Saatchi & Saatchi CEO has some strong words:
“Strategy is dead. Who really knows that is going to happen anymore in this super VUCA world? The more time and money you spend devising strategies the more time you are giving you rivals to start eating your lunch.
“Management is dead. To win today you need a culture and an environment where the unreasonable power of creativity thrives. Ideas are today’s currency not strategy. Martin Luther King did not say ‘I have a vision statement’ did he? He had a dream. You have to make sure you have dreams and your brand also needs a dream.” [...]
“The big idea is dead. There are no more big ideas. Creative leaders should go for getting lots and lots of small ideas out there. Stop beating yourself up searching for the one big idea. Get lots of ideas out there and then let the people you interact with feed those ideas and they will make it big.”
I read the article, and on one hand, was nodding my head saying “Yes, Yes, YES!” all the way through. I was inspired by it. But on second pass, I think the situation is a little more nuanced, and the details of the article started to feel misguided.
Strategy is not dead. But huge well-thought-through strategy may be dead. I think a little strategy can go a long way – like directional guidance. Know who you are, where you are, and have an idea where you want to go. That sort of strategy makes a lot of sense to me.
But he’s right that we live in volatile, uncertain, ambiguous and complex world. This doesn’t mean that big ideas are dead, or that management is dead. In means that when you optimize your projects, perfect is no longer your first priority. Speed is your first priority. Big ideas happen not on their own, but as a collection of dozens and dozens of small successful ideas.
And please stop worshiping the Almighty Idea. Ideas are great. And you need good ideas. And a good idea can Make A Difference. But an idea, devoid of context, is a dangerous thing. I have 100 good ideas every day. But they aren’t really any good until something happens with them. And if it takes a million bucks to make it happen … is it still a good idea? Execution is everything, and as pundit Gruber notes about concept videos (i.e., “good” ideas): “The designs in these concept videos are free from real-world constraints — technical, logical, fiscal. Dealing with constraints is what real design is all about.”
So let’s take a second try at the inspiring misguided article. The way I’d characterize our world:
Using outdated management principals, it is now (more than ever) too easy to over-strategize. The world is changing fast, and it is volatile, uncertain, ambiguous and complex. Your best strategy to succeed in this environment is to hire creative leaders and creative team, and tune your culture for speed and responsiveness. Deliver a product every 2 weeks. See if the market thought it was any good. Take the feedback. Adjust. Repeat.
Remember: The rate of change is accelerating exponentially, not linearly. It’s hard to conceptualize that, but think of it this way: the tools you need to compete in next year’s environment have not even been invented yet.
Tags: business culture, change, innovation, leadership
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I can partially agree with this guy, but suggest that instead of looking for the single right thing to be doing, it is necessary to be a good multi-tasker in this culture. .
keeping one eye on the daily operations (management) and one eye on the future, without being tied to any specific strategy or inflexible goals.
Goals may be good for individuals or small teams, but all the management books I have read, even though they were futurists writing in past 10 years, still recognized that the rapid changes of world economy and technology still are not the driving force to keeping a company stable. What is most important is building a good team that has people of various talents and differing styles who can all meet regularly and make decisions based on their combined perspectives and expertise.. .so it is still people — who are secure in their ability to speak and willing to work in a team. loose cannons –whether creative or not– must still be able to share their ideas and concerns coherently with a decision-making team.
This, of course, takes more time and effort that being able to go it alone– but it is absolutely necessary.
LM
having learned from my mistakes in trying to be an entrepreneur in the soft-skills field.
I’m just not sure that the tech world guys recognize this. maybe you can give me some confidence that the good ones do.
we have idolized Steve Jobs and a few other entrepreneurs, but will that be the model that is really best for this decade?
Using the S African solution to apartheid as an example in human relations, it was a duo of white clergy and black activist who were exceptionally effective in that sea change. but it was not accomplished in a year or two. nowadays, our business execs don’t have a big enough calendar to project what they really want to see happen and track their progress in ways other than dollars & statistics.
Even tho that is what drives the media & most board members, there are a few out there who hold on to the importance of long-term ethics, quality and reputation.
It’s okay to be in the minority sometimes.
LM