With the painful acknowledgment that a global recession is afoot, coupled with economic chaos, 2009 promises to be a year when organizations in all sectors, whether for-profit, a non-governmental organization (NGO) or even faith-based, that the name of the game, and most definitely taking center stage, will be redefining, rebranding, retooling and realigning.
For those organizations who intend to greet 2010 with some level of vigor, and not merely crippling across the finish line into that year, proactively responding to change is now an organizational imperative. Organizations that find themselves unable to navigate the seas of change with finesse; find it difficult to engage their workforces to improve productivity; and do not conduct serious organizational assessments to identify process and performance gaps, unfortunately, may very well find their doors slamming shut; closing not to signal the end of a workday, but closed as a result of going out of business due to an inability to compete, survive and more importantly thrive in today’s fierce globalized, technologically-driven knowledge age.
As far as we management and organizational development researchers and consultants are concerned, we knew this day would come, saw it with the precision of an eagle’s eye, with or without throwing economic turmoil into the mix. You see, organizations are just like a humming car engine, that favorite fish tea recipe; if one part is out of alignment, the engine does not purr very well; or if too much of one ingredient is put into the mix and another is neglected, the flavor is lost; simplistic examples, but certainly you get my drift.
Organizations are systems, systems that to run effectively require a delicate state of balance on all fronts. Leaders who understand this pay close attention to all aspects of the organization, routinely assessing and retooling as necessary systematically and strategically, not haphazardly in response to the actions of competitors, or without conducting data-driven organizational assessments which pinpoint process or productivity gaps. Organizations that are unfocused, unaligned relative to processes and functions; with unengaged workers who are just merely showing up can not fare well at a time when consumers expect actually more than their money’s worth; at a time with organizational endurance is intricately linked to ongoing managerial enlightenment.
So, with that said, 2009 appears to be a year when,
• Small Business Innovation Will Be Driven By Recession: Small businesses will focus on cash flow, cost containment, customer retention and survival, as well as innovation. Focused on a need to improve productivity and increase customer value, small businesses will re-evaluate, re-design and refine their products, processes and business models. Despite the adverse economic climate, innovation will create new opportunities for those small businesses who answer the call to change.
• Government Expands Role in the Economy: Globally, economic turmoil, corporate malfeasance, regulatory failure, and unscrupulous investment schemes will lead to increased governmental intervention in the economy. Businesses will need to heed more astutely governmental policy shifts as governments will take a more active role in managing and regulating their economies in an attempt to minimize fallout from businesses gone awry.
• Small businesses will increase in 2009. With job losses high and traditional employment options limited, more people will turn to self-employment and small business in 2009. With it easier and more economical to start a business, people may find themselves forced to consider a business, whether to provide another stream of income, or to merely replace income lost at the hand of a disappearing job. With technology readily available to support a small business, and retirement not a option because of corporate mismanagement or financial crisis sapping away retirement funds, small business development is anticipated to soar among those considered to be at retirement age, and for youth who find their employment prospects, with or without university training somewhat limited. 2009 has been pegged as the year of the “solopreneur” as businesses created and run by individuals are predicted to be plentiful across the Caribbean and the United States.
• Technology will continue to expand and impact the way business is conducted. Smart phones, computer notebooks, netbooks and navigation systems are certain to support the continued growth of mobile computing and its impact on the way businesses operate during 2009. Online marketing is poised to increase as it is cheaper and oftentimes more effective than traditional approaches, and with businesses squarely
focused on customer acquisition, the retention of market share, and redefining business models and methods in the face of change and cash flow, while online marketing can be complex, expanding reach to tap into the global marketplace has become necessary.
For those organizations willing to take a close look at their products, processes, performance management and productivity, even in this time of uncertainty, opportunities will be boundless, even if recognizing them requires a bit more mining; but for those companies striving to simply maintain, unwilling to actively pursue the art of continuous improvement, these entities may just find themselves unable to complete, because this year will continue to reveal the interconnectedness of our global economy, and this interconnectivity must begin within every organization or these entities might find themselves left behind.
Dr. Anita Davis-DeFoe, President/CEO of the Afia Development Corporation, “What we are witnessing is organizations shifting from simplistic command and control, hierarchically managed systems which are relatively effective when the external environments are stable, to open social systems comprised more of delegated authority, self-regulating teams and differentiated decision-making.”