S&R Workshops

S&R Workshops are customized, and typically last from 1 to 4 days. The duration depends on the selection of modules, the extent to which experienced implementers and other experts are included, and the amount of time allotted to action-learning activities. In the shorter workshops, action-learning is in the form of exercises. The outcome is an understanding of S&R concepts, principles and examples sufficient to make an informed decision about if and where to apply S&R. In the three and four day versions, a prototype adaptive organizational design is produced. Below are brief descriptions of several modules in the current workshop repertoire.

WHAT THINGS ARE CHANGING FASTEST, AND WHERE?

Using an assessment tool completed in advance of the workshop, attendees discover where they agree–and where they don’t—about the types and rates of change confronting the organization, and which of its parts are most affected. A consensus prioritization of areas to make more adaptable is reached.

SENSE & RESPOND AS A MANAGERIAL INNOVATION

What differentiates a managerial innovation from a product, service or process innovation? A side-by-side comparison of S&R with the legacy management system (Make & Sell) reveals why it is so difficult to implement (much less sustain) adaptive operational innovations such as empowerment, teams, and customer-back behavior. Deeply engrained and typically unexamined legacy management practices that systematically defeat adaptability are identified in this session.

Few words in today’s business vocabulary are used more inappropriately than “transformation.” At least 99% of the time, the term is applied to describe a reformation, or simply to convey the idea of “difficult changes ahead.” Participants will learn the difference between using the S&R managerial innovation to effect a reformation, and using it to manage an authentic transformation. Guidance is provided on determining which type of change is more appropriate for a given organization.

THINKING DIFFERENTLY

Any change that is more than incremental entails a combination of thinking differently and acting differently. Much more attention is normally given to prescribing how to act differently (i.e., process design). But thinking in a new way is sometimes the greater challenge. It is not everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who want to know what is required to make sense out of new situations, this short module — which consists primarily of exercises — is available.

HOW S&R ORGANIZATIONS CREATE VALUE

The crux of a true transformation is a change in the value that defines an organization’s purpose. In adaptive organizations value is co-created with customers, rather than extracted from them. This module describes the meaning of “co-created value,” and its implications for pricing, account planning, relationship management and competitive advantage.

POST-INDUSTRIAL CORE COMPETENCES

Adaptive organizations require a different set of core competences than do efficiency-centric organizations. The assumption of unpredictable change implies that what is best practice today may well become “so-so” or even bad practice tomorrow – or next month. This module describes a set of higher-level competences that adaptable firms will depend upon for their survival. Based on the interest and needs of participants, these competences will be briefly overviewed or become distinct modules on their own.

Knowing Earlier. Rapidly Sensing and Interpreting the meaning of what is happening now is the sine qua non of “Anticipate and Preempt” S&R strategies. Separate modules conducted by experts in specific methods and technologies can be arranged (see “Subject Matter Expert Modules” below).

Managing by Wire is the managerial equivalent of the fly-by-wire capability that enables pilots to adapt rapidly while flying at several times the speed of sound. It incorporates and extends Knowing Earlier capabilities by using technology to translate managerial decisions into operational action. It requires role-specific information support of the adaptive loop: Sense>Interpret>Decide>Act.

Designing an Organization as an Adaptable System. Process optimization, and to a lesser extent “Systems Thinking,” have for decades been used to diagnose and improve operations. S&R introduces a new and fundamentally different managerial concept and competence : designing a social organization as a system of roles and accountabilities. The result is an adaptive Role and Accountability Design that specifies “who owes what to whom, and why.” This design becomes the central strategy document of a S&R organization. Examples and exercises are used to illustrate the design methodology.

Dispatching Capabilities From the Customer Back. This behavior is implicit in a system design to co-create value, and has significant implications for how risk is managed, how opportunities are identified and assessed, and where general management authority and accountability must reside. Examples of successful designs for achieving this are given.

Commitment Management. Rapid and dynamic linking of modular capabilities is accomplished through the negotiation and renegotiation of commitments between accountable roles. In larger organizations, a rigorous protocol and technology are required to track the status of these commitments, and ensure that they remain coherent and compliant. How this is accomplished is the focus of this topic. A separate module on the technology can be arranged, if desired.

Authentic and Rigorous Negotiation. Unlearning the defensive mechanisms that are a survival trait in traditional organizations, and learning how to negotiate authentically (not just sincerely) is a cultural adaptation that must occur for a S&R organization to sustain itself and thrive. A successful two-day training course on this topic conducted by experts is available as a companion workshop. Otherwise, this approach is summarized as part of an Adaptive Culture module (see below).

ACTION LEARNING MODULES

These span the spectrum from exercises based on Sense & Respond case studies to facilitations of a prototype adaptive design for a particular organization. In these modules, participants begin the process of internalizing the concepts of Sense & Respond, and become familiar with methods and tools for developing a Reason for Being, Governing Principles, and Role and Accountability Designs. Examples demonstrate the scalability of S&R principles from project to department to enterprise to extended enterprise organizational designs.

METRICS

How do you measure progress in becoming more adaptive? What are the key performance metrics that reveal the impact of adaptability on the bottom line? Answers to these questions are emerging from the experiences of early adopters of S&R. After hearing a short summary of these metrics, participants are asked to assess the feasibility and implications of introducing them in their own organization.

INTERACTION WITH AN EXPERIENCED IMPLEMENTER

With sufficient notice, arrangements can usually be made to incorporate a session with an executive who has implemented S&R, or is currently in the fray. This module has proven exceptionally valuable in helping participants bridge the “knowing-doing gap.” Lessons learned, benefits and risks, metrics, results, Q&A and the unexpected are standard ingredients.

ADAPTING THE CULTURE

Adaptive cultures are very different from efficiency cultures. As individuals, humans are typically quite adaptable, but if the management system rewards consistency, efficiency and predictability, it is illogical to expect much in the way of creativity and innovation. This suggests that the responsibility for effecting cultural change is primary managerial, and that it entails significant managerial innovation. Indeed, changing the management system is necessary…..but it is not sufficient. Individuals must unlearn old defensive habits and acquire new “authenticity” skills in order to operate effectively in an adaptive enterprise. This module describes the prerequisites of an adaptive culture, and an approach to assessing the degree of alignment between accountabilities and reward metrics.

SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT MODULES

These are usually follow-up workshops in which the focus in on implementation of specific S&R “Next Practice” components. Abbreviated versions may be incorporated in the initial workshop if desired. The current repertoire includes:

Authentic Communication Skills
Knowing Earlier Methods and Tools: ZMET (Metaphor-based), SOCRATES-ARISTOTLE (linguistic-based); SENTINEL (Real-time sensor-based)
Commitment Management Support Technology
Role-specific Manage-by-Wire Support Technology
Mapping Role and Accountability Designs into IT Enterprise Architectures
Collaborative Decisionmaking in Highly Uncertain Environments
Customer Experience Management (Making the Customer Experience the Organization’s Value Proposition and Reason for Being)

Please see the S&R Expertise page for profiles of some of the experts involved.

TRANSFORMING LARGE ACCOUNT PLANNING

This is an application of S&R that leverages its scalability. Instead of annual plans to extract as much value as possible from each customer, large account strategies are developed in the form of designs for collaborating with the customer to co-create the greatest amount of total value.

This is normally a stand-alone workshop whose focus is on the introduction and use of S&R tools and methods, with minimal time spent on the underlying managerial concepts. It is an early payoff approach that introduces S&R principles to large organizations in fairly surreptitious way. To the extent that it leads to greater bottom-line success, it should inexorably shift the focus of internal units to satisfying current, rather than forecasted customer needs.

WAY FORWARD

A concluding module devoted to learnings about how best to institutionalize S&R, and determining accountabilities for next steps.

Sense & Respond