Promoting the School’s Transformation of Growth Drivers through Role-based Development and Digital Intelligence
In this era of profound transformation, “having the right overall direction and maintaining organizational vitality” are two key forces driving the School’s effective growth. The former represents the convergence of thought, philosophy, culture, and strategy — the potential energy of the School’s development; the latter reflects the integration of mechanisms, organization, roles, and capabilities — the kinetic energy of the School’s progress. The dynamic interplay between these two forces will foster steady, efficient, and spiraling development of the School.
After more than half a year of continuous internal and external iteration and validation, the School’s three major strategies—disciplinary integration, industry-education collaboration, and international expansion—have become well known to all. A series of related initiatives are being systematically implemented across areas such as scientific research, degree education, and university-local/enterprise cooperation. Leadership teams in various areas are gradually taking shape, and new momentum for the School’s development has been steadily building. In the next stage, the primary challenge for the School’s development will lie in the formation of new driving forces. Addressing this challenge will require the coordination of dynamically role-based resource allocation and digitally intelligent management systems.
Dynamic, role-based resource allocation is proposed as a response to the current static position-based system. The position-based system is a product of the industrial era — an outcome of labor division under conditions of certainty, designed for stable or even fixed functional work. In simple terms, its basic logic resembles that of mechanical manufacturing: tasks are broken down layer by layer downward, and results are assembled layer by layer upward. The job description serves as the fundamental credential of this system — and the “walls” that define each position’s territory. In an era of great transformation, entrepreneurship and innovation have become inevitable for the School’s development. During these processes, temporary, novel, and cross-boundary tasks will continuously emerge and conclude. Relying on the traditional approach of “adding new positions whenever work increases” — a so-called position-expansion model — will only lead to two alternating situations: “work without a position” and “positions without work.” This, in turn, tends to produce three persistent organizational issues: idleness and inefficiency, buck-passing, and uneven workloads. The result is a welfare-oriented organization that “spends a lot but motivates little,” where “everyone feels unfairly treated.”
Dynamic, role-based resource allocation aims to shift from the traditional “one person, one position” model to a more agile “everyone in motion” approach — that is, from a position-based system to a role-based system. This mechanism allocates resources according to dynamic tasks and determines rewards based on contributions, thereby generating new momentum to stimulate and support the School’s entrepreneurship and innovation. The role-based system breaks down territorial boundaries between positions, as well as information silos and hierarchical rigidity. Its operational logic follows this sequence: strategic goals → strategic scenarios → key enabling elements → workflow design → role allocation → outcome delivery and incentive realization. Each entrepreneurial or innovative task under this system thus becomes a value-creating, strategy-oriented project, led by a project owner who is responsible for achieving the intended scenario and fulfilling the project objectives.
Everyone in the School holds two types of identities: a position-based identity tied to daily operations, and a role-based identity defined by specific scenarios. The realization of the role-based mechanism relies on the support of digital-intelligence systems. These systems serve two fundamental functions: 1-Minimizing the number of position-based roles through intelligent automation; 2-Managing and validating role functions and contributions based on the principles of blockchain. Most of the repetitive, procedural work involved in communication, documentation, and data recording falls under position-based identities—tasks that can be fully automated through digital intelligence. AI can understand policies and regulations better than we can, and it operates with greater impartiality, timeliness, and precision. These advantages will significantly enhance the granularity, efficiency, and reliability of operational management. With the aid of digital-intelligence platforms, we will no longer need so many offices or departments. Resources once held as “private” or “exclusive” by fixed positions will be liberated and pooled into a shared resource system, where they can be dynamically allocated according to task scenarios. This new, streamlined “high-speed train” model—characterized by lean organization and agile execution—is an inevitable trend, and it must be realized swiftly.
Blockchain technology will record, track, and analyze the contributions made by each dynamic role, thereby empowering project leaders and enabling the School to provide fair and precise incentives for every individual. Traditional evaluation and distribution methods such as average bonuses, tiered awards, scoring systems, favoring insiders, and 360° assessments will be replaced. The new guiding principles will be contribution, fairness, and transparency, while multi-role capability, rather than single-position experience, will become the true measure of competitiveness. With the support of digital-intelligence platforms, administrative staff will be able to focus their efforts on value creation and talent development, greatly reducing the internal friction within the organization. As energy is released from internal competition, the School’s potential for value creation will be more effectively activated — leading to greater contributions and more rewarding outcomes for all.
The realization of role-based and digital-intelligence mechanisms cannot be achieved overnight — it is a process of continuous enrichment and refinement. As President Xi Jinping has said, “Though the road is long, we will reach our destination if we keep walking; though the task is difficult, it will be accomplished if we keep working on it.” We must have the courage and confidence to drive the School’s transformation from traditional to new growth drivers.
