Organizations are complicated, complex and chaotic. Transformational BPR requires engaging the business from 360° - analyzing the people / roles, processes and technology at the tactical, operational and strategic layers – and analyzing how the people / roles, processes and technology engage one another across and between each layer. This post discusses the strategic layer. The tactical and operational layers are discussed in separate posts.
In successful, high performing organizations, the strategic layer of the organization creates business chaos – and drives chaos down and across the organization into the operational and tactical layers. Business chaos is the apparent and perceived state of flux in an organization as it evolves and changes.
Major shifts or changes in an organization’s business environment (aka strategic inflection points) require an organization to rapidly adapt - or risk going into decline. The emergence of innovative competitors, significant regulatory changes, changes in economic conditions and shifts in information technology are examples (the spheres in the illustration below) of major shifts and changes in an organization's business environment.
The strategic layer is the domain of senior and executive management. The strategic layer has two core components – external engagement and internal engagement.
The focus of the external engagement component is to continually engage the external business environment to proactively scan and, as early as possible, identify major shifts and changes - and analyze the opportunities and threats associated with the shifts and changes.
Major shifts and changes in an organization’s business environment are the source of chaos creation at the strategic level.
The focus of the internal engagement component is to continually adapt and revise business strategy to counter the threats and leverage the opportunities associated with the shifts and changes. Adapting and revising business strategy is the mechanism for chaos creation.
The internal engagement component also focuses on communicating the changes and shifts in the business environment and the corresponding changes in business strategy to the operational layer and to provide guidance to the operational layer in formulating tactics to execute the changes in strategy. Communication of changes in business strategy and the resulting tactics are the drivers of business chaos throughout an organization.
There is significant opportunity for transformational change at the strategic level. The opportunity for transformational change manifests in creating the culture and the mechanisms for proactive, aggressive, highly tuned-in and engaged scanning of the external business environment for shifts and changes; embracing and rapidly responding to the shifts and changes and clearly communicating changes in strategy and providing tactical guidance to the operational and tactical layers.
Every organization continually experiences major changes and shifts in their business environment and almost every organization is currently experiencing at least one of the 10 reasons - and typically multiple reasons for transformational BPR.
A business platform that is high-performing, scalable, extensible, adaptable/nimble, robust and transparent enables your organization to successfully manage and leverage the chaos of continual shifts and changes in your business environment.
However, your business platform is complicated, complex and chaotic. Transformation is equally complicated, complex and chaotic. Successful transformation requires substantial business knowledge, adept judgment and seasoned experience.
When you are ready for transformational BPR the next step is very simple – contacts us and let’s discuss your organization and BPR requirements in more detail. We can assist your organization in creating the future-state blueprint of your business platform and in transforming the blueprint into reality.
Today’s rapidly changing business environment favors high-performing, agile organizations capable of delivering extraordinary customer and business value.
Meeting this challenge often requires transformative change - and sustainable on-going improvement in business processes, organizational culture and supporting technologies.
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