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

Why Climate Change Intervention is WAY Easier than We Think

Sep 7, 2021

For those of you that follow me on other platforms, you’ll have seen, heard or read some of my thoughts on the lab grown proteins from firms like #ImpossibleFoods or #BeyondMeat.   I’m a fan of those lab grown protein concepts arriving at that position whilst undertaking a Master of Science in 2004 in which…

Read More >

Explaining the #Covid19 #Pandemic using your own car as if it was your body

Aug 19, 2021

Trying to understand something you’ve never experienced before can be a real challenge. In this post the #Covid19 #pandemic is explained using cars and traveling   Your body is your car – it’s your mode of transport in this life. We want to treat it well and insure it and ideally we want to be able…

Read More >

The Reality about Hybrid Work

Aug 8, 2021

There’s a significant disconnect with a number of articles on ‘Hybrid Workplaces’ and it’s really disappointing to see SO MANY large consultants pump out articles that ignore reality. So this is a short take to offer an additional perspective. 1) Hybrid workplaces have existed for centuries, they are not new, though the sudden interest is…

Read More >

Sports, Recreation and Active Living Start Ups Opportunity Funding

Aug 1, 2021

Hi everyone – though a focus on particular those of you in Victoria, Australia who have an idea related to sports, active living or recreation that they might like to convert into a business.   Sportstech & Active Living Pre-Accelerator program is being run by the Australian Sport Technologies Network (ASTN) and the Global Sports…

Read More >

Post-Covid Workforce Planning framework

May 23, 2021

Old normal, new normal, normal normal. As some businesses aim to rush back to ‘old normal’ they’re likely missing a key opportunity to define, perhaps for the first time, what a new normal should look like for themselves. This Workforce Planning framework should help   As a CEO or senior manager, here’s questions I’d want…

Read More >

India’s Covid Surge has a Fat Tail for Australian Companies

Apr 22, 2021

As Covid19 variants continue to emerge, the cause of which can be fairly placed at a lack of social distancing and slow vaccine rates that allow ‘mixing’ of viral strains in social settings, India is on the brink of a healthcare collapse and the implications for Australian companies, especially in the tech sector, are huge.…

Read More >

The near term future – 3 Months to 3 years

Mar 16, 2021

What does the future hold for Australia in the next 3 months, to 3 years? Travel, work, living…   Recording to the one hour session inc a Q&A Here’s the Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/pBJqFvN_yZVrktNsN2xWRE7heUTpr226GtyjJpiChG8yZA2D3qEHpACjm8TpMfxd.67Jj1DNSPserOvpZ  Passcode: 1DPi*.$Z

Read More >

Before I Was Me – thoughts on what aging might hold

Mar 12, 2021

Sometimes the words come to you readily and this small piece has me thinking about what I’d like to say at a time when maybe I’ve lost the cognitive ability to do so   Before I was Me Before I was Me I used to be fit, and even quite smart; We’d chat about love,…

Read More >

Waving Goodbye to Wedgewood’s Factory in HR

Mar 6, 2021

I was doing it well before then and there’s clips of me online going back as far as 2010 or so, railing against the idea of human resources as a label and the insistence by HR managers or CEOs that only people who work ‘in the office’ are going to be productive. It Is A…

Read More >

Why the Future of Vertical Farming is Two Decades Ahead of Expectations

Feb 2, 2021

Like lab grown meats, Vertical Farming is going to be part of the future of food. For now it might be best to compare them to small scale battery storage on the electrical grid that can help balance out spikes of demand in the system and provide an output directly where needed.   Eventually (like…

Read More >