Well it is clear now that Disruption is proliferating, aided by social media and globalisation among other modern developments. My earlier blog covered how these may affect the leaders way to communicate and build trust. Today I am promoting innovation as another necessary factor for your organisation to cope with the fast pace of change and uncertainty that we confront daily today.
The uncertainty of Disruption is all around us with multiple trade wars, Korean negotiations, Iran deals that are on and off, AI, politics changing globally - there are so many to consider for the leaders and managers of today.
The organisation of yesteryear that may have fantastic ethics and review processes - yet they may lack the speed, agility and creativity required of this Disruptive future. Imagine that a disruptive event on the other side of the world occurs today, it will be visible by tomorrow to all. The more agile organisation (perhaps smaller as well) may be able to understand, analyse and consider the implications of changes within a week. The large multinational may see the event much more slowly and rely on size, market position, so may not consider the change till it starts to affect it in 2+ years time. Even when the large organisation identifies the threat to the change - it may take months or years to build an internal case and have it approved for implementation a year or two later.
The large multinational is potentially under threat today from Disruption, unaware that they are probably
- too slow
- too costly
- too bureaucratic
- too reliant on the past for future success
- not observant of the less obvious Disruptions taking place (or at least possible)
This presents a massive opportunity for the large organisation that can quickly transform ready for Disruption from multiple directions at once ! Or possibly more likely- the small and medium organisation may find multiple opportunities ahead if they can recognise change, analyse and adapt quickly. Yes there are issues in this faster and innovative organisation - those issues be covered in another Dr Mat tip another day.
Innovation may assist all organisations in taking advantage in this future ! be that innovation of structure, processes, staff, approvals, products and customer offer. This may be challenging for staff that are averse to change, may be difficult if you have managers thinking in the past, may be difficult if your investors and shareholders want long slow reviews and approval processes. In years to come we may well look back and say where did all the jobs go? what happened to this or that industry? - more importantly many will look at the success stories and say "why did we not think of that".
To be truly innovative - your organisation needs to start today !
Large organisations like big banks, government departments and international organisations can take years to make large scale change - that luxury will likely disappear as Disruption continues to take pace.
You should consider now - Hiring innovative staff, working with stakeholders and customers on new approaches, questioning past practices etc - looking at all these organisational aspects through a new lens. Perhaps even building the organisation on a footing of being under constant change, competition and new Disruptions all round. Such a mindset will put pressure on it to improve and be ready for the next change, your organisation can no longer sit back and wait till it is affected as it may be too late to catch up with the innovators that jump ahead.
If you are a Leader or seeking to be one in the future - you need to read, read, read about Disruption NOW ! Those that fail to understand and adjust will fall behind.
Feel free to ask Dr Mat over a chat or email on Leadership, Management or change issues, advice, consulting or mentoring that you may seek.
These and other related topics feature in Dr Mats upcoming book titled "Leading and Managing Change in the Age of Disruption and Artificial Intelligence" - written for the modern professional, student and academic wanting to be ahead on modern Leadership and Management issues. Available through Amazon and other book sellers https://www.amazon.com/dp/1787563685
Consider your own specific situation and seek professional advice before acting directly in reaction to any of the tips on this website, they are intended as general advice only.
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