The Future of Work May Be Inter-InDependence

What might work look like if we collaborated NOT because we needed each-other, but because we DIDN'T need one another, and simply chose to come together by virtue of shared passions and purpose alone?

Today’s article is a short one and was born from a reflection I’ve had this week, which turned into a LinkedIn post, which in turn garnered enough attention to make me believe it deserved its own place as a post here on Substack.

This week, as a handful of colleagues and I have been working on putting together a submission for a large leadership development project, I had a moment of realisation, looking at the "project team" page, about the power of inter-independent collaboration.

The people we work with for complex projects at the Vertical Development Institute are not our employees. They are not even our formal associates. They are an incredibly diverse brain trust of independent, highly experienced learning designers, facilitators and coaches - some of whom are also affiliated with other training organisations, all freely choosing to come together for projects larger than any one of us might handle alone. We are bound by common purpose, a passion for developmental work and the pure joy of nerding out together. And I find this way of working is still an anomaly in a world where competition, keeping your IP close, secrecy and comparison are the norm.

I learnt the term 'inter-independent' from one of my most cherished mentors in the developmental space - Prof. William Torbert. Before then, I had thought that interdependence was the ultimate aspiration when it comes to meaningful collaboration, but it turns out inter-independence may just be a step beyond that.

Interdependence can be seen as a way of collaboration where two or more individuals, groups, entities, or systems depend on each other, resulting in mutual reliance for resources, support, or survival. But inter-independence happens when wholly autonomous entities, who don't really 'need' each other to survive and thrive, choose to come together freely in service of a shared goal - collaborating because they can (not because they must) and preserving their full autonomy while doing so.

I do my best work in inter-independent relationships (in fact, I’ve been living my best decade building a family with a partner who believes in inter-independence - but that is a story for another post). I've also seen people completely terrified by this idea.

"What will we do without a formal contract and a fixed commitment of said number of hours per week?"; "You can't do great work unless you're 100% committed to this project/organisation" - a former colleague once told me. I respectfully disagree. I think we can do amazing work by being involved in many projects and being part of diverse communities of practice with people who don't want to 'own' us and who value shared contribution over loyalty.

But that way of being and working requires a level of vulnerability, a careful curation of the people you choose to collaborate with, and it also requires constant inner work.

Can your ego handle working with people who are smarter/more experienced/ more knowledgeable than you? Can you own your worth while fully celebrating others'? Are you able to let go of your attachment to your ideas and let others change your mind? Can you balance leading with being led - sometimes in the same conversation? Are you able to share what you know without being afraid someone will 'steal' it?

I'd love to see more inter-independence in business and beyond - I think we sorely need it.

Dive deeper

I hope you’ve enjoyed this article. If you are curious to dive more deeply into learning about Vertical Development and how it might impact your work and life, check out our online library of webinars and certification programs accredited by the International Coaching Federation. If you choose to become a paid subscriber to this substack, you will receive complimentary access to all our webinars and a 50% discount on our long-form online programs, including our “Vertical Development Practices for Coaches”.

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