The Four Phases of an Adaptable, Resilient and Sustainable Organisation
There are four phases of thinking that every organisation MUST have available to them if they plan to be resilient to challenges, adaptable to changing circumstances and able to sustain themselves over time. The Phases are Strategic; Operational; Execution; and Evolution. If you miss any one of them or underplay an area, sooner or later you are going to get bitten. HARD
The Strategic Phase is about Direction and the Big Picture. It’s about selecting the major issues that matter most to your organisation – it’s the WHAT aspect. The Operational Phase is about preparing and selecting the resources you will need and working out HOW those resources will be used. The Execution Phase determines the WHEN something gets done. The Evolution Phase addresses the need to learn, improve and become something better, different if needed.
The Phases are distinct in terms of the required capability needed to do them well. In addition, the need to enable a smooth transition between each phase is also required. What I refer to as th ‘hand-off’ from one area of thinking to another is much like the passing of a baton during a running relay. Both aspects need momentum – too much from one and the baton gets dropped or not handed off. The hand-off is typically best handled conversationally rather than strict rules. Guidelines and process matter, but they will not survive poor communication and shared understanding.
The hand off is a realisation that Strategic Thinking doesn’t determine HOW. The hand off is that the Operational Phase isn’t where the DO happens, nor the WHEN. The hand off from Execution is that it doesn’t decide ‘now what?’. And as the loop continues, the hand-off is that Evolution does not decide the next idea of Focus for the new Now.
So there you have it – Strategic; Operational; Execution; and Evolution. Four phases that organisations looking for success MUST work through on an ongoing basis in order to embed resilience, adaptability and sustainability
If you followed my numerous posts over the years you know I like jumping in early on new products or services – not all have been successful, especially on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, but you roll the dice sometimes and see what happens. Over the years Looking Up Feeling Good was an early community investor in…
Read More >In the 1760s Josiah Wedgwood changed forever the nature of workplaces. He expanded his pottery business and constructed a new large scale factory that required two critical elements: a) Systemisation of processes to ensure consistent high-quality outcomes b) Skilled workers on site The systemisation required experimentation, observation, trials, failures and recording of data – what…
Read More >We’re delighted to announce that Neuro-Psychologist Dr. Kim Hazendonk of Positive Brain has accepted our offer to join our elite speaker’s group. We’re looking forward to bringing her to more groups across Australasia as she discusses effective workplaces, positive mind management, and managing busy lives. If you have a need for an engaging and passionate…
Read More >I flag my bias towards the need for a vastly improved approach to managing staff in the work environments. V A S T L Y improved. I’m still surprised at how clunky, disorganised or naive some senior managers are when it comes to that part of the business that considers ‘people’. And rather than cover…
Read More >An interesting public workshop in Perth in the first week of October introducing a varied group to the Organisational Evolution model. The Org-Ev is the model I developed for the start up of The Australian Strategic Planning Institute in conjunction with Steven Bowman. Given the diversity of the group, there were a number of surprises…
Read More >A note for those of you in Perth that there are just 4 spaces left for the Introduction to the Organisational Evolution Model workshop at Adina Apartments in Perth. The Org Ev model has been designed to enhance Strategic Planning and decision making and this introductory workshop is aimed at those looking to attend the…
Read More >Later this month I’ll be facilitating a scenario session looking at the potential impact of a long standing heatwave event for the City of Greater Dandenong here in Australia. Heatwaves kill more people than any other weather event. By a long way. Importantly they also have a ‘fat tail’ with physical impairments to individuals often…
Read More >Looking Up Feeling Good will be running an workshop on the Organisational Evolution Model in Perth. The Org-Ev model has been used by a wide number of agencies across almost all industry sectors, and was originally developed for the Australian Strategic Planning Institute. The workshop is limited to 25 people and will take place at…
Read More >Looking Up Feeling Good are delighted to be associated with the Victorian over 55 2s at the National Masters Championship coming up in Perth in a few month’s time across September and October. We wish all players well
Read More >If you’re involved with setting policy, allocating funding, designing products or services and delivering on them, then one book you simply must have read is the absolutely astounding ‘Invisible Women’ by Caroline Criado Perez. What Perez has done with this book is ALL OF THE RESEARCH you need to have available to you when you…
Read More >