Cuidado com o sucesso (parte II)

Parte I.

"Assuming a good strategy, short-term success is a function of alignment; that is, to execute the strategy, managers work hard at getting the right people, ensuring that the organization is structured the right way, that they are measuring and rewarding the right things, and that they are developing a culture that promotes behaviors to accomplish their key success factors. This is not an easy task, but when it is successful, the alignment drives the execution of the strategy and the firm succeeds and begins to grow. Over time, as the organization gets larger, managers learn what tweaks to make to tighten the alignment; better metrics are developed; lessons learned are reflected in new procedures and processes; structures are refined; better control and coordination is achieved; and the skills needed to make the machine run become abundant. All of these changes increase the performance of the organization. Unfortunately, this tighter alignment also increases the chance of structural inertia. The people who have diligently worked to develop the structures, systems, processes, and metrics associated with success are loath to change them, especially for uncertain opportunities offering lower-margin business.
.
Separate from size and structural inertia, as a successful organization lives longer, it also develops norms that set expectations about those behaviors associated with success. People learn that certain behaviors are rewarded, both formally and informally, in terms of status and recognition, and other behaviors are frowned on or punished. People who comply with these norms are promoted, and new employees are selected based on their ability to fit with corporate expectations. This social control system or cultural alignment helps execute the strategy and contributes to the success of the firm. Unfortunately, it also leads to cultural inertia and makes change more difficult.
.
So we have a paradox: the alignment of the formal control system (structure and metrics—or organizational hardware) and of the social control system (norms, values, and behavior—or organizational software) is critical to the successful execution of the strategy. But these also foster the organizational inertia that can make it difficult to change, even in the face of clear threats. Thus, in the short term, managers work hard to align the organization with the strategy. As long as  the external environment remains relatively stable, this is the key to organizational success and survival."

Várias linhas de pensamento:

• a troika e os consultores. Quando o mundo muda mesmo, é preciso a colaboração de alguém de fora do sistema para ajudar a perceber a ratoeira mental de que se é prisioneiro;
• as PME portuguesas do transaccionável, do tempo em que éramos a china da Europa antes de haver China, tiveram de chocar contra a parede da realidade e, depois, elas, ou a massa cinzenta que sobrou delas, teve de testar, fuçar, explorar (exploration) e criar novas hipóteses, novos seres vivos, novas empresas;
• e os políticos que não aprendem?

Trechos retirados de "Lead and disrupt : how to solve the innovator’s dilemma" de Charles A. O’Reilly III e Michael L. Tushman