John Kotter – The Evolution of the 21st Century Organisation

The fixed organisation structures commonly used today were developed over 100 years ago. In our fast paced, highly unpredictable world they are likely to be working against us, slowing down and stifling innovation, just when it’s needed most. Technology advancements and globalisation have changed the game completely and so the organisational rules will also need to change.

Approval is easy. Commitment isn’t. Discover why most strategies stall after sign-off — and how to avoid the silent execution killer.

After the global events of recent years, it’s no wonder many of us are likely to think of change as a fast-paced sprint that can be unpredictable, unplanned and overwhelming. However a focus on certain core principles can be the key to ensuring that the change is an overwhelming success rather than just overwhelming!

Apparently 85% of what we do is driven by habit. Think about driving a car or doing mundane chores at home, often we’re lost in thought and only barely conscious of what we’re doing. Habits can work for us or against us. In this excellent book and TED talk Charles Duhigg shows us how we can hack our less useful habits to create new, better ones. And the real eye opener for me was the realisation that an organisation can have group habits too and they can equally be productive or destructive.

Think that some organisations are too big or too well established to change? Think again. Satya Nadella and the team at Microsoft of proven otherwise.