Operational Excellence Agility (OEA)

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Operational Excellence Agility (OEA)

by Nick Horney, Ph.D., Leadership Agility Practice Leader

Organizational agility is the essential enabler of the operational excellence of a high-performance organization in today's hyper-competitive business world to keep growth, profitability, transient competitive advantage and highest customer value.

Customer Responsiveness - The OEA organization will work with customers, and in anticipation of customers, to supply integrated products and services that fit evolving life-cycle requirements of function, cost, and timeliness.
Physical Plant and Equipment Responsiveness - The OEA organization will employ an ever-growing knowledge base of manufacturing science to implement reconfigurable, scalable, cost-effective manufacturing processes, equipment, and plants that adapt rapidly to specific production needs.
Human Resource Responsiveness - The entire workforce of the OEA organization will comprise highly capable and motivated knowledge workers who can work in a flexible work environment, with substantial independent decision-making.
Global Market Responsiveness - The OEA organization will develop its manufacturing strategy to anticipate and respond to a continuously changing global market, with operations and infrastructure tailored to local requirements.
Teaming as a Core Competency - The OEA organization will team within and outside the company to acquire and focus needed knowledge and capabilities to develop, deliver, and support their products and services.
Responsive Practices and Cultures - The OEA organization will continuously evolve core competencies, organizational structure, culture, and business practices, enabling it to anticipate and respond rapidly to changing customer demands

Economic Outlook: Are you Recession-Ready?

Will you be Depression-Ready?

By Mike Richardson, Team Agility Practice Leader

I have been looking for a latest economic update from the Beaulieu Brothers of ITR Economics who have a high profile/trusted reputation in the Vistage community and I found this:

Downturn Will Usher in the Roaring 20s

Read the whole thing (through the small part when it gets Denver specific) and you will see they are staying true to what they have always said over the last few years:
- Mild Recession Q1/Q2 2019 ("very, very mild" being their latest view)
- Boom time in the 2020s
- Depression in the 2030s (for which they have published a book, "Prosperity in the Age of Decline: How to Lead Your Business and Preserve Wealth Through the Coming Business Cycles")

Also, here is a perspective from Brian Beaulieu on the S&P 500:

On the Road: S&P Perspective, which makes interesting reading.
- Note: I had to remind myself of the reason for using a Logarithmic Chart!
- "Logarithmic Chart. Definition. A chart for which the price scale (usually on the vertical axis) is skewed so that a given distance always represents the same percentage change in price, rather than the same absolute change in price (as is the case for a linear chart).
- Read more: What is the difference between a logarithmic price scale and a linear one?

The Big Lie That's Hindering Your Agility

By Ben Baran, Ph.D., Agility Analytics Practice Leader

I've seen it in almost every work-related team-both those in which I've been a member, and those I've coached or led.

It's a blind spot that we all have. It's a big lie we all tell ourselves.

It makes us feel good, secure, worthy. It's psychologically soothing; it's comfortable.

But it's blocking our access to the truth. It's hurting our ability to make optimal decisions. And it's certainly keeping us from sensing and responding rapidly to change, which is the essence of being an agile leader.

This big lie that we all tell ourselves is as follows:

My team would be extraordinary if only my teammates changed the way they act. It's not my fault; I'm doing great. It's about them-they need to communicate better, work harder, hold themselves more accountable.

If that's the lie, then what's the truth?

Agility Playbook for 2018 - OFFENSE OR DEFENSE?

By Tom O'Shea, CMC, Organizational Agility Practice Leader

'Tis the Season to be Jolly ... it is also the season for lots of great football action! Hopefully your favorite team will be peaking and performing at this time when it really matters. Our team is the Carolina Panthers who are heading to the playoffs but experiencing some unpredictable VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) and coming from the most unexpected source ... the team owner, Jerry Richardson, A stark reminder that sometimes we face "external" VUCA ... and sometimes we face "internal" VUCA that is the result of our own making, neglect or narcissm. In case you hadn't heard or don't follow such things ... in a matter of a couple of weeks Richardson fell from being revered as one of the high integrity 'good guys' stalwart NFL team owners down to a 'questionable character' accused of serial 'workplace misconduct' ... to the point of deciding he must sell the team in 2018. Whew ... all in VUCA hyper-speed!

Whether your focus is on navigating the chaos of your own internal VUCA or striving for competitive advantage in the commercial world ... I do think there are some interesting lessons to be taken from some of the highly successful coach/leaders operating in the cauldron of intense competition called the National Football League (NFL). This is the annual shake-out season - where speculation abounds for who will get fired, hired or retired. In this sport, as in most organizations, there are mindsets, systems and processes for providing offense, defense as well as "special teams".

Agility Consulting Affiliate Corner: Marion White

We welcome Marion White to the global team of Agility Consulting Affiliates.

Marion is based in Cary, North Carolina and has 15 years of experience working in executive education in a variety of roles. She has worked with a wide range of well-known Fortune 500 clients and enjoys the crossroads between client development and program design and delivery. She is currently Founder of ExecEd Connect LLC, focusing on connecting organizations with resources that match their leadership development needs. She is also a founding member of Sapien Experience, an organization that builds and delivers compelling experiences that invite leaders to lose themselves in simulated worlds. She has an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and a BA in English from Duke University.

Interested in Becoming an Agility Affiliate?

Become a member of an elite team of coaches and consultants providing agility products and services to organizations confronted with a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) business environment.

Whether you are a current coach, former executive, former special operations military professional, or current consultant, becoming an Agility Consulting Affiliate can provide you a turnkey solution for offering best practice Organization Agility tools, practices, programs and services.

Agility Consulting has enabled organizations to become focused, fast and flexible since 2001 through products and services created from the only research-based agility framework - The AGILE Model

Send an email to Dr. Nick Horney, Founder and Principal of Agility Consulting with your interest and resume.