What this post is about
- For organizations to survive in the long term, the strategic orientation must be kept in mind
- The prerequisite is that you have the necessary potential and that responsibilities are ideally assigned within the team
- Thanks to regular exchange, everyone is always on the same level and processes can be optimized
- Continue to monitor the industry and adapt to changes in an agile manner
- Learn from mistakes and make good use of criticism
Agile, flexible, and courageous: three adjectives that companies must use in today's world to show that they are up to the demands and requirements of customers. Traditional companies find this change in work culture and the breaking up of outdated thought structures difficult; after all, processes and rules have often become entrenched over decades. But if you believe the author duo Sebastian Klein and Ben Hughes, the inner start-up can be awakened at any time. In their guidebook "The Loop Approach," they propose a structured path based on seven progressive characteristics. Let's look at the key points.
Strategic alignment
As soon as a company grows, its focus and strategic direction naturally get lost over the years. This fact is not an isolated incident, but a normal process. If you like, you can compare it to a solid marriage: You live together, you are happy, but many things have become routine and come without surprise. In both cases (in marriage and in organizational growth), a new impulse is needed to get the enterprise back on track.
To embark on a new path, you should therefore ask yourself the following questions:What is our current goal? What do we pursue with it for the company and our employees? With what strategy do we want to achieve it? Because only those who know their direction and can clearly name it will stay on track in the process of change.
Honest insights
Looking within our own ranks is one of the most important parts of facing the future. Is there potential to implement new ideas? Can all existing skills be utilized? Are we ready for it? Answers to these questions should be confirmed without hesitation. Doubts are out of place during the transformation into a sustainable company.
Inevitably, honest insights will come with painful realizations. The only thing that helps here is to name the problem, to solve it, and to use it in a new way - including saying goodbye to old comforts! Always keep an eye on your talent and try to use your employees in the best possible way.
Clear responsibility
From great power comes great responsibility! Bearing this in mind, comic book heroes act successfully and face insurmountable hurdles - and so should you. Considering one's own company orientation, all that is needed at the beginning is the right forces in the right positions.
Those who place their teammates at the right levers achieve their goals faster and with better results. Each individual will feel more secure since their know-how and expertise are put to use and valued. Tip: Discard old role models and involve your young colleagues in digital issues.
Self-determined effectiveness
Once responsibilities have changed and each employee has found a suitable role, you will soon see if the changes are successful. By the way, these changes should not happen indiscriminately! Talks and a joint exchange with the team naturally precede this step. After all, smaller groups always know best where their individual strengths lie.
In the best case, companies generate maximum effectiveness in performance and output. In addition, costs are reduced because external service providers and agency services are no longer required. The previously silent in-house expertise has taken the helm and provides impetus in the right places.
Teamwork at eye level
Goals can only be achieved as a team! What has long been true in start-ups too often gets disregarded in so-called grown-ups (i.e., companies that have been in existence for many years). As a sustainable organization, you should focus on the bigger picture.
Through the exchange of insights and ideas, a great potential for innovation becomes apparent. Each employee can and should direct their thoughts toward the larger goal, and their input will lead to generating even better and bigger ideas.
Quick adaptability
Once internal structures have been modernized and the goal has been defined, the company must prove itself on the market. The fact that industry needs and circumstances may have changed during the restructuring phase can happen.
Paradoxical as it may sound, your hard work was not in vain! Agile leadership quickly gives rise to new options when they are called for - and you have now learned to adapt. Embrace new challenges rather than closing yourself off to the opportunities they present! By taking charge of your company's displacement right away, you are writing your future success story with bold decisions and investments today.
Learn from criticism
Not every change can be praised. However, accepting constructive criticism and turning it into new projects creates great opportunities. With a good feedback culture, comments flow more quickly, which drives optimization. For the team, this results in a learning curve through which new tasks can be implemented even more effectively.
Summary
Going through the transformation process once does not mean it will never be done again. The "loop approach" must be applied to a company at regular intervals in order to tap into the individual qualities and weak points. This is the only way to ensure that no new dust settles in the daily processes and structures. Because being fit for the future means remaining adaptable.