When does organizational action naturally occur, and when does it need a helping hand?
Thought Sparks
The conditions under which a human organization is likely to act may not reflect how important or even urgent the challenge is. Understanding how to galvanize a common purpose is critical to overcoming some of our biggest challenges – but it doesn’t always follow a logical process.
A clear, plausible, credible threat or opportunity
The first requirement for an organization to take action is that there is a clear plausible danger or opportunity with a critical mass of people who agree on the implications. Usually, it is accompanied by a compelling and believable story. It can come in the form of an opportunity that people are worried about competitors grabbing. One of the most pervasive myths in business strategy is that of first-mover advantage, in which all players in a sector believe that the first to win big will be able to keep the gains. The recent example of autonomous driving is a cautionary tale. I mean, $100 billion to create vehicles that can’t manage their way around traffic cones?
There is a describable, specific villain or target
Taking action is also easier when there is a clear and present “villain” that is causing the problem. If Vladimir Putin had not so dramatically attempted to overthrow the Ukrainian government by a blitz in Kyiv, would the West have so solidly united against Russia – taking dramatic moves to pull business operations out of the country, supporting Ukraine, accepting refugees and so on at enormous cost? Had Putin instead continued with the strategy he followed in Crimea of just sort of nibbling away, leaders in the West would have had a much more difficult time achieving consensus on acting..
RITA MCGRATH | THOUGHT SPARKSund the correct course of action
action, a critical mass of people must agree on
In the case of Y2K, it was to bring in massive mputers and retrofit chips. In the case of the hole ban the production of CFC’s. In the case of the nish Russia to the extent possible and support ble.
People will only act – especially if it is costly or inconvenient – if they have faith that doing so will lead to either a positive outcome or deflect a negative one. A critical mass of people must believe that their agreed-upon actions will resolve the challenge or difficulty.
A fascinating concept here is that of the “Overton Window.” This is the notion that there are a group of policies which a large number of people consider to be acceptable or desirable, and policymakers operating within the range of those acceptable solutions will meet with success.
There is broad agreement on what a successful outcome would look like and that the action taken will lead to that success
ance in taking action: when fails
Explain why this goal is a priority in your organization. List the targets specified by the UN that your organization wants to achieve as an indication that the goal is met.
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