The Adaptable Organisation
Harnessing a networked enterprise of human resilience
The Adaptable Organisation is a fundamental shift in operating and management philosophy that enables large-scale global organisations to operate with a start-up mindset and drive modern people practices that enable enterprise agility through empowered networks of teams
A journey through the adaptable organisation
The Ecosystem
Historically, in stable times, organisations derived competitive advantage through progressive attempts to be more standardised, efficient and better at doing what ‘they had been doing’ for a long time. In unpredictable times, organisational survival requires the understanding that organisations exist within a broader external ecosystem, united by a specific, customer-centric purpose that is constantly evolving to remain relevant. What we have learned from clients who are embracing an ecosystem mindset:
Organisations that view themselves within an
ecosystem
compete better in today’s business
landscape.
When they leverage external communities,
partnerships
and alliances, they have greater visibility
into
the needs and behaviours of their customers.
Adaptable
Organisations are able to quickly detect shifts
in
the external environment, and flex
appropriately.
In spite of constant iteration and adaption,
a shared
purpose is the glue that anchors an
ecosystem.
It defines success for the organisation through
the eyes of customers, stakeholders, and
society. In turn, employees, motivated
by meaningful work, are driven towards the
outcomes
desired by the organisation.
A bold organisational purpose cascades
through the
organisation using customer-focused
missions.
Teams work effectively towards their
respective
missions without impeding on each other, but
are
united by an enduring organisational purpose.Operating environments will only continue to become more complex. We help clients interpret their strategies and position in the ecosystem into customer-focused missions that energise the culture and organisation. This is a departure from only using industry benchmarks or popular organisational models - it’s about intimate customisation to the changing needs of customers and stakeholders.
The Organisation
When change is predictable, stable organisational hierarchies can support order, clear decision-making, and functional silos to ensure maximum efficiency. However, in an era of exponential change, traditional organisation models cannot keep up. What we are starting to see when it comes to structure and design of Adaptable Organisations:
Organisations must align both formal and
informal
structures to customer-focused missions.
Traditional approaches often force the
organisation to work purely functionally or in
a matrix environment without understanding
the impact to human networks. Instead,
organisations
must uncover how teams naturally interact with
each
other and with the customer, and then build the
multi-disciplinary
teams, communities, reporting relationships,
and
communication channels that support these human
interactions.
Adaptable Organisations simultaneously
manage customer
adaptability and scaled efficiency.
They recognise that both are necessary, and
achieve an effective balance through the use of
functional and cross-functional,
centralised and decentralised teams. 
To enable an Adaptable Organisation,
flexible governance
models are necessary. Governance
enables
adaptable work when bureaucracy is limited,
decisions
are transparent, and individuals are empowered.
A test-and-learn approach to implementation
is preferable.
The roadmap to becoming an Adaptable
Organisation is a series of small, incremental
changes, rather than a big bang. Organisations
must decide how much autonomy, flexibility, and
agility
is required for their particular strategy.Static organisation charts are becoming an artifact of the past. We use advanced analytics to visualise the formal (hierarchy) and informal organisations (interactions) to uncover how people actually work. New designs are emerging that embrace natural connections and organise multi-disciplinary teams to deliver value more effectively. Traditional approaches often force the organisation to work purely functionally or in a matrix environment without understanding the impact to human networks.
The Team
Conventional wisdom believes that high-performing individuals deliver organisational performance. Adaptable Organisations place greater emphasis on the team and unlock individual performance through team composition and new ways of working. What effective team development looks like in an Adaptable Organisation:
The understanding that individual
performance is
intrinsically linked to team composition.
Only when the diverse perspectives, unique
skillsets, and broad experiences of individuals
are brought together do individuals
truly thrive.
A clear focus that unites the team to the
organisation’s
purpose.
Each team has its own mission or focus
around
which it can direct its efforts and motivate
its
members; however, all of the teams within an
organisation
are ultimately aligned to its purpose.
Iterative and empowered execution by teams.
Teams
must adopt an agile, “fail fast” mentality
where
frequent touchpoints, iteration reviews, and
cross-team
planning enable them to respond swiftly to
fluctuating
customer demands. This is made possible only
when
decision-making rights are transparent, and
teams
are given flexibility and autonomy.
