The Right Questions: Balancing Control and Growth for Agility
Where do you start? Of course, control will still matter, but it will matter less and our definition of ‘control’ will need to be recast as the capabilities for growth matter more. Following are some questions to frame, focus and accelerate the transition from a traditional, control-focused organization, to an agile one, aligned for growth:
- Does VUCA represent a strategic threat or opportunity in our environment and do we understand our drivers of growth in this context? Are these reflected in our strategy, tactics, and underpinning assumptions and plans?
- Are we wired for Control or Growth? Are our internal mindsets, processes, routines and behaviors synchronized with our external realities?
- Do our decision-making processes and forums ask the right questions, bring together the right perspectives from across the business, and generate insight and coherent actions in support of our Control-Growth balance?
- Do we have explicit development actions building organizational capability to develop agility and use VUCA to our advantage?
- Are we countering VUCA with vision, understanding, clarity and agility, and accelerating results through an aggressive transition, rapid experimentation and learning-by-doing?
In approaching these questions with a growth mindset and looking for new opportunities, consider the words of Nobel prize winner Albert Szent Gyorgi: “Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different.” When you are open to change, volatility drives opportunity.
Chris Turner is co-founder of StrataBridge, a boutique consulting firm that specializes in advising fast-moving, brand led organizations on strategy, innovation and operations. He has worked with leadership teams around the world including Anheuser-Busch, Bakehouse, Coca-Cola, Compass Minerals, Mars, Mass Mart SA, PZ Cussons, SC Johnson, Shell.
Glen Margolis, CEO of Steelwedge Software, has led the industry in the development and delivery of technology to power planning agility. Steelwedge is the global market leader of cloud-based integrated business planning (IBP) and collaborative S&OP solutions trusted across the world’s best manufacturers including Lenovo, Jaguar Land Rover, Canon, Sony, Tyco, Dow and Emerson.
