A secret growth hack – change
Change management has always been a buzzword in Corporate, regardless of the size of the organization. 2020 will be marked in history whenever change management is the centre for discussion, and why not, seldom used words like “Disruption, VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and ambiguous), Remote, Zoom, Virtual, Teams, Technical glitch, no power, Mute, Camera” became an irreplaceable part of our vocabulary. This, in reality, was a mandatory intervention of change management for all. It was a real disruption with the classic VUCA scenario and most of the businesses faced the brunt.
When asked to describe 2020 in one word, the readers of the ‘Washington Post, used words like chaotic, exhausting, and lost, and somewhere we all relate to this. We all hoped for the havoc to end with the end of 2020, but here we are in June 2021 and still struggling to seek clarity on business in particular and life in general. With the first quarter of 2021 ending, the scene seems highly unpredictable.
A couple of lessons for all of us to embark on this journey forward:
Human Capital: In this era of AI, it is a good reminder that we humans still hold supremacy. It is evident in the way we all adapted to these tough times and not only survived but are sailing through. Remember, “we can transform ourselves in accordance to any situation”.
Never say never: It is clichéd but true and is yet another reminder! Examples like: “oh, our sector can never operate in WFH” or “business development is just not possible without face-to-face interactions with customers and clients.” Without stepping out we managed Talent search,
onboarding, performance reviews, dialogue and exits too. On learning strategy, we engaged our workforce by adopting a blended learning model by being innovative in the micro learning model
and offered synchronous, in addition to asynchronous learning options. The learning modules on emotional intelligence, resilience, wellbeing and accountable leadership were backed by more relevant examples.
Dynamic Policies: These unprecedented times taught us, to not only have a growth-oriented mind-set but also a flexible one, as the narrative has been ever-changing and dynamic. The ability to be fluid and flexible while making decisions was the need of the hour. From critical decisions like profit sharing, salaries, health insurance, or vaccinations, to opening offices or no work on weekends were some critical decisions made from the comfort of home via remote working.
Three P’s: This year taught us to settle with the long historical debate about three P’s: product, people, and process: This experience brought clarity as keep your people in the centre and design your other two P’s around it. The whole survival and sustenance of business happened because of the people, associated.
Let us remember that we are all together in this and we bring our unique element to create a sound
and robust strategy to face this real VUCA challenge. Remember to celebrate change instead of
fearing it, because “change is the only constant”.
Do take care of yourself.
