21st Century organisations need to be Innovative, Adaptable and Efficient

“Companies that were leaders in the 20th century can see that what got them here, won't get them there”.

Marshall Goldsmith

Richard N. Foster and Sarah Kaplan in their book Creative Destruction, concluded that executives must learn to become masters of “creative destruction” - built to remake themselves according to the market. They must increase the pace of change to levels comparable with the market.

How does a 21st Century organisation behave?

• Seek inspiration for new solutions by understanding the people you are trying to reach, and then  innovate from their perspective - you will develop authentic ideas that they will embrace.

• Be quick to respond to market changes.

• Develop systems and processes that support the user experience, and set outcome based targets.

Is your organisation ready for the 21st Century?

• Do you think differently - see new opportunities and create innovative solutions with impact?

• Do you connect deeply with internal and external customers?

• Do you create a culture of innovation within your teams?

• Do you understand the need for change?

Continuous monitoring of the environment within which your business operates is important to anticipate the direction of growth and innovation.
An honest diagnosis of your organisation's capabilities supports what that change needs to be to achieve the cultural shift.
Your competitive advantage is dependant on the speed at which you adapt to change. In today's markets, characterised by globalisation and technological innovation, you must respond to new opportunities and threats faster than your competition to survive and prosper.

It is better to be a driver for change than its victim.

How do you become a 21st century organisation?

Managing organisational change is one of your most critical managerial competencies.

Change management is about people. The quicker you "unfreeze" old attitudes, values and beliefs and "refreeze" new attitudes, values and beliefs the more adaptable your organisation*.

*source: Kurt Lewin

Change is certain. Buy-in isn't.

Change management principles will help you create and implement new strategies. They will help you answer:

Why is change necessary?
How must we change?
Who should be involved in leading change?
What steps should be taken to accomplish change?
How should these steps be taken?

So how do we develop change capability?

Mastering change management requires practice. Organisations that are good at change are able to quickly align people around new ways of doing things in response to opportunities and threats.

So how do we develop a culture of innovation?

In today’s economy, innovation is as essential as it is difficult but the emerging discipline of design thinking - honed by the celebrated Innovation consultancy IDEO - provides people with the tools and techniques to think differently, see  new opportunities, and create innovative solutions with impact.

So how do we become more efficient?

To keep pace in an increasingly competitive market, organisations need to function as efficiently as possible. Those that master it put their people at the heart of the development and delivery of their efficiency programmes.