A safe place for collaboration and connected
ways
of working. This is achieved through
flexible
communication, connecting on a human level, and
uniting
under the broader organisation’s mission. True
collaboration
can unlock latent productivity and inclusion,
in
order to realise greater agility.We act as coaches for our clients and help them learn how to place greater emphasis on teams and unlock individual performance through team diversity, environment, and new ways of working using agile approaches. In understanding that agile methodology is not just for technology or product functions, we help teams accelerate on execution and become more flexible. We believe that high performing teams enabled to achieve organisational missions deliver more value than individuals focused on individual goals.
The Leader
As organisations pivot and adapt to shifting contexts, the adaptability of leaders becomes essential. Leaders must be able to energise, empower, and connect people across the ecosystem and lead any team in any context. Leadership in the Adaptable Organisation is a departure from the traditional, role-based view of leadership:
Leaders exist at all levels of the
organisation.
Leaders are now multi-function and
multi-context, across all disciplines. More so
than traditional organisations, Adaptable
Organisations require a strong pipeline of
leadership;
therefore, candidates must be identified and
leadership
skills developed at every level.
Leaders are inclusive orchestrators, not
heroes.
They lead not because of position, tenure, or
expertise, but because of their vision and
ability to connect individuals across
the organisation. In an Adaptable Organisation,
three
paramount leadership capabilities that emerge
are
the ability to energise, empower, and connect.
These
capabilities points to raw leadership potential
instead
of technical expertise.
Leaders must embrace vulnerability and
create psychological
safety.
In order to enable a culture of failing
fast
and taking risks, it is integral that leaders
build
a safe space where ideas can be shared and
diversity
of thought thrives. They do so through
practicing
and encouraging vulnerability, authenticity,
and
raw leadership.
Complexity and ambiguity demand versatility.
Leaders in the Adaptable Organisation must
constantly navigate change and uncertainty. In
order to lead effectively, they
must empower everyone in the organisation,
particularly
those closest to the customer, to make
decisions
and take ownership. The versatile leader can
lead
effectively in any context, inside or outside
of
their traditional areas of expertise. Identifying, developing, and retaining strong leadership is integral to any organisation’s success, and the bar for leadership effectiveness is constantly being raised. We help our clients build effective leadership pipelines and programs that meet their strategic needs and which ensure they can navigate into the long-term.
The Individual
The traditional view of the employee assumes people inherently resist change and talent programs provide stability. In Adaptable Organisations, resiliency and accepting change becomes part of the organisation's DNA and talent programs exist to enable that resilience. How an individual is woven into the ecosystem of an Adaptable Organisation:
Individuals must understand that adaptable
is not
something you do, it is something you
become.
Organisations must coach their people to
adopt
mindsets of growth, imagination, diversity, and
experimentation.
Only when such a mindset is adopted at the
individual
level, will teams and organisations be able to
execute
on adaptable work.
The focus is on people, not on job titles.
Traditional
role-based job descriptions, recruitment
practices,
and orientation programs are no longer
relevant.
Instead, talent management recognises that
roles
are fluid and skillsets are diverse.
Recruitment
and onboarding programs center around the
purpose,
culture, and customers of the organisation.
Growth, learning, and performance management
take
place on an ongoing basis. In order to
reflect
a rapidly-evolving external environment,
learning
and performance management can no longer be
static,
infrequent, and formal. Peer reviews and career
discussions
are frequent, agile touchpoints. Learning is
continuous,
embedded into day-to-day work, and changes
based
on the needs of the individual.
Flexibility is a key feature of an
individual’s career
development.
As opposed to the traditional view of
climbing
the hierarchal ladder in a fixed role,
organisations
recognise that career paths are becoming
increasingly
complex, cross-functional, and latticed. They
support
their talent through horizontal job rotations,
fluid
work roles, and the activation of
organisational
networks.
Helping people embrace change and continuous learning is difficult. To truly be adaptable, we believe that organisations need to enable individual resilience through flexible talent programs. We help clients design and adopt leading edge talent approaches to elevate a shifting and diverse workforce that includes both humans and machines.
In the new world of work, stability gives way to adaptability.
How adaptable is your organisation today?
