Transforming your organisation from rigid industrial era command and control machine into an agile, high performing, customer-driven networked living entity!

1. “Transforming your organisation from rigid
industrial era command and control machine into
an agile, high performing, customer-driven
networked living entity!”
We are on an unstoppable journey into a new era of human existence the Digital
Era. The scale of change is increasing and pace of change is accelerating like never
before. To survive and compete in this new highly-volatile, fast-moving operating
environment demands organisational agility through a deep and broad ability to
anticipate and respond to changing circumstances. For the vast majority of
organisations (public or private sector) their continued relevance, legitimacy and
value to customers/citizens will to a large extent depend upon their ability to handle
change.
The challenge for both leaders and managers alike, is that the old ways of seeing
their principal roles and responsibilities will need to be superseded by new
definitions, based upon customer values, collective learning, shared
understanding, focused measures and creating collaborative communities.
This will require a new mind-set – some will be able to make the transition with
ease, others will need support, encouragement, training and development. It will
require a degree of “unlearning” old traits and behaviours.

2. How can you spot a Digital Age High Performing Organisation?
When you walk into a 21st
Century High Performing Organisation you can sense
and “feel it” the second you walk in through the door. Straight away…there is energy
all around you. From the porter through to the CEO everyone wants to be there and
everyone wants to excel! Contrast this, with the vibe you get from most traditionally
run organisations, that haven’t yet made the transition! Staid; process-driven;
controlling; knowledge held as power; draining of human effort and passion – sound
familiar?
The signs and characteristics of High Performing Organisations
Leadership: A new style of distributed leadership that is
empowering, connecting, facilitating, unifying and is strategically
aligned – permeates the entire organisation. Leaders seek to
leverage collective knowledge and openly reach out to customers
and workers to ensure there is a continuous process of iterative
alignment.
Design: The structure is lean, efficient and reflects the strategic
intent of the organisation. Knowledge creation is the main focus.
Systems and processes are simplified and business is conducted
largely through self-organising teams.
People: The People Strategy is aligned to the organisational
strategy and overtly attracts and retains the most capable people
Work gets done not in silos or departments but through
collaborative communities. Evidenced by: horizontal networks;
open source communities; boundaryless enterprises; common
space; open conversations; consensus agreements; and self-
organising teams operating from a shared understanding of the
key priorities. The emphasis is on knowledge and valuing shared
experiences.

3. Culture: The culture is open, engaging and transparent. People “live
and breathe” the organisational values and beliefs. There is an
embedded belief in the greater good of the organisation. There is a
high energy feel to the organization and a spirit of co-creation and
coproduction.
Change Capability: The organisation is agile, astute and adept at
anticipating and handling small and large scale change. Changes are
constantly anticipated and change capability and the business
resilience to change are constantly assessed and strengthened to
ensure both survival and competitive advantage.
Self-organising Teams (SOT)
Here are just a few of the typical characteristics we would expect to see within a
SOT
 Participative leadership – using a democratic leadership style that engages
and, crucially, empowers all team members
 Positive atmosphere – an overall team culture that is open, transparent,
positive, future-focused and able to deliver success. An inherent energy and
passion for the remit it has been given.
 Effective decision-making – using a blend of rational and intuitive decision
making
 Open and clear communication – ensuring that the team mutually
constructs shared meaning, using effective communication methods and
channels
 Strong Team Bonds – relationships between the team members that allow
them to seamlessly coordinate their contributions.
 Valued diversity – valuing a wide range of experience and background in
the team, contributing to a diversity of viewpoints, leading to better decision
making and solutions
 Mutual trust and respect – trusting in other team members and trusting in
the team as an entity
 Managing conflict – dealing with conflict openly and transparently -
maintaining team morale.

4. “If you don’t understand innovation you
don’t understand business” P Drucker