The Organizational Survival Code

Many organizations are on the endangered species list in this 21st century. Globalization and economic ups and downs are testing the limits of even the most effective enterprises. More than 50 percent of the Top Global 100 companies fall off the list within 10 years. Only 29 percent of small businesses survive even 10 years. The Organizational Survival Code is comprised of capabilities that have helped organizations extend their corporate lifecycle. The seven capabilities are: 1. Ecological Order: strategize to fulfill the most important needs and expectations of your key stakeholders. 2. Purpose: develop a compelling purpose and strategy so that each member instinctively acts to fulfill it. 3. Steady State: design work processes that consistently deliver high quality outputs. 4. Mobilization: solve problems at their source. 5. Complexity: build more self-sufficient, flexible, multi-skilled people and work units. 6. Synergy: develop true partnerships with all stakeholders so that you always enjoy a competitive advantage. 7. Adaptation: re-strategize and redeploy your resources in the midst of external changes to stay atop the lifecycle. The book reviews principles and processes for each of the seven capabilities and uses a multitude of actual case examples to show how others have used them successfully. The target audience is business unit managers, functional leaders and HR professionals. Through the book's many case examples from companies like Ritz-Carlton, 3M, Procter & Gamble, US Synthetic, General Electric, Stora Enso, Walmart, Apple, Honda, Shell and many others you will see how you could develop the capabilities to survive and even thrive even in the toughest of times. PART I: ORGANIZATIONS ARE AN ENDANGERED SPECIES 1. Survival By Design *Dilemmas emerge from organizational misalignments *The intangibles of market value 2. Organizational Lifecycles *Organizational lifecycles *Lifecycles of civilizations and products 3. The Organizational Survival Code *Natural Laws *The Organizational Survival Code 4. How To Design To Code *The Organizational Systems Model *A roadmap for diagnosis and design PART II: THE ORGANIZATIONAL SURVIVAL CODE 5. Strategizing To Meet Stakeholder Needs *The stakeholder ecosystem *Stakeholder feedback *Strategy check *Benchmarking *The balanced scorecard *Subordinate everything else to strategy 6. Developing A Compelling Purpose *What makes a purpose compelling? *Content, Process, Practice *Heartland Plant case example 7. Designing Work Processes That Deliver Quality *Design processes that deliver quality *Getting rid of bureaucracy *Ritz-Carlton and US Synthetic examples 8. Solving Problems At Their Source *The bureaucratic code *How to solve problems at their source 9. Thriving On Complexity *Complexity in nature *Complexity and organizational survival *Getting information to the point of action *Cross-functional career paths *Expanding the skills of supervisors *Building lateral collaboration 10. Developing Synergistic Partnerships *Principles and Tools of synergy *Being a partner *Committing to each other's success *Aligning daily priorities *Making partnership commitments *Mobilizing to help each other in tough times 11. Adapting Ad Infinitum *Steady States are a two-edged sword for survival *Stora Enso case example *How to jump the curve PART III: BEYOND SURVIVAL 12. Meaningful Contributions Endure *The S-Curve elevates us all *Beyond work to contribution