leading the resilient organisation

Leading the resilient organisation

Achieving results whatever the conditions


• 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?


• Identified characteristics of a resilient organisation

• Tools and models to create a corporate culture that builds in resilience

• Identified implications for Leaders


• 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

leading the resilient organisation

Documents