Many of today’s organizations simply are not designed for the modern world. They are stuck in the past, before customer expectations became digital, virtual and immediate.
Before major disruptions — from technological advances to pandemics and economic crises — became the norm. Before “Google” became a verb and the “Amazon Effect” was a thing.
In short, they are built for predictability and efficiency, not for purpose, speed and agility.
While the most engaged leaders know this is true, focusing on building healthy and sustainable organizations is difficult. They are pulled in too many directions to focus on the initiatives they want to pursue, such as:
- Starting new strategic initiatives off on the right footing
- Preparing for big technological changes and their ripple effects throughout the business
- Merging teams or departments while considering how to keep people engaged and productive in the transition
- Launching new business units the right way
- Simply aligning results with the expectations of customers, employees and other stakeholders.
The implications are significant. Inability to adapt to change and pivot according to market dynamics and changing customer expectations has caused the average lifespan of S&P 500 companies to drop from 60 to 15 years over the last seven decades.
To succeed, modern businesses must be intentional about organization design. Intentionality requires adopting mindsets of self-organization, self-governance and a balance of alignment and autonomy. It’s not easy—but we can help.
