HOW TO KEEP IT RIGHT – RE-INVENTION AS PART OF THE COMPANY’S DNA
Nature or Nurture? This is the ever-lasting debate of evolutionary biologists about the main drivers of human beings. It could be transferred easily to evolutionary economists and their debates about the main drivers of companies: How much of your success is written in your organisational DNA, how much is learned the hard or soft way? But, let’s face it, the world of business is less about the ultimate questions, and more about the bottom line. So, to keep it practical: Most companies have reinvention genes in their DNA. And the closer they are to their origins, especially in the start-up phase, the more active are these genes, and the lower the resistance against change. But usually, the more a company learns, the lower its willingness to change becomes – and this happens with success and often as well after failures. You are afraid of losing, either the pole position or your right to start.
But reinventing you must, my young Padawan. Even if the classic management theory is somewhat overwhelmed by the very strong and fast-changing business rules. So here are a few tips for reinvention based on current business experiences.
10 BASIC RULES FOR REINVENTION
1 Freshthinking. Remain curious. Be reflective. Have courage. Show heart.
2 Think Ecosystem. Know what role you play.
3 Process-orientation. Stay agile, stay in action.
4 Transform leadership as a leader and as a team.
5 Promote predictability using dashboard approach with value-creation KPIs.
6 Numbers matter. It’s not all words. Be consistent with numbers and data that you see as relevant.
7 Have a vision or clear idea. Communicate and live this clear fire architecture.
8 Live reinvention. Translated into organizational structure and corporate culture.
9 Close to the consumer. Customer promise from the customer’s point of view.
10 Stay open. Flexibility in product and production.
The list should be used as an inspiration and guide. Not all aspects have to be followed. But the more, the better.