Novo Normal_wapp
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How will the new normal look like?
That’s the question.
What if the new normal is the non-normal?
If so, the only possible honest answer
is that the new normal is fast.
The new normal is fast
DO NOT WASTE THE CRISIS
What about agility?
Picture a splinter getting into
your little toe:
In a fraction of a second,
your full body will react
to understand how serious
the problem is
and prioritize help in that emergency.
In living systems,
an agile information flow
determines the health
and security of a system.
An agile information flow involves
collecting information,
processing it, updating strategies
and operations, then getting back
to the situation.
That is why, in a non-normal situation,
the security of operations lies in the
ability of, in an optimal time frame,
learning and reacting
to the situation as it is.
And what is optimal is not determined
by hierarchy but by the situation.
Agility is a must for survival
in these times of uncertainty.
If this is true,
how can a company become agile
as a living system?
Take agility as the main
indicator of a company’s health
and revisit the whole company.
Go over everything that slows down
the company’s information flow
and decision-making process.
Resignify everything...
Resignify security, hierarchy, success,
compliance, internal
and external relations,
because a significant part
of the flow is there.
No competence is valuable
if you miss a chance because
you were not agile.
The American security system
paid a high price to learn
the agility lesson.
In 2001, the attack on the
Twin Towers in NY
by the small Al-Qaeda group,
has led to an in-depth study to
understand why they failed
to defend the country.
Their lessons learned are
in this book:
Power to the Edge, it is in the
public domain, you can download it.
It is about adopting systemic thinking
in the management of the
American security system.
The conclusion was that
a war is not won by the biggest
or most powerful country,
but by the most agile.
Agile on what?
On collecting information on the
front line to update the strategy.
They learned a lot in
the pursuit of agility.
For example, they found out
that in wars today
soldiers are no longer there,
in the middle of the platoon,
with their arms crossed, waiting
for orders from the command.
They are on the front line, with
only two or three fellow soldiers,
heavily equipped with technology,
with the responsibility of
taking orders, of course,
but also, of scanning the scenario
to be able to provide relevant
information to update the strategy.
By choosing agility as
a strategic competence
to win the war against
the non-normal,
they concluded that
people were important.
Not because of idealist humanism,
but because of security!
It was a major revolution
in management.
It was so important that
The Economist’s
cover story was entitled
"Brains not Bullets".
Soldiers are not lifeless pieces
like bullets.
Soldiers have a brain, a heart.
If they don’t know what
caused that war,
if they don’t know the war strategy,
and their role in that strategy,
they will not be capable to detect
what is relevant in the situation
to update the strategy.
And it is not just on the front line.
One of the hypotheses for
the failure of 9/11
states that the security system
had received information
in the administrative area,
but the aloof employee,
working 9 to 5 for a paycheck,
did not realize the meaning of that
information and did not escalate it.
And nearly 3000 people were killed.
That changed the agreement
between the Army and the soldiers
and how soldiers perceived
their own job.
The meaning of work was introduced
in business management.
They learned that, in a
systemic environment,
little toes are important.
Agility is simple. It is easy
to understand and measure.
It can be very helpful in
integrating areas,
integrating levels,
integrating partners,
reducing costs, shortening cycles,
and inspiring innovation.
But the best thing is
feeling confident that you are ready
to dance to the tune,
regardless of the tune that will play.
We will get back to that topic
with the six conditions to be agile
as a healthy living system.
We are not Americans,
but we can develop formulas
to make our lives easier.
See you next time!
Wash your hands!