Points of Contexture

An Open Letter: Leadership and Strategy in the Crisis

January 5, 2009

 

To Whom It May Concern:

 

Significant changes in your environment require an immediate strategic review to refocus your competitive advantage.  Strategy is all about future differences, creating your future, the competitive difference you can bring, and how you identify and take advantage of the resulting new opportunities.  In this economic crisis, in this critical moment, how you chose to act and respond will have far reaching impacts for you and your organization.

Now is the time for reconsidered strategy - for your organization, your business units, and your alliances and partnerships – creating precise actions aligned with that strategy, with an eye ready to see the opportunities that are clearly beginning to emerge.

While the jury is out on how long this crisis will continue, one thing is sure:  The world simply will not look nor act the same afterwards.

The Pervasive Expectations of Instantaneous Response

As communications speed up, driven by technology advancements, there is always a trade off - detail for speed, or speed for detail.  Most people opt for speed, which of course means little time for context and understanding.  And one thing critical for tight and concise communication and understanding over time, exformation (explicitly discarded information) doesn't really occur.

 

This means that the biggest issue for technology improved communications (more speed seems to be the choice and  emphasis),  is that there is less and less understanding of what is being communicated faster and faster, with still the expectation of instantaneous response.

 

This is just one of the implications of the pervasive pressure of Expectations of Instantaneous Response.