Dynamic decisions

DYNAMIC DECISIONS

DYNAMIC DECISIONS AT GALLUS WE WORK WITH A DIVERSE RANGE OF ORGANISATIONS AND LEADERS ACROSS THE WORLD TO CULTIVATE AND MAINTAIN BELIEVE-ABILITY AND TO ENSURE SUCCESSFUL AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURES IN EVER CHANGING POLITICAL, CULTURAL AND REGULATORY LANDSCAPES. All too often we hear of organisations and / or leaders who have potentially thrown it all away through inappropriate actions and decisions. The most recent example being VW – a series of poor decisions to act, or indeed not to act, that have weakened the brand significantly; group think and avoidance of accountability which have resulted in actions and inaction counter to the promoted, and long trusted, brand of integrity, reliability and technological prowess.

The ability to make DYNAMIC DECISIONS is one of five capabilities that we have identified as critical to sustainable high performance across contexts. Organisations that achieve success and remain successful over time demonstrate these five CRITICAL CAPABILITIES as part of their DNA. Enabling structured thinking, sound judgement and robust decision making is often left to chance with limited support through elements of leadership development programmes. Decisions are often as important as process yet they are seldom treated in the same way. Process is analysed, re-engineered and optimised, and people are educated in process methodologies and parameters that create a process ‘system’ throughout the organisation. Over recent years, organisations have come to the realisation that innovation requires structures and systems to flourish despite its creative foundations. Decisions, alas, are yet to attract the same degree of attention with very few organisations truly understanding the decisions that are critical to their value-chain and to the achievement of their strategic ambitions.

‘Never make a decision until you have to’ is a phrase we have heard many times; good advice more often than not….however, what if the very act of making the difficult decision early creates a differentiator that is hard for competitors to follow? Perhaps more alarmingly, many leaders and organisations fail to consider decisions until they become urgent; ‘fire-fighting’ their way through strategy formulation and development, and finding that when the time to make a critical decision arrives they have limited data to inform it.

It’s time that CRITICAL DECISIONS are elevated to become a major pillar of VALUE CREATION and REPUTATION PROTECTION. It’s time that decision makers were placed in a position where they are best placed to exercise SOUND JUDGEMENT and to make a robust DYNAMIC DECISION when called upon. It’s time for a STRUCTURED approach that creates the ENVIRONMENT in which DYNAMIC DECISIONS can be made with some CONFIDENCE. Working with our clients we have identified 10 components to the creation of an organisational system that enables DYNAMIC DECISIONS.

Components of Dynamic Decision Cultures....

FOUNDATIONS

Without foundations it becomes challenging to make decisions that are in the best interests of the organisation and based upon balanced data and argument. BRAND VALUES and CULTURAL EXPECTATIONS set the behavioural parameters around decision making that encourage effective behaviours and, more importantly, explicitly present the brand and culture in a way that should inform decisions. Where brand and culture are EXPLICIT, WELL COMMUNICATED and UNDERSTOOD, and MODELLED by those most senior, it becomes easier for decision makers to challenge their thinking and test decisions in terms of how they may be perceived by critical stakeholders now and in the future.

DIRECTION

STRATEGIC AMBITIONS and goals, TARGET OPERATING MODELS (TOMs), and STATEMENTS OF INTENT all provide clarity and alignment of direction for the organisation and its decision makers. Communication and debate across the organisation is critical to ensure ALIGNMENT and UNDERSTANDING. All decisions can then be tested in terms of their likely impact on strategic success, conformance to the TOM and progression of intended critical paths to success.

0203 751 6345

www.gallusconsulting.com

GALLUS CONSULTING IDENTIFICATION

Strategy formulation and TOM capture often incorporates an interrogation of the value-chain and its component parts. Typically this extends to key stakeholders, capabilities (core, differentiating and enabling), critical processes, and supporting systems. Critical decisions are rarely mapped despite the impact they may have upon success and alignment. Capturing the critical decisions required in three key areas (1. REGULAR DECISIONS required as part of the value chain during business as usual (BAU) activities; 2. Responses to STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK on an ad-hoc and reactive basis; 3. STRATEGY DRIVEN) enables a clearer picture of the critical decision system of an organisation.

IDENTIFICATION OF THE CRITICAL DECISIONS REQUIRED NOW and PREDICTION OF THE LIKELY CRITICAL DECISIONS EMERGING allows for structured thinking to be supported with relevant data and discussion. Once identified, critical decisions are PRIORITISED and complex decisions are debated to DEVELOP UNDERSTANDING, SURFACE ASSUMPTIONS, HIGHLIGHT OBSTACLES, GENERATE OPTIONS and TEST HYPOTHESES in a manner that breaks ‘group-think’ and unhelpful coalitions.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Critical decisions need an OWNER; someone who knows that the decision falls to them, is willing and able to make it in good time, expected to do so and applauded for their courage in the face of ambiguity. Critical decision owners are encouraged to challenge themselves – ‘IF NOT ME, WHO? IF NOT NOW, WHEN?’

