For a successful organisation transition is very hard. In a fast changing world the structure, strategy and philosophy that brought success quickly becomes outdated. Despite this there is a tendency to stick with what has worked in the past, that is until it becomes clear that performance has dipped, the organisation is less competitive.
It’s not a blip and confidence in the leadership is waning. At this point some organisation decide the answer is some key personnel changes at the top. They appoint a new boss who brings with them individuals they have successfully worked with in the past. There is a reorganisation to get a structure that better fits the new top teams strategy and philosophy. This is disruptive and takes time, there is a turnover of personnel as the old guard are gradually replaced with people more in tune and better equipped to do things the way the new boss wants.
Whilst this is happening there is pressure to improve performance and renew confidence in the leadership but inevitable some of those new ideas and new ways of doing things suffer from being expected to be deliver by people either not equipped to do so or not convinced that it will work. The absence of a quick fix leads impatient boards to conclude that the lack of progress is down to the wrong strategies being pursued by the wrong person and after 18 months they are looking for a new Chief Executive.
This traditional approach to “ modernising” or “transforming” an organisation is very hit and miss placing a lot of faith in an individual who by sheer force of personality will bring about the changes that will restore the organisations success. What we are increasingly seeing is a recognition that what is required is an organisation that can respond /bring about change by being able to move quickly, smoothly and easily. In other words an agile organisation.
An agile organisation copes with constant change by seeing this as the norm. The way of working, the style of management and the fluid structure allows for quick decision making, smooth changes in direction and the ability to control the pace of change.
The culture encourages innovation and creativity, the emphasis is on transferable skills. The style of management is inclusive and empowering, with a focus on emotional intelligence over experience. The structure is more akin to project management than a traditional hierarchy of command with the lead person or project manager changing or rotating according to the task and availability.
Decisioning making is devolved as part of empowering managers. The board sets the general direction and the the senior management team the tone and priorities. Resources are moved around the organisation to facilitate priorities.
The job therefore of the leadership/chief executive is not to come up with a better structure or winning strategy but to make the organisation more agile in recognition that change and transformation are the norm.
