“2019 will be a year when more businesses and non-profits focus inward and prioritize initiatives to disrupt the way they organize and manage themselves as they strive to become more nimble in taking advantage of opportunities,” according to transformational leader and motivator Rob Delany. He predicts that 2019 will be the watershed year where the plodding, “company as a machine” analogy, first developed in the Henry Ford era over 100 years ago, will be supplanted by a more organic, networked organizational model.
“The networked model will go mainstream in 2019 as a growing mass of organizations of all sizes will migrate from the traditional and embrace the uncertainty in the business world making it work to their advantage,” says Delany. Here he outlines 7 transformational trends for 2019:
1) The end of the org chart as we know it
Top-down management is cumbersome in today’s uncertain world. Savvy organizations will blow up their org chart and reorganize in the form of smaller networked groups that will be empowered to make things happen. Smaller groups have proven to be more effective in serving customers and managing results from today’s fast-changing and disruptive environments. Making more employees “the boss” gets them more committed to the success of the whole.
Top-down management is cumbersome in today’s uncertain world. Savvy organizations will blow up their org chart and reorganize in the form of smaller networked groups that will be empowered to make things happen. Smaller groups have proven to be more effective in serving customers and managing results from today’s fast-changing and disruptive environments. Making more employees “the boss” gets them more committed to the success of the whole.
2) The CEO’s (and C-Suite executives’) role becomes that of a motivator and facilitator
The successful CEO will be the one who best leads his or her networked groups according to mission, accountability, transparency and collaboration. The CEO will have a more direct connection to the action, leading to the end of the middle manager because they add a layer that slows things down.
3) Focusing on rewarding exceptionalism
Darwin is back in the business world now more than ever. The promotional ladder is gone. From top to bottom in an organization, today’s promotions and rewards are personal and based on diversity in experiences and successful outcomes.
4) Building in greater data transparency
At today’s fast pace, quarterly meetings or even monthly meetings are too slow and will miss opportunities. Data and results must be available in real time dashboards to identify trends faster. Share information constantly. Leaders should gather to collaborate and bond, not to share old information. As accountability becomes more transparent, trust in the organization is reinforced as well.
5) Training and knowledge building takes a higher priority
Because technology, information and skills change rapidly, learning will need to become a part of the job, at every level. Successful organizations create an environment of organizational and individual learning which helps employees feel proud about how far ahead of the curve they are.
6) Organizations will get out ahead of technology strategically
True, technology is advancing rapidly however the most effective organizations are not just waiting for the latest breakthroughs in their industry. They will get out ahead and embrace it as a strategic tool, fashioned to accomplish goals and generate results. Create the wave!
7) Brands become intertwined with organizational purpose
In the most successful transformational corporate cultures, employees and customers are passionate and committed to the purpose. Strong brands must reflect purpose in a way that creates an emotional bond.
