Emergent.
It’s a powerful word, and offers an even more powerful approach to leading your organisation. With a stated meaning of something new or emerging, and coming into existence it offers a clear link to the business landscape we’re all operating in.
Change is constant. New challenges and opportunities come into view relentlessly, and our organisations, staff and customers all benefit when we’re in a position to not only navigate, but to thrive in these choppy waters.
One of the keys to success is to embrace Emergent Strategies.
Business strategy used to be something you could – and many did – set and forget, designed to last 3-5 years before being reviewed and refreshed in any meaningful way. Today this approach leaves you in danger of missing threats and opportunities as they appear on the horizon (or creep up from behind).
The idea of a single strategy as a roadmap for business feels quaint now. And in truth, even back then the strategy was often filed away and…essentially forgotten. Post-planning, those involved went back to their roles and assumed their departmental efforts were in some way contributing to the overall strategy, while focusing on short-term KPIs, goals, and budgetary challenges.
For some people, simply knowing there was a strategy was a huge part of the strategy itself.
Business today is vastly different. Change is the norm, and the increasingly dynamic business landscape demands a more flexible approach, but one very much aligned to a clear Deliberate Strategy allowing all stakeholders to understand the direction.
Organisations need to be smart. Give due consideration to decisions as they need to be made, and quickly harness the best of what’s available to you. Done well, it’s not so much a case of panicking, but being more agile. It’s a chance to implement, learn and improve as you go.
At Emergent Consulting, we can help you position your organisation for ongoing success. This article will offer you some ideas on how to implement an emergent mindset into your business – and we’re always available if you’d like to discuss it at a deeper level!
But first, let’s take a quick walk in the rainforest.
THE EMERGENT LAYER
The tallest tree didn’t start as the tallest tree in the forest. From a seed, it emerged over time to grow into something spectacular.
By making the most of its environment – and adapting to prevailing conditions – it rose up from the forest floor to become part of the Emergent Layer of the forest.
Your organisation’s strategic approach can achieve a similar result. Like the tree, it requires adapting when necessary to use conditions to your advantage. This is the power of embracing Emergent Strategies.
AN EMERGENT MINDSET
Emergent Consulting evolved to respond to the challenges you and your organisation will face, and we’re constantly growing our expertise and services as the business world continues to change. Emergent is not just a word, and definitely not just our business name. Emergent is a mindset allowing you to respond, to anticipate, and to succeed.
And an Emergent Strategy is the key to future success for your organisation. Harvard Business School describe it as ‘one that arises from unplanned actions and initiatives from within an organisation’ which is a description worth breaking down because it reveals so much.
- Unplanned: as the world changes so quickly, a deliberate strategy can’t possibly address new threats and opportunities. An Emergent Strategy is critical to being able to accommodate these, giving you a competitive advantage.
- Actions and Initiatives: this underlines the importance of being dynamic and on the front foot. A passive approach is no longer fit-for-purpose. Be prepared to act and move, and to make decisions quickly.
- From within an organisation: we love this as it emphasises how important a positive organisational culture is, and how it can drive success. An empowered work force which genuinely values clear and open communication across and between all levels will be positioned to deliver excellent results.
In short, an emergent mindset allows you to embrace an Emergent Strategy, which in turn strengthens your organisation’s Deliberate Strategy. Restricting actual strategy to a nominal strategic plan is no longer an option.
WHERE DO EMERGENT STRATEGIES FIT?
Initially this idea of layers of strategy can feel counterintuitive: what’s the value of a plan if that plan is liable to change? The answer is brutally simple: business is changing around us all the time. In reality its not about sticking blindly to a strategy, but strengthening your approach as you go. We can’t expect to accurately strategise 5 years into the future with the pace of change we experience today. An emergent mindset gives you an advantage as you move along your strategic path.
Your organisation’s Intended Strategy sets the direction and will guide you as you go. As you can see in the figure below, your Deliberate Strategy is determined by the actions you put in place from your Intended Strategy, and it’s further enhanced by Emergent Strategies (those unplanned opportunities as described by Harvard Business School) as you progress.
