Chaorder – A delicate balance between agility and stability

Large organizations have built a lot of structure and have become very stable over the years, but now they notice that they are not agile enough to seize new opportunities. Then you have start-ups that are very agile and seize a lot of opportunities, but they still fail because they lack stability and processes. They drown in operational work coming from seizing too many opportunities or make too many mistakes.

Often, leaders ask me this question: Do we need to be agile or to be stable?

I believe you need both, and choosing one over the other might disserve you.

Become like a great boxer

I box J and I like making an analogy with boxing. What do you notice from great boxers? Are they stable or are they flexible?

They are both. Whether they are trying to find the best way to punch their opponent or they are avoiding taking a punch, they need to be flexible and creative. They need to move fast. But then when they punch or get punched, they need to be very stable. They show flexibility and stability at specific moments and constantly navigate between both. 

It's the same in business. When you need to find a solution to a problem, when you need to think about seizing an opportunity or avoiding a threat, you need flexibility, creativity and agility. You’ll need to try new things.

But then, when you need to implement that idea to deliver something great, you’ll need stability, processes and structure.

I believe a successful company in today’s digital times will constantly navigate between chaotic phases and stable phases.

But many leaders are very uncomfortable with chaos

Many have learned the importance of controlling things, of structuring, of planning, but they have never learned to accept and deal with chaos. Because of that, their organization cannot be successful in digital times. They are too rigid to adapt rapidly to change. Managing chaos becomes a very important skill for leaders. If you want to feel better in chaotic times, you’ll find five things you can do here to lead you toward that goal.

How is the chaorder balance of your organization?

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