Leading the resilient organisation Achieving results whatever the conditions
Leading the resilient organisation
Achieving results whatever the conditions
Leading the resilient organisation
• Characteristics of resilient organisations• Creating a resilient organisational climate• Implications for leaders
• Workshop format– Case study format– Your own organisation
Characteristics of resilient organisations
• Define :-– What is “resilience”? What makes someone
“resilient”?– What do you mean by “achieving results”? Do you
adjust the expected “results”?– What do you mean by “Leadership”?
• How is your definition affected by changing conditions?
Some studies
• Tom Peters (In Search of Excellence, Thriving on Chaos)
• Jim Collins (Good to Great)• John Kotter (Leading Change)
• In Search of Excellence (1979) - 9 of 62• Good to Great (2001) – 4 of 11
In Search of Folly
• Barbara Tuchman
– “Three outstanding attitudes are persistent aspects of folly –• Obliviousness to the growing disaffection of
constituents• Primacy of self-aggrandizement• And the illusion of invulnerable status”
“How Resilience Works”Diane L Coutu
• Why do some people and some companies buckle under pressure?
• What makes others bend and ultimately come back?
• Facing Down Reality• The Search for Meaning (Values)• Ritualized Ingenuity
Characteristics of resilient organisations
Non-resilient Attitudes Resilient Attitudes
•Oblivious to the views of customers and stakeholders
•Culture of looking for self-aggrandizing success
•Considering oneself “invincible”
•Ability to face down reality
•Ability to see meaning and impose core values
•Ritualising Innovation
Tom Peters
• In Search of Excellence (1979)
1. A bias for action2. Close to the customer3. Autonomy and entrepreneurship4. Productivity through people5. Hands on value driven6. Stick to the knitting7. Simple form, lean staff8. Simultaneous loose-tight
Tom Peters
• Thriving on Chaos (1987)
1. Total customer responsiveness2. Fast paced innovation3. Flexibility by empowering people4. Leadership at all levels5. Systems that can handle chaos
Jim Collins
• Good to Great
1. “Level 5” Leadership2. First who, then what3. Confront the brutal facts4. Hedgehog concept5. Culture of discipline6. Technology accelerators
Characteristics of the resilient organisation
Bear Sterns
• What characteristics did it have?• What characteristics did it NOT have?
• What would you have done to build resilience in Bear Sterns in the 1990’s?
Creating a resilient organisational climate
• Confront the brutal facts!• Understand the process of large scale change
implementation• Implement change
Leading Change
• John Kotter 1996• 8 Steps to successful change implementation
1. Establish a sense of urgency2. Create a Guiding Coalition3. Develop a Vision and Strategy4. Communicate the Change Vision5. Empower employees for broad-based action6. Generate short-term wins7. Consolidate gains and produce more change8. Anchor new approaches in culture
Nissan’s SWOT – Facing the brutal facts
• Internal Strengths and Weaknesses• External Opportunities and Threats
• What are they?– Simple analytical tool looking at Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats through several defined perspectives
Nissan’s “SW’s” at 1999Organisation’s Strengths Organisation’s
WeaknessesIn Operations
In Customer Orientation
In Management & Governance
In Finances
In HR Practices
Nissan’s “OT’s” at 1999External Forces and Trends Opportunity or Threat?
In the area of politics
In the economic arena
In the social, demographic context
In technology & the environment
Nissan’s SWOT at 1999Strengths Weaknesses
Opportunities Threats
Nissan’s Change Initiatives• What did Ghosn do in each of the 8 steps?
1. Establish a sense of urgency2. Create a Guiding Coalition3. Develop a Vision and Strategy4. Communicate the Change Vision5. Empower employees for broad-based action6. Generate short-term wins7. Consolidate gains and produce more change8. Anchor new approaches in culture
• What else could he have done in implementing change?
• What could he have done differently?
Your Organisation – The Start
• How would you:-
– Create a sense of urgency?– Who would you have in your Guiding Coalition?– How would you develop your Vision and Strategy?– How many ways can you communicate the
Change Vision?
Your Organisation – Change Ideas
• How can you empower for broad-based action?
• What easy wins can you aim for first?• What is the next “tranche” of wins to target?• How can you anchor new approaches in
culture?
Your Organisation – The Change Picture
Ideas:
Ideas:
Ideas:Ideas:
Ideas:
Implications for Leadership
• So, what are the implications for Leadership?
Implications for Leadership• Communication, communication, communication– Skills, Vehicles, Disciplined time
• Leadership v Management– Level 5?
• Focus: Vision and Strategy– Hedgehog or Fox?
• Core Values– Role Modelling
• People– Assets, skills, or costs?
Leading the resilient organisation
• Identified characteristics of a resilient organisation
• Tools and models to create a corporate culture that builds in resilience
• Identified implications for Leaders
Leading the resilient organisation
• What now?
– Review the models and the work you have done on Your Organisation
– Work on the Vision and Core Values of Your Organisation
– Plan for and implement change