Super-Flexibility for Knowledge Enterprises: A Toolkit for Dynamic Adaptation

ISBN-13: 9783642431548 / Angielski / Miękka / 2014 / 209 str.

Homa Bahrami; Stuart Evans

Opis

strategy, but we also focus on execution. We talk about organizational design, and also refect on leadership practices. Our assumption is that in a dynamic world, leaders at all levels, have to constantly switch gears, wear different hats, and na- gate at different altitudes. They have to think about the "total" enterprise, not in terms of compartmentalized silos or felds of functional expertise. Much like a g- eral contractor, they have to draw on specialized expertise, as and when needed, yet keep the big picture in mind. Our hope is that our diagnostic tools can help teams develop a shared frame of reference and generate cross-functional dialogue. The third driving force behind this second edition is the gradual convergence between the worlds of entrepreneurial start-ups and challenges facing established corporations. Innovation, agility, and initiative are no longer the exclusive preserve of start-ups. Established companies are looking for ways to re-invent themselves, to innovate, to think creatively, and to make their enterprises more fexible, agile and entrepreneurial. We have had the good fortune to sit at the intersection of these two worlds. We hope our ideas can beneft both groups. We set out to provide a "buffet table," a menu of options that can be helpful for the two ends of the spectrum.

Spis treści

Super-Flexibility: A Toolkit for Dynamic Adaptation.- Conceptual Foundations of Super-Flexibility: A Multi-Disciplinary Synthesis.- The Research Laboratory: Silicon Valley’s Knowledge Ecosystem.- Super-Flexible Ecosystems: Innovating by Recycling.- Super-Flexible Strategies: Shifting Gears and Maneuvering Swift Turns.- Super-Flexible Execution: Experimenting, Iterating and Recalibrating.- Super-Flexible Organizations: Orgitechting Geo-Distributed Federations.- Super-Flexible Leadership: Aligning Knowledge Workers Through Peer-Peer Practices.- Becoming Super-Flexible: The Enterprise in Motion.

Blurb

Today, we live in a dynamic and inter-connected world. A multitude of "revision triggers" make it necessary to anticipate, prepare for, and continuously adapt to new realities. The key to dynamic adaptation we argue, is to become "super-flexible". Super-flexibility is defined as the ability to engage in a continuous balancing act: on the one hand, we need to withstand turbulence and create stable anchors, on the other hand, we have to transform and adapt to new realities. Our leadership "toolkit" should help us diagnose on the fly, and take rapid actions as new developments unfold. This book is about how business leaders  can harness uncertainty and make their teams and enterprises "super-flexible". Based on 25 years of field research, advisory work, and professional experience in Silicon Valley' s innovative ecosystem, the authors present a cross-functional, "general management" toolkit for strategizing, organizing, leading, and ultimately re-inventing knowledge enterprises for a dynamic world.