Our world of increasing ‘VUCA’ calls for the rise of the monkey in you

China’s bumpy growth deceleration, monetary-policy normalisation in the United States, the oil-price roller-coaster ride and ever faster evolutions in consumer spending patterns are among the numerous factors increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) in business, as mentioned by Goldman Sachs in its “2016 Outlook” report. 

Such an environment compels companies relentlessly to evolve their value propositions, better and faster than competitors. Breakthrough collective thinking across divisions as well as swift decisions and execution are necessary. 

Therefore enterprises must radically enhance their collaborations and agility. 

In its latest quarterly report, McKinsey identified the top 10 management practices differentiating the most from the least agile companies: top-down innovation, capturing external ideas and knowledge-sharing made the cut. 

Grooming employees to think smart, be curious and play well together will go a long way. How can leaders make it happen across their organisations? 

 

Manifest the value of diversity 

A first step is for leaders at all levels ostensibly to value diversity. Encourage employees to speak up and recognise their contribution specifically. 

Coach them to be curious about different opinions. Demonstrate how to think laterally and how to build on one another’s ideas to attain greater collaborative-thinking quality. Invite employees to go out and learn from customers and competitors. Organise frequent knowledge-sharing sessions. 

Leaders should also regularly take time to acknowledge to colleagues which unique value they bring. 

That will grow a healthy sense of self-worth and stimulate greater contributions. 

 

Remove excessive fear of mistakes 

People learn fastest “by doing” and from mistakes. Therefore leaders should empower widely and remove excessive fear of failure – initiatives will flourish. In contrast, paternalistic management – well intentioned and caring as it may appear – prevents employees’ growth and doesn’t belong in the workplace.

Leaders must recognise when their subordinates know better and invite them to take the lead. Leadership is like a dance – sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow. 

 

Foster agility

To enhance organisational agility, leaders must obviously instil a sense of urgency across their enterprise, trim processes to enhance decision-making speed and cascade authority down to the lowest levels reasonable. It is critical to involve employees with questions such as “How will we make this happen twice faster?”

Agility grows as well when people work out of their comfort zone – short of the point where they’d feel overwhelmed. Hence, leaders must continuously raise the bar for performance and readily acknowledge wins – however small – so employees stay motivated. 

Facilitate collaboration across departments

Walls between divisions must fall for a culture of agile collaboration to soar. 

Leadership teams should define the beliefs and behaviour that will nurture such a culture. 

Convincing all employees in the first place that collaboration and agility are critical to success will motivate them to build bridges, improve cooperation and heighten agility in teamwork. 

Fostering the belief that a rising tide lifts all the boats will stimulate behaviour supporting everyone. 

Eventually, leaders must relentlessly coach employees to play well with others outside their own turf for the greater good of the organisation. 

 

Instil playfulness and celebrate

We all take winning in a VUCA world seriously, yet we don’t have to take ourselves too seriously. Playfulness and celebrations are necessary rewards for employees stretched out of their previous comfort zones, and effective ways to have them bond with each other, relieve them from stress and thereby help them to stay optimistic and smart.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago … The next best time is now,” as the Chinese proverb says. Which new seeds will you plant today to enjoy and succeed at the next level in the Year of the Monkey?

 

Jean-Francois Cousin is a speaker and a global executive coach. He wrote the book “Game Changers at the Circus” about unleashing collaboration and agility in organisations. It is available at Asia Books, Kinokuniya and Amazon.com. Contact: [email protected].