In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world, many worry that by the time a strategy is built, the world will have already moved on and the strategy itself will be outdated before it’s even launched. Many articles explore the idea that the pace of change has outpaced the discipline of strategy—though (spoiler alert) they always circle back around to reaffirm the necessity of strategy.
In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world, many worry that by the time a strategy is built, the world will have already moved on and the strategy itself will be outdated before it’s even launched. Many articles explore the idea that the pace of change has outpaced the discipline of strategy—though (spoiler alert) they always circle back around to reaffirm the necessity of strategy.
Things are evolving rapidly on multiple fronts, including geopolitics, the economy and artificial intelligence. Even climate change can feel like a slow-moving phenomenon at the moment. In this context, organizational decision-making faces serious headwinds. The stakes feel higher just when outcomes seem harder to foresee.
Through our respective experiences with transformations (Elizabeth leading change from the inside, Brooke accompanying leaders through change from the outside) we’ve reached a similar insight: changing behaviours and improving results comes from a mutually reinforcing integration of strategy and culture.
Often, a replacement executive is brought in as organizations move through natural phases. To draw an analogy to mountain climbing, reaching base camp and reaching the summit are two different phases, each with a separate skillset and each necessary to reach the ultimate goal. However, when there’s a leadership change, it is all too easy for the incoming executive to lean into a convenient narrative: “The old way of doing things doesn’t cut it and that’s why we need to change.”
