Experimenting, Time Pacing, And Mobilising Strategies For Me As A Future Manager
Before I stepped into my first session, I thought that emerging victorious could only be achieved by being the strongest. This misconception was so deeply ingrained in me that at times, I was so rigid and inflexible in how I carried out my daily tasks. Nonetheless, after many classes, my myopic view gradually gave way to a broader perspective and I was gradually able to see things in a new light. A quote by well-known scientist, Charles Darwin states that “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. ” This quote resonates with me because it highlights the fact that adaptability is the new competitive edge, and it is especially important given the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous nature of the world that we live in today. First and foremost, I would like to start with some valuable lessons that I have gleaned from taking this module, some of which are practices and processes to manage the pace of change and the magnitude of change. Since “the only thing that is constant is change”, attaining success should therefore be on how to exploit change, and turn the very same changes that crippled competitors, into an opportunity by adapting to the circumstances. As a future manager, I will employ strategies like experimenting, time pacing, and mobilising in order to remain adaptive to change.
Ability to experiment
Come to think of it, all along, I was always very fearful of failure. I saw failure as a full-stop. The moment I encounter failures and setbacks, I get so dejected that at times, I simply concede defeat. However, being in this VUCA class has challenged the way I view things and I realised that something was rather wrong with my mind-set. Instead of seeing failure as a full-stop, I could now see it as a comma. As the Chinese adage goes, “failure is not the end, but a stepping stone to success”. Hence, I feel that the ability to experiment comes hand in hand with a resilient attitude to withstand setbacks, but yet also, a humble one to learn from past failures. Nonetheless, despite not being afraid of failure, one should still exercise due care and not be complacent and indifferent to risks. Therefore, as a future manager, I would create a safe ground and encourage my subordinates to experiment- that is of course dependent on the industry and the particular organisation.
Time pacing
I am of the view that apart from experimenting, time pacing is important in managing the fast changing world that we live in today. Previously, I had the impression that being adaptable was all about reacting rapidly when things happen. The reality is that, adaptability is more than just having the ability to act in response to the change in circumstances. Instead, it is also about being “regular, rhythmic and proactive” by increasing the clock speed which leads to better predictability in an uncertain world. While event pacing is definitely not obsolete, I believe that agility derived from time pacing is essential, especially in markets that are less stable. The fresh insights that I gained will have an impact on how I make decisions as a manager in the time to come. As a prospective leader in the workforce, I hope to come up with ways that puts the company in a good position to lead change, instead of reacting to change as with event pacing, particularly if the industry that I am in is always rapidly changing. However, I recognise that it is not a binary solution where choosing one option means forgoing the other. Rather, I see it as two complementing solutions that may be used concurrently in order to deal with the rapid changes of the market.
Ability to mobilise
Additionally, I believe that the ability to mobilise is also paramount to gaining adaptability. In this VUCA world that we reside in, decision rights should not solely belong to the Chief Executive Officer because they might be quite detached from the actual daily operations of the organisation. Hence, there is a need to create a fluid environment with less boundaries whereby ideas can flow bottom-up from the employees on the ground, so that any changes can be quickly detected. Which would allow the company to respond effectively within a shorter time, facilitating the decision making process, and finally gaining adaptability. However, I am aware that when vertical boundaries between higher ups and people on the ground are more porous, issues such as a reduction in structure and certainty arises. Hence, certain standard guidelines should still be put in place to provide some certainty. As a future manager, I would strive to motivate my employees to air their views and provide constructive criticism. With many different perspectives, perhaps it helps to identify gaps and unaddressed issues more easily, smoothing out the decision making process, which is often complex in a VUCA world.
As a pessimist, I would often think far ahead of the possibilities that can ever happen. While sometimes I tend to overthink, I feel that having this mindset is not necessarily a bad thing because it allows me to prepare for the events that could unfold. I guess that could be possibly why I always bring out with me a portable charger, an umbrella, a jacket, plasters and many more items that people my age will not bring with them. Despite all the preparation, I recognise that the nature of the VUCA world is such that situations may change unexpectedly and hence, this brings me back to my main point, that being adaptable is extremely important. After all, as Charles Darwin once said, it is the one that is most responsive to change that will survive.
