Management has never been plain sailing. In every era, it faces a new set of challenges. The COVID-19 crisis has amplified and accelerated major shifts that were already underway, transforming the way businesses function. It has also highlighted how ignoring uncertainty is no longer an option for organizations. When faced with the extreme uncertainty brought on by the crisis, some firms were seized with paralysis. Others, by applying various degrees of agility, were able to ride it out – and in the process, prepare for new growth.
In their new book, Resetting Management, IMD professor Stéphane J.G. Girod and research associate Martin Králik set out a compelling case for why business agility now matters more than ever. Going beyond the buzzwords, they show how agility can release a new level of energy, innovation and entrepreneurship that will enable organizations to respond to disruption better. However, rather than advocate a formulaic approach whereby all organizations default to agile methods, they outline the paths towards calibrating the right type and degree of agility for every company’s unique circumstances.
Featuring case studies from some of the world’s leading companies and illustrating how they have successfully, and less successfully, transformed for greater agility – including Lego, General Electric, LMVH and ING – the authors provide leaders with the tools to master a transformation journey.
In the age of uncertainty, leaders can play to win, rather than not to lose, by harnessing the power of business agility.
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It’s become clear that ‘traditional’ management styles have to change and one of the ways to transform for business agility is by changing how managers and executives strategize, organize and lead themselves and others.
The importance of believing in yourself, be true to yourself to succeed but seek lots of help to become aware of and close your blind spots. Work hard and let go of resentments.
As part of my series about the “How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant In The Face of Disruptive Technologies”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Stéphane J.G. Girod.
This new book by IMD professor Stéphane J.G. Girod and research associate Martin Králik sets out a compelling case for why business agility matters now more than ever, and how we should all adapt accordingly.
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Organizational rigidity and the persistent ambiguity of what agility means in practice, attempts at embracing flexibility often remain an uphill battle.
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