Time to view uncertainty and change as opportunities not threats

Time to view uncertainty and change as opportunities not threats: leverage future uncertainty by embracing risk.

From Robert J Toogood, Senior Partner – Chaordic Solutions:

Change management remains an integral part of what is needed to achieve successful business transformation … but without addressing the softer, people related aspects/challenges experience shows it is not possible to bring about long lasting alignment changes. 

But change management needn’t be complicated.  Sometimes, the most startling effects can be achieved by going back to basics and reminding ourselves of what we are really trying to achieve, before getting all tangled-up with methodologies and models.

Our real-life experience shows that one of the softer issues/challenges often associated with change is uncertainty … this generates lack of business confidence, which limits investment made in innovation and therefore growth, which in turn creates weaker economic conditions that then potentially threaten us with recession if not addressed.

So uncertainty – what is it and should we fear it, or have we naively believed in the past that we could control the future?  Uncertainty generates lack of business confidence, which limits investment made in innovation and therefore growth … which in turn creates weaker economic conditions that then threatens us with recession.

Over the last few years the majority of us have clearly been taken by surprise – events have occurred locally and globally that we did not predict.  These unexpected, rare events are described as Black Swans by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in “The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable” and specifically as “a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: It is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random, and more predictable, than it was”.  For years, Taleb has studied how we fool ourselves into thinking we know more than we actually do.  “We restrict our thinking to the irrelevant and inconsequential, while large events continue to surprise us and shape our world.”

So we need to change the way we think and therefore view things like uncertainty and change.  As Dr David Hillson says in his book “Exploiting Future Uncertainty: Creating Value from Risk”, “whatever the future holds, one thing is sure: nothing is certain except uncertainty.  Prediction is always hard, especially about the future, but the biggest risk is not taking any risk at all.  All businesses face significant levels of uncertainty these days.  To succeed you need to exploit future uncertainty, turning it to your advantage by managing risk effectively”.

We can help you to leverage these opportunities by embracing this uncertainty … book a free, introductory consultation call to discuss your immediate challenges on a non-obligation and confidential basis – simply call us on +44 (0)1983 617241 to set something up.

More … http://www.chaordicsolutions.co.uk/services.html