The why, what and how of future-fit cultures
The why, what and how of future-fit cultures
A new 9 minute video with links to additional resources.
“L’avenir est comme le reste: il n’est plus ce qu’il était.” - Paul Valéry
As the above 1937 quote from Paul Valéry demonstrates, the world was becoming increasingly uncertain and unpredictable long before the 2020 pandemic lifted things to a whole new level.
When Covid-19 locked us all down, it became clear just how much we’d taken so many things for granted - like the ability to travel, to meet face-to-face, and simply to go to work.
After a few months of lockdowns, even the most diehard adherents to strategic planning could hardly fail to see that old duck was dead in the water.
Some of the talk of a ‘new normal’ was the vain hope that someday we’d eventually return to the cosy illusion of stability and predictability.
But it should be clear to everyone by now that the future isn’t what it used to be and that instability, uncertainty and unpredictability are here to stay.
In the nine minute video above, I explore why organisations need to create a culture that’s fit for an increasingly uncertain and unpredictable future, specifically:
What we can learn from the adaptive, agile cultures of the innovative high-tech firms that dominate 21st century commerce.
Why it’s vitally important to challenge often unexamined outdated assumptions about sense making, decision making and action taking.
Why the perspectives, approaches and practices of the organisational learning movement of the 1990’s failed to fulfil their potential.
How organisations can take pragmatic action to create their own unique future-fit culture by focusing precisely and deeply on generating maximum leverage with minimum risk.
Why shifts in the mindsets of the key influencers, not necessarily in the most senior positions, are crucial.
Where you can find out how to leverage the insight that organisational culture is the prevailing system of mindsets that forms and informs people’s awareness of ‘the way we do things round here’.
Why bringing in hordes of outside consultants is like sending other people to the gym to workout on your behalf - and being surprised when your strength, agility and fitness don’t improve.
Where to connect and engage on LinkedIn.
The extended version of Paul Valéry’s 1937 quote translates to English as “The future, like everything else, is no longer quite what it used to be. By that I mean we can no longer think of it with any confidence in our inductions.” It’s often attributed to Yogi Berra (who was just 12 in 1937) as “The future ain’t what it used to be”.
“From Strategy to Sense Making” is one of my most viewed posts.
I was actively involved at the heart of the organisational learning movement from the early 1990’s onwards, including serving for several years on the Global Leadership Team of Peter Senge’s Society for Organisational Learning.
The three resources mentioned from 06:00 - 07:45 above are these eight videos (total viewing time = 45 mins), the 22-page Five Fatal Habits report and this Substack channel.