Combined, they result in your Realized Strategy.
https://opentextbc.ca/strategicmanagement/chapter/intended-emergent-and-realized-strategies/
We can’t stress this next part enough: your Nonrealized Strategies are not failures. These are decisions you’ve made in order to strengthen your Deliberate Strategy. Don’t see them as what you’ve failed to achieve, but as the things you strategically let go. They were unnecessary, or an obstacle to progression. Sometimes they were relevant when the Intended Strategy was designed, but as the business or regulatory landscape changes have become a waste of time and resources.
An Intended Strategy with no ability to accommodate the changes happening around your organisation is almost certain to fail
The old saying about jazz makes a good analogy. For musicians it’s the notes they don’t play; while in business it can be the things we decide not to do. Don’t be afraid to let things go if they no longer offer value to your organisation or stakeholders.
AN EMERGENT MINDSET GIVES YOU AN ADVANTAGE WHEN FACING CHALLENGES
Sometimes things don’t work as we’d planned and the ability to make quick decisions for the greater good is required. An emergent mindset enables you to guide your organisation with confidence and a level of calm when you need to change focus or direction. We’ve listed some of these challenges – and their solutions – below.
- Your Strategic Plan Doesn’t Succeed
Despite our best-laid plans, our Strategic Plan may not succeed. As the saying goes, it’s not the setback that defines us…it’s how we respond. This is a chance to build an Action Plan and to oversee its implementation. Initiate some quick wins to re-establish momentum and celebrate these with your team. This can then provide a robust platform from which to instigate a new strategic overview. - Your Strategic Plan Isn’t Strategic
This most commonly happens when there’s a lack of confidence or expertise in setting the strategic direction. It can also occur if companies change ownership or see dramatic changes at board- or executive-level. It’s probably time to get some external input to bring wider market awareness and the ability to stretch the thinking of your organisation. There are plenty of business consultants available, and we also happen to know a really experienced team! - Your Executives Aren’t Enabling the Strategy to Be Executed
There’s a danger for any organisation when words and actions don’t align. If a leadership team doesn’t adhere to or support the strategic plan, it creates a sense of uncertainty and a lack of clear direction. Some critical questions you can ask in this situation:
- Do your executives believe in the strategy?
- Do they think strategically?
- Does the strategy have too much – or not enough – detail?
- Do they have enough headspace and time to support the team and fully participate?
- Do their teams have the appropriate skills and experience?
The damage to organisational culture in this situation is potentially huge, especially combined with a lack of strategic direction. At this point, engaging business consultants is the quickest way to reset and regain control of your Deliberate Strategy, and it will provide business-wide benefits.
DOES YOUR CURRENT PLAN ALLOW FOR EMERGENT STRATEGIES?
Having established the benefits of an emergent mindset to guide your strategic direction, we get to the big question: can your organisation accommodate Emergent Strategies? You may be in a position to incorporate them into your planning as it stands, re-energising your team with a renewed focus on identifying and acting on unplanned opportunities.
Sometimes though, it needs a review and rethink of your Intended Strategy. With this in mind, we recommend McKinsey’s helpful guide to value-creating strategy choices, and a constructive approach to using four interdependent lenses as a framework.
Link: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/seeing-your-way-to-better-strategy
This is an intelligent approach. As McKinsey says, the approach ‘can help companies debias their strategic dialogues’, which will result in a more robust Intended Strategy. The figure above demonstrates the potential in adopting an emergent mindset; by incorporating Emergent Strategies into a wider, more objective and fit-for-purpose approach, you put your organisation in a position to take advantage of opportunities as and when they appear, while also being more attuned to threats and ready to minimise any risk to your operations.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EMERGENT
It’s a different world today. An emergent mindset will enable you to work your way through threats and harness the opportunities you didn’t anticipate arising. It’s the answer to the question: how do I keep my organisation moving forward through all this uncertainty?
An emergent mindset harnesses Emergent Strategies, and with a clear roadmap, enables your organisation to rise to the emergent layer of the business forest.
We really hope you’ve taken something from this article, and it’s given you the inspiration to think about your organisational strategy, and what opportunities you have to improve on it as you go. At Emergent Consulting we’re always happy to meet and discuss your organisation, your market, and the opportunities we see for you. You can contact us here, or book a virtual or in-person meeting with us here.
