Novo Normal_wapp

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!