When the going is tough, find a friend to help you through.
As we head into the last third of 2021 and the world is slowly getting to grips with COVID and the impact it has had on our economies and the way we run or organisations, it is perhaps a good moment to reflect on how we plot our way forward.
It is clear that business as usual is simply not an option. Too much has changed. The office is no longer the central point for all business dealings. ZOOM, BlueJeans, TEAMS etc have proven to be a viable way for organisations to engage effectively with themselves and with clients.
The pandemic has also changed the fundamental economic calculus of organisations. In
some cases demand had absolutely skyrocketed, while supply has stagnated or even
diminished. In some sectors there are significant shortages of personnel that results in
knock-on effects for downstream organisations. In the UK, for example, a shortage of
abattoir staff and heavy good vehicle drivers has meant that businesses with the supply of
chicken at the core of their offering are facing an existential crisis.
How an organisation responds to such difficulties becomes even more critical in such
moments of organisational stress. Its is important to ensure that those making decisions
about the future strategy and direction of the organisation have the best information
available to them, and that they are certain that the basis of their decision making is as
clear, balanced and unbiased as it can be.
It is often a challenge for managers within an organisation to remove themselves from
their day-to-day responsibilities and allow themselves to reflect on their work and the
work of their units with a completely independent perspective. It is helpful to have an
independent and critical friend to look at the activities of an organisation, and to provide
clear and independent analysis that serves to inform future strategic planning.
A critical friend does not do the strategic planning for an organisation. That role must
belong to the managers of the organisation. They know it best, and they must have a
personal stake in the future strategic direction of the organisation.
The role of the critical friend is to help organisations assess what works, and what does
not work and understand why. By developing and facilitating processes that play to the
strengths, a critical friend helps to identify the challenges, and their potential solutions,
and in doing so helps to enhance the future performance of the organisation.
In our current times the rules no longer apply the way that they used to, and yet, the
pressure to succeed and thrive is greater than ever. Now is the moment to take an honest
and critical look at your business and to ensure that your strategy and policies are fit for
the challenges of today.
This is a difficult and occasionally treacherous journey, and like the mythical Frodo in Lord
of the Rings, it's helpful to have friends you can rely upon to help you make the journey
successfully.
By bringing our expertise to bear, Themis Group can support organisational change, help
to drive strategic development, and build effective organisational systems based on well
founded and researched evidence that support long term learning and quality.
The COVID pandemic has dealt a blow to many organisations. How they respond will be the
factor that determines if they are around and thriving five years from now. Those that are
will be the ones who have sought to find the opportunity in the circumstances and who
have been nimble and agile enough to embrace the change, sometimes with the help of a good friend.
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