Building a Robust Organization

We now turn to step 9 of the Business Readiness Process: Building Organizational Robustness. Everything we’ve learned up to now lays a strong foundation of vigilance and preparedness. The third pillar of readiness, robustness, is all about people using their initiative individually and collectively, as well as collaborating to achieve organizational objectives. It consists of five main principles.

Staff versus line

Military commanders have a general staff to help them plan and control operations. The commander is the boss, but must focus on guiding and deciding at critical points of the readiness process, while spending more effort exercising his or her personal leadership at the front. Business leaders can achieve the same impact by setting up their own “general staff” to provide them with advice and help in estimation and planning, thus freeing them for more direct leadership of their respective teams.

Practice makes perfect

A frequent mistake in military and business circles is to assume that everyone already knows how to do what needs doing. The solution is to practice complex and risky maneuvers and tasks before launch. This brings difficulties, problems, and misunderstandings to the fore, when there’s still to time to correct them. Practicing before execution also generates confidence and mutual trust before going into action.

The big show

Like any force preparing for battle, no business can achieve anything substantial without building up resources and reserves: financial capital; physical plant and infrastructure; transportation and logistics; and robust and resilient supply and distribution networks. Even more crucial is human capital: the right people, with the right capabilities, at the right time, and the right place.

Backups for the backups

Redundancy in capabilities, roles, and functions is essential. What if you lose a third of your organization? Can you continue with the mission? Obviously, you must adjust, and this is where detailed planning and direction pay off. You have assigned backup functions and tasks, and everyone has a good idea of the overall picture and intentions. They can reallocate resources and capabilities on the fly to pick up the slack and adjust to changing circumstances.

Bouncing back

Resilience is the ability to absorb a shock and bounce back to continue the fight (or selling, or operating, or manufacturing). It depends on morale, which as any military leader will readily tell you, is the will and foresight to persevere in the face of resistance, opposition, and hardship.

Recap of Business Readiness Process

1. Ensure vigilance through situational awareness.
2. Do preliminary assessment of tasks and time.
3. Activate organization or team.
4. Conduct reconnaissance.
5. Do detailed situational estimate.
6. Conduct wargame and decide on optimal course(s) of action.
7. Perform risk management and contingency planning.
8. Communicate plan and issue direction.
9. Build organizational robustness.
10. Ensure operational continuity.
11. Lead and control execution.
12. Assess performance.

My name is Richard Martin and I’m an expert on applying readiness principles to position companies and leaders to grow and thrive by shaping and exploiting change and opportunity, instead of just passively succumbing to uncertainty and risk.

© 2016 Alcera Consulting Inc. This article may be used for non-commercial use with proper attribution.

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