Whilst disruption resonates daily across Brexit, Tradewars, tariffs, currency wars, technology change through globalization, social media and the internet one may be tempted to merely consider disruption as being a form of speed. Disruption elements also radiate from the way that they suddenly appear, often without notice or warning or prediction. Government change once took years of policy development through consultation, feedback and amendments - today changes in policy can arise quickly without notice, from a presidential tweet or other form of spot announcement.
So whilst your business may have to increase up its reaction speed there are other elements required to be ready for this new age. Your organization may have to cope with new legislation that is announced without notice or detail, where there may be risk of policy back downs and amendments. In this situation your team will quickly need to assess potential impacts on your organization, quickly need to assess your options to react that include critical thinking about what happens if the legislation is later reversed.
Other elements of disruption thinking and preparing is to decide if robots or artificial intelligence (AI) are likely to be adopted in your industry. Many may argue that the time is not yet, although there is plenty of evidence in social media and advertising on how AI may improve things in an organization.
So apart from speed there is critical thinking, creativity and innovation to build into your organization - have you started on this yet ? If these are not included in your future new age plans then your business may be slow, or just lack the ability to react quickly and deliver new options to help the business along. Business for the last 50 years has been based on procedures, structures, governance and delegations that may no longer be appropriate as we enter this disruption age.
Can you imagine what a business that changes its procedures or structures based on every presidential tweet would look like. A business may just start to amend its procedures for some new tariff and trade war to only then find that it has to commence again before it finishes. The written and the formal may simply no longer be useful for organizations of the modern age, more to come on this in future blogs.
A whole lot of internal investigation is required to prepare for disruption, even more to adjust the organization to be more nimble and less bureaucratic. The smaller organization may be in a place of considerable advantage in disruption as they can make decisions faster and be more innovative in their approaches.
hese and other related topics feature in Dr Mats book titled "Leading and Managing Change in the Age of Disruption and Artificial Intelligence" - written for the modern professional, student and academic - in fact anyone wanting to be ahead on modern Leadership and Management issues.
Dr Mats latest book is available through Amazon (kindle version or hard copy can now be purchased) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1787563685 . This book has been strongly endorsed - so use this link to review the endorsements, or to preview Chapter 1, table of contents and the preface from Amazon (kindle version button) - consider buying this book or recommend it to professional colleagues or friends/family, students and academics.
Dr Mat also writes for a number of professional/ other magazines, podcasts, conferences, webinars in his quest to spread knowledge on these modern important topics. View Dr Mats website at the "Dr Mats articles" page to read all of his recently published articles.
Of course Dr Mat is available for presentations, key note, private briefings and mentoring to assist your organization prepare for the future, just enquire and arrange for these
for your organization.
Dr Mat is also on Twitter - @DrMat14
Consider your own specific situation and seek professional advice before acting directly in reaction to any of the tips on this website, they are intended as general advice only.