Common Threats to an Organization
February 12, 2025
Leadership When Faced with a Perfect Storm of Collapsing World It would not be an exaggeration to say that we are in the midst of a slow motion collapse of our systems and the world in general. Whether it is climate change that is threatening our way of life or excessive debt and extreme inequality […]
The fundamental principle of operational risk management is to ensure that all operational risks have been considered and decisions have been taken about the best way to mitigate them. This is because experience has shown organizations that the worst outcomes come from risks that they have knowingly or unknowingly ignored. It is therefore important to […]
The contingency model is an extended version of Lewin’s three step in which Dunphy and Stace (1988, 1992 and 1993), explained the process of change from the transformational organization perspective. Dunphy and Stace (1993), put forth a situational or contingency model of change, which emphasized on the fact that organizations should vary their change strategies […]
The global virtual teams are characterized by team members located in different geographies and time zones with information and communication technology tools as the only interface for them to interact. The virtual teams offer unique challenges. In order to overcome these challenges and unleash the creativity and potential of all the team members, the leader […]
A good quality resume is a prime tool to apply for a job and what to do when you have no work experience to show? You don’t have to panic as everyone has to start from somewhere. A fresh college graduate out of college and looking for a suitable job will of course not have […]
The pandemic has brought about radical changes in not just the way of life but also in the way organizations approach work. Now is the time for the OD guys to shine. The years of stagnancy, the change initiatives frozen in time, the dynamic transformation visualized, discussed but never implemented have all been jolted to life by the pandemic.
A time for crisis is also the time for opportunities and organizational development experts can put on their cape and work magic in making working condition better and an impossible life a little bearable under such extraordinary circumstances.
It is time for the leaders to take risks and drive initiatives. Business decisions stuck in red tapes, bureaucracy and procrastinations have been propelled into action thus empowering to leaders to make quick decisions, take unique actions and build up people around them in the process.
The pandemic has shown that valuing people over profit is the way to go forward, business leaders have resorted to innovative distribution of resources in order to retain the workforce and create an environment of trust and compassion. With little scope for inertia, interesting things are shaping up and changes are embraced with less resistance and more enthusiasm.
The post pandemic world will be inclusive, flexible and innovative. What would it mean for the organizational development initiatives?
Many stared at existential crisis and several others were forced to ponder over existential questions. Reevaluating Purpose, “the who we are” and “what we want to do” of the business will be the key to define and navigate the way forward.
For leaders this also means looking beyond the present chaos and commotion, prioritizing long term goals over short term gains. A wrong shift can change the course of the business and it needs to be clear whether it is a desired, calculated and beneficial shift. Motherhood statements apart, what will be the defining aspect is the implementation of those defined purposes.
The organizations and leaders will have to consciously and intuitively arrive at values they want to be identified and associated with. In times of crisis this is what differentiates organizations and also determines whether they fall apart or gear forward. A large part of how changes can be implemented is impacted by the culture and values of the organization.
It is also important to point out that sometimes leaders will be taking decisions with limited or only real time information and while this may lead to errors of judgment at times but will also form the path towards disruptive innovation and change.
The agility and quick response to situations needed in the present circumstances requires a flatter, autonomous and fluid organizational structure.
During the early days of the pandemic organizations were forced to come up with rapid response teams, nerve centers and other task specific groups involving members from different verticals thus ensuring quick responses with detailed and honest communication regarding big decisions. The key would be to find a way to keep this going once the crisis is over.
The remote working option has opened a global pool of talent which could not have been accessed before. It also is a good time to reevaluate, redefine roles and reskill employees to meet changing objectives especially those who are in the customer facing roles.
Creating meaningful people transactions based on trust and compassion will ensure sustainability and progress. Leaders as role models, influencing and motivating employees through positive communication can help mitigate the psychological toll the pandemic has been taking on the employees.
In addition to the above aspects, a conscious effort to create an ecosystem mindset will be crucial. Any organization is a complex series of network with various external and internal stakeholders. The organizations doing exceptionally well during the pandemic have taken the transactions with each of them a step beyond, creating opportunities and values together.
Most strategic associations proved to be elusive when the organizations needed them the most however, employees, customers and most vendors stuck together and survived together. It’s a valuable lesson for the organizations and reinforces again the learning of valuing people over profit.
Embracing technology and evaluating solutions from several vantage points while not getting overwhelmed with data is another aspect to be considered while charting the future course. Finally learning, unlearning and relearning while adapting to changes with flexibility and swiftness would be the challenges and opportunities for the organizational development initiatives within the organization.
The post pandemic world shall belong to the organizations committed towards building people and creating lasting values in their transactions.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *