Continuity and Change – Tension Line of Managers

For some companies, success has become an element of stability. These companies take the principle ‘’conserve the essence and do not pass the innovation” as the baseline. Indeed, these two points nearly offer a magical composition of formula for sustainable success…

While protecting the essence, regardless of a company, a state, a society, a family or an international organization, the residuals, which is positive or negative, has been assimilated by each of them by historically checking over, sifting, adopting, repeating and becoming a pattern.

For companies, to preserve the essence, there are practices that help for creating the organizational memory and -culture. Such as vision, mission, strategic goals, business models and -secrets, business processes, business habits, technological infrastructure, human resources or marketing policies, corporate language, ethical values, corporate intelligence, attitudes and behaviours of managers, entrepreneurship atmosphere, relations with stakeholders, wanting better, customer policies, innovative spirit, management style.

However, the ”do not pass the innovation” principle contains external factors that affects the company in the current and/or future, rather than an internal feature such as protecting the essence. Therefore, technological developments, legislative changes, eco-system that is seen in management / production / human resources, and the sector are developments in the country and in the world. In this point, also competitive advantage tools, which will not only be bought and implemented by the company, but also produced again by the company, should take a part.

If the question is making organisation’s successful continuity permanent, the only competence is knowing things, which should not change, and which are open to change.

So, how do we get this competence?

While continuing to support the ”what” fact, which is the essence of the company, ”how we do it” fact is subject to change. It is beside the point but as an good example to this: While we are supporting Ataturk unflaggingly with his vision about gaining our independence in the war of independence, establishment of republic of turkey and modernization, but on the other hand we can criticize the implementations, which is made under the name of Ataturk. Because its ‘how to be applied’ is not due to itself.

In companies, the quintessence ‘what are we doing’ is the basis. -Just like the pandemic that we experience in 2020- it cannot be revised out of the exceptional circumstances. Besides that, the fact “how we do“, which completes the essence, should change, and transform according to the developments. And also some residuals -which had strengthened us before but, in the present, hinder us- should be eliminated. The importance of a flexible and dynamic managerial performance comes in sight here.

Along with protecting of the essence, the organizational culture should be also dynamic. The business model may change. The technological infrastructure, the attitudes of the leaders, employees, stakeholders, goals, business processes, and the corporate culture change with both internal and external learning… They must also change… Because the world is going on!

Successful and influential leaders give very small and bit touches like an acrobat on a rope in the continuity- and change tension line. Thus, they contribute to realizing the company’s highest potential with new essence (organizational culture) prepared in the framework of renewed strategic goals and values.

Today, the first of the factors, which will make the work of leaders much easier is digital opportunities… A digital-based change application that will be supported with advanced human resources policies transforms an organizational culture;

which learns the current organizational culture,

which prompts to cooperation,

which increases the spirit of solidarity and the effectiveness of the leader staff,

which brings the organizational intelligence into the forefront,

which gives energy and speed to the organization,

which is growing and creating something.

Otherwise, the organizational culture fades away day by day and one day comes, and the tension line will break, and this causes disaster for the company…

Bulent Hasanefendioglu

Head of Consultancy, TDG Global

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