Strategic Agility
bw» you mentioned the importance of having bw» what are the big issues that banks like rbs
people with agile minds. can you recruit for agility? should be considering from an agility perspective?
Jw» People have different capacities for change, Jw» RBS competes in one of the fastest moving
so agile firms first seek to recruit people who are more sectors in the world. Competition is becoming more
likely to welcome change. Simply hiring experience can intense, innovation is quickly copied and the volatility and
be dangerous. Wild Oats, a troubled U.S. organic food interdependencies of global capital markets mean that
chain, hired a new management team with years of banks must be prepared to move fast. A clear strategic
experience in traditional large grocery stores. However, model of success is vital. A relentless drive to improve it
Wild Oats was trying to become a successful niche is equally important, alongside the courage to seek out
player, applying the traditional grocery chain model and test new models. Agile strategy is key.
damaged the business even further. This is why Capital
One avoids hiring bankers! Experience isn’t necessarily Agile structure is also important. Global firms with strong
bad as long as the individual knows what they don’t know local focus are, by definition, complex. Business teams
and constantly seeks to learn more – in other words you must respond fast and effectively to strategic change,
want intelligence and openness to learning. while making decisions in the best interests of RBS.
Intelligence is crucial to agility. There are many forms of For all this to be possible, RBS’s people must be
intelligence, and they are correlated, but it is useful to prepared and motivated to embrace change. Picking the
distinguish four. right people is important, but more important is creating
Rational intelligence: the ability to solve problems, see
the right learning environment within the firm, where the
patterns.
power of data and reasoning rules over the power of
position. Embrace the entrepreneurial spirit and value
Creative intelligence: the ability to think out of the box,
personal accountability as everyone seeks to learn and
imagine new options.
help others to learn.
Emotional intelligence: the capacity for understanding
how your emotions affect the way you act and think bw» John wells, thank you very much.
such that you can become a more effective leader.
Social intelligence: knowing how you can affect the
emotions of others to motivate and inspire.
However, it is not simply a matter of hiring. All of these
1. “If the rate of change outside (of the firm) exceeds the rate of change on the inside,
can be turbo-charged in agile organisations, making
the end is near.” Jack Welch
good people great.
Perspectives on technology | 25
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