September 14, 2019 by Doug Dobie
Nearly all organizations (99%) have undergone a major enterprise-wide change in the last three years. The median tenure of a Fortune 1000 CEO is now less than five years. Both new normal factoids are during one of the greatest bull markets in U.S. economic history. In the “Control to Chaos Continuum”, organizations are reacting to uncontrollable, high impact market factors: disruptive innovations, lower barriers to entry, rapid-real-time competitive replication, industry consolidation to name a few. Further, even the so-called controllable internal factors: capability development, change management, culture, employee success and commitment are wavering.
Control-based, top-down organizations can scale and grow but have chaotic reactions to non-linear external dynamics. On the other hand, more loosely organized, informal, collaboration-based cultures have internal chaos, working through the complexity of trying to scale and grow; often breaking into workgroups resembling cultural tribes, with their own objectives, mores and values.
In today’s work environment, the corner office can no longer try to direct and manage single-handedly through inevitable disruptions. Clayton M. Christensen, the brilliant business theorist of the Innovator’s Dilemma, argued in his October 2013, Harvard Business Review article, Consulting on the Cusp of Disruption, big consulting firm knowledge and tools are being democratized, coupled with increasing sophistication about what consultants do and the value they bring. In other words, the consulting industry itself, has had to question their control-based structure, in light of the chaos brought on by uncontrollable externalities: client sophistication and information democratization.
Unlike large consulting firms, the boutique firm is more loosely organized and informal. The business model is bespoke. New research, analysis, frameworks, tools, insights and recommended actions are developed uniquely for each client. The drawback for the boutique consultant has always been inability to scale. The strength is client-tailored content creation. As maddening as it is to our former formulaic McKinsey, Deloitte and BCG consulting associates, it how smaller consulting firms differentiate and flourish.
Aurore is a library where 20 years of content from over 200 clients will be available as tools and frameworks for sophisticated organizations – faced with chaotic circumstances. During episodic periods of uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, where losing the grip of control can bring-on chaos and impact performance, Aurore brings context, clarity and collaboration to inform decision-making. For instance, during an acquisition integration planning, rather than the C-Suite working alone, equip human resources and key managers with the tools to customize and set talent evaluation and individual change objectives.
Equipping your organization with a context for imminent change, whether controllable or uncontrollable, will reduce the shocks and chaos, empowered the management team, and provide your company the likelihood to flourish too.