????過去十年中，數字、社交和移動技術極大地擴展了個人自由的范圍——人們可以自由地聯系全球各地的任何人；自由地做出貢獻，根據價值、而不是地位發揮真正的影響力；自由地創造和表達自己；自由地選擇買什么東西、加入什么組織、從事什么工作；自由地迎接挑戰、暢所欲言、發起反擊和奮起反抗。

????由于數字技術和社交媒體的出現，我們在個人生活中的選擇比以往任何時候都多；但是在工作中并沒有那么多選擇。可以肯定的是，許多公司都采用了“企業2.0”技術和工具，鼓勵公司內部的合作和外部人士的參與。但是很少有證據表明，這些新工具擴大了員工的自主權。

????這并不令人驚訝。絕大多數的組織根據官僚主義的實踐和原則運行，致力于最大限度地實現標準化、專業化、可預見性以及效率。換句話說，我們大多數的組織致力于控制——控制人員、控制信息，以及控制預算。

????控制是至關重要的手段，但是對標準和合格的過分追求會破壞能夠在21世紀取得成功的這類創新。為了應對殘酷無情的變化、壓低利潤的競爭和所有領域的商品化，領導者必須把注意力從最大限度地減少標準偏差轉移到釋放員工的潛能。與此同時，領導者必須變得更加真實和透明。

????為了建立適應能力強、改革創新和積極參與的組織，個人需要自由。他們必須能夠追逐自己的激情，嘗試全新的理念，忽視層次結構，投入較小的賭注，挑戰傳統思維，選擇自己的工作，甚至可能選出自己的領袖。

????如果工作中沒有自由，人們就不會有多少主動性、創造性或者激情。這就是為什么自由不能成為奢侈品；自由不能成為零星施舍的特權。自由是人們的權利。當然，伴隨自由而來的還有責任。但是在實踐中，大多數企業都看重責任，卻輕視自主權。要打造一家在創意經濟中蓬勃發展的公司，個人需要以下的自由：

????聯系的自由。通常來說，一個人合作和交流的范圍由組織“卷筒”和具體的分工來確定。這讓個人和創意相互隔離。有時，如果你想和特定領域外的人聯系，就得推動創意超越扼殺動力的行政管理系統。社交媒體則提供了直接透明的人際聯系。

????做貢獻的自由。很多組織中個人的專長都受到了限制——人們所做的貢獻與他們的正式頭銜或級別緊密相連。因此，才華橫溢或充滿熱情的人與他們的“日常工作”并不匹配。最好的情況下，他們被剝奪了做貢獻的機會；在最壞的情況下，他們甚至會因為涉足其他領域而受到懲罰。如果員工能夠獲得難得的機會，跨越組織界限而做出貢獻，他們往往會在組織中晉升到精英階層。許多員工希望能夠在組織中獲得更大的發言權和參與度。領導者只有了解如何發揮和利用這種能力，才能獲得成功。

????Over the last decade, digital, social, and mobile technologies have greatly expanded the scope of personal freedom—the freedom to connect with anyone anywhere in the world; the freedom to contribute and to make a real impact on the basis of merit rather than position; the freedom to create and express oneself; the freedom to choose what to buy, what to join, what to work on; and the freedom to challenge, to speak up, to push back, to rise up.

????Thanks to digital technologies and social media, we have more choice than ever in our personal lives; but at work, not so much. To be sure, many companies have adopted "Enterprise 2.0" technology and tools to encourage internal collaboration and engagement with outsiders, but there's little evidence that these new tools have expanded employee autonomy.

????That's no surprise. The broad majority of organizations operate according to bureaucratic practices and principles designed to maximize standardization, specialization, predictability, and efficiency. In other words, most of our organizations are designed for control -- controlling people, controlling information and controlling budgets.

????Control is important, but all too often the pursuit of alignment and conformity undermines the sort of innovation that leads to success in the 21st century. To respond to the relentless waves of change, margin-crushing competition, and the commodification of everything, leaders must shift their focus from minimizing deviations from the norm to unleashing their employees' capabilities. At the same time, leaders must become more authentic and transparent.

????To build an organization that is adaptable, innovative, and engaging, individuals need freedom. They must be able to pursue their passions, experiment with new ideas, ignore the hierarchy, make small bets, challenge conventional thinking, choose their work, and maybe even elect their own leaders.

????Without freedom at work, there will be little initiative, creativity, or passion. That's why freedom can't be a luxury; it can't be a privilege doled out in tiny increments. Freedom is a right. Of course, with freedom comes responsibility. But in practice, most organizations are long on accountability and short on autonomy. To build a company that can thrive in the creative economy, individuals need

????The freedom to connect. All too often, a person's sphere of collaboration and communication is defined by organizational silos and sharply defined roles. This isolates individuals and ideas. Sometimes the only way to connect with people outside of your particular sphere is to try to push your idea up and over the momentum-killing chain of command. Social media offers direct, transparent, person-to-person connection.

????The freedom to contribute. In too many organizations, an individual's expertise is assumed -- what a person has to give is closely linked with their formal title or level. As a result, people with a talent or passion that doesn't align with their "day job" are, at best, denied the opportunity to contribute, and at worst, penalized for dabbling in other areas. And when employees are given the rare opportunity to contribute across organizational boundaries, they are often designated in an elite class of their own. Many workers long to have a greater voice and participation at their organization. The leaders who figure out how to unleash and harness this energy will win.