Organization Renewal

1. The way to right sizing is reengineering the organization:

· Continually remind co-workers whom you all work for (satisfying the customer).
· Draw organization charts in pencil, not pen.
· Think processes, not departments.
· Think flat, not tall.
· Think team, not individual leadership.
· Think bridges, not walls
· Think networks, not pyramid
· Think time, cost & customers service.
· Think cultural change.

2. Organization need to renew periodically for positioning itself for the future:

· Keep on top of trends
· Become a champion of change.
· Hire, reward and promote the best & brightest.
· Train & counsel laggards.
· Think globally, act locally.
· Innovate or abdicate.
· Develop long term commitment to customers.
· Invest in Technology, people and training.
· Stress innovation & adaptation in your talks with employees.
· Fight the complacency of success

Success is a barrier to change. When things are not broken there is no motivation to fix them. Unfortunately, that sometimes means there is no motivation to improve. “The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving”.

3. A strategic plan is the guiding documents for your organizations explaining where you are going and how you will get there.

The strategic planning group should regularly revisit previous years plans as many organizations find that patterns of their strategic plans may not survive a year in today’s volatile environment.

I. Contract with a capable facilitator.
II. Schedule a fully-day retreat.
III. Assemble an effective planning team.
IV. Get inputs from employees before the planning session.
V. Develop or renew Corporate Vision statement
VI. Develop or renew your Mission statement.
VII. Finish the Corporate vision statement with values and beliefs.
VIII. Conduct an external assessment
IX. Conduct an internal assessment.
X. Brainstorm short-term objectives
XI. Brainstorm long-term objectives
XII. Arrange the objectives in priority order.
XIII. Perform a force-field analysis on each objective
XIV. Develop action plans for achieving each objective.

To get full value from strategic planning session afterwards:

XV. Create an accountability document.
XVI. Communicate the results of the session down the line.
XVII. Bring the facilitator back few months later.


4. Excerpts from Winning by Jack Welch

Excerpts from “WINNING” by Jack Welch ex CEO of General Electric for 21 years who mentored a generation of future CEO’s, have some useful inspirations for culture change, human resources development & meeting organizational objectives.

Before you become a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.

A boss is a person who sees around corners, surrounds himself with smart people and displays resilience.

Jack Welch’s Rules of the game:

1. Leaders relentlessly upgrade their team, using every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate, coach and build self-confidence.

2. Leaders make sure people not only see the vision, they live and breathe it.

3. Leaders get into everyone’s skin, exuding positive energy and optimism.

4. Leaders establish trust with candor, transparency and credit.

5. Leaders have the courage to make unpopular decisions and gut calls.

6. Leaders probe and push with a curiosity that borders on skepticism, making sure their questions are answered with action.

7. Leaders inspire risk taking and learning by setting the example.

8. Leaders celebrate.


5. Three useful quotes about organizational renewal:

“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present” – Abraham Lincoln.

“Unless the Company is endowed with individual who challenge all practices and policy, it won’t be able to meet the difficult challenge of changing conditions” – Thomas V. Banoma

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it” – Allen Kay.