AUTHORITY

Decision owners are given SCOPE TO ACT and parameters are set that create a ‘FRAMEWORK FOR FREEDOM’. Considered risk taking in pursuit of strategy and in line with the framework is actively encouraged and rewarded. Decision owners know where their authority extends to and the routes available to them for escalation.

INFORMATION

The GUIDANCE SYSTEM of the organisation is designed to provide the data and information required to inform mapped critical decisions now and in the future. Strategic decisions have been interrogated to identify the METRICS THAT MATTER so that data and information gathering and analysis is in motion well in advance of decisions being sought.

EDUCATION

STRUCTURED THINKING and DECISION MAKING forms part of the LEARNING CURRICULUM. Decision makers are well-versed in relevant models and are able to identify and isolate experiences and people that influence their behaviour to enable a genuinely SELF-AUTHORED yet connected opinion in any given situation. There is a clear process of critique and interrogation of ideas and decisions [ASK | ACCEPT | ALIGN | ACT] across the organisation that accelerates the change curve.

Leaders are BELIEVE-ABLE and demonstrate LEAD DIMENSIONS consistently. They are CONNECTED, INFORMED, and INSIGHTFUL, FOCUSED on doing the right things well and seek to create VALUE for the organisation in everything they do whilst remaining OPEN TO LEARNING from their experiences and those of others.

COMMUNICATION DECISIONS and their RATIONALE are communicated across the organisation. Both to accelerate the

change curve and enable alignment, whilst developing structured thinking and judgement through osmosis and the sharing of others’ thought processes and information feeds. CHANNELS and PROTOCOLS for dissemination of decisions are clear and well used.

INTEGRATION

Critical decisions and decision making skills are INTEGRATED into other ORGANISATIONAL SYSTEMS – human and technical. Performance management, development and reward encourages the behaviours required and project management activities involve the identification of critical decisions.

LEVERS TO LEVERAGE are identified and utilised across the organisation. SUPPORTING TECHNOLOGY and PROCESS is mobilised efficiently and effectively with adequate support.

LEARNING

Critical decisions are REVIEWED; processes and thinking analysed. Decisions with positive and negative are equally valued in the review process and emerging trends inform further development of the DYNAMIC DECISION CULTURE. The FEEDBACK LOOP enables PROCESS LEARNING and develops thinking STRUCTURES and PRACTICES.

#GallusConsult

Gallus Consulting Ltd

DYNAMIC DECISIONS

Dynamic Decisions - an organisational system?

It may seem counter-intuitive but, just as with innovation, a planned systemic approach accelerates DYNAMIC DECISIONS. By system we mean a CULTURE OF EXPECTATION that encourages and rewards courage in the face of ambiguity, an UNDERSTANDING of the critical decisions required and WHO is best placed to take them, PLANNING for future decisions and ENABLING decisions now with adequate INFORMATION, and supporting all of this with EDUCATION, COMMUNICATION and EMPOWERMENT. Creating the system doesn’t demand excessive bureaucracy but does require the same FOCUS and ANALYSIS afforded to process, stakeholder requirements and capabilities.

Decisions made won’t always be right and you may still find your organisation firefighting on some fronts. However, by creating the ENVIRONMENT, MECHANISMS, CAPABILITY, CONFIDENCE and HABITS required to make dynamic decisions across your organisation you are far more likely to generate RESULTS NOW, BUILD THE FUTURE and PROTECT the organisation’s ASSETS and REPUTATION in a sustainable way that lives on beyond its current members.

Elevate decision awareness in your organisation. MAP decisions, PREDICT decisions, ALLOCATE decisions, ALIGN decisions and ACT on them. Luck will always play a part in success - creating a DYNAMIC DECISION CULTURE best places your organisation to take advantage of it!

Gallus build sustainable, high performance environments that everybody can believe in. With particular expertise in leadership capability and alignment, organisation design, business transformation and enterprise risk management, Gallus challenge assumptions, cultivate belief and drive positive change by making performance excellence systemic.

An established business with Headquarters in Northampton, UK and offices in London, Manchester and Aberdeen, Gallus work with ambitious organisations across the world from a wide range of sectors.

Find us at www.gallusconsulting.com or call +44(0)20 3751 6345.

0203 751 6345

www.gallusconsulting.com