planning

Every company is in the business of monitoring and adjusting to changes within its business environment. Whether it be from external or internal sources, businesses have to address changes to stay competitive. Over the next few weeks we’ll be discussing trends in organization design and each week we’ll highlight a different trend. Last week we talked about automation and scalability and this week we’re focused on routine and dynamic planning. The concept of time has changed during the pandemic and companies can only plan for the next 6-12 months. It can be extremely difficult to plan as an organization when the unexpected is on the horizon. Prevalent issues include worrying about managing costs, maintaining employee engagement, worrying about physical office space, and how those assets may or may not be used depending on the trajectory of COVID-19. Although the current pandemic threw a wrench in most companies’ plans, this is precisely when organizations must not hesitate. Great examples of proper responses are big names in the US and UK healthcare industry, hospitals and healthcare organizations that responded to the needs in the community in order to quickly respond to the demand. Unnecessary waste and bureaucracy were pushed to the wayside, which allowed companies to respond to market needs. This is part of “The Innovators Dilemma” by Clayton Christianson – successful companies can do everything “right” and still lose their market leadership as new unexpected competitors take over. It is critical to address the needs of the market in an effective way. Innovation projects within organizations have not stopped but have instead slowed down drastically. Projects that were due for implementation are pushed back because of resource constraints. At OTM we have seen great success in organizations that have decided to persist in their re-design effort in order to not lose the momentum that was prevalent before the pandemic. These organizations have been able to re-assess and look towards their future operating model inclusive of the changes brought on from the pandemic, rather than because of these changes. If you’re thinking about transforming your business, considering how sustainable the change will be is a decision many people don’t consider – but need to. Contact us to learn how OTM uses collaboration to design and implement sustainable transformation. Don’t forget to stay tuned for next week’s trend and sign up for blog notifications so you never have to miss out. Irena Krstic is a Consultant at ON THE MARK. OTM is the leading global boutique organization design consultancy with offices in the USA and UK. With over 400 successful redesigns and operating model modernizations completed, OTM is owner of the industry’s most integrated, comprehensive and holistic organization design solution. OTM enables its clients to realize their future ambitions.