed, Sora takes over the direction of the meeting:

“First of all, I would like to thank you. Personally, I found the fruits of your thoughts all very interesting. In fact, I have noted a few that seem to make everyone agree.” Sora starts to state the main points that had been raised by all, and to explain the details. This reopens some debates in the audience. We discuss, we exchange, again, to try to find a point of balance, a point that will put everyone in agreement. Finally, after about ten minutes, all seem to have agreed on some rules, and it is decided to note them on a memo, which will be sent to all, via the spheres. Ironically for Joy, the rules that have just been unanimously agreed upon are exactly the ones that she has been progressively applying for the last two months.

First Collaborative Assembly of 404 World Managers, as of November 17, 2122: Article 1. Happiness managers must address the persons under their guardianship using their first and last names. Article 2. Appointments with people in the metaverse must be made in the metaverse. Article 3. HAI remains a very important advisor, however, every decision made with the advice of HAI must be justifiable by the person in charge. Article 4. Collaborative assemblies will be held monthly to review existing articles and potentially add new ones.

Joy can’t believe it. Not only has Sora succeeded in bringing order to this chaotic audience, but she has also put rules in place with the agreement of all. She, who has always had admiration for methodical people, cannot help but be amazed at such efficiency. She looks at Sora, who is smiling, but seems to be looking away, as if she is still a few steps ahead. That’s right, Sora always seems to be a few steps ahead, as if she is the real leader of the 404 world. These thoughts quickly crossed Joy’s mind, but she quickly put them back in the closet, as they seemed absurd. From now on, she is in charge of a new metaverse, where innovative management methods are practiced, and, she is sure, where everyone, metaversians and managers alike, will be happy.

Link to Chapter 4

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