Flexibility has been a key quality that leaders have listened to and embraced in recent years. In addition to the leadership benefits, building an organizational culture that is adaptable to the needs of both employees and customers, as well as a constantly changing market, helps ensure the organization can be up and running in a short amount of time.
Business is rarely certain, and preparation before it is needed can prevent stagnant processes from hindering business growth. To help, the members of londonbusinessblog.com Business Council share essential steps a business leader must take to build a culture of adaptability in their company.
Members of the londonbusinessblog.com Business Council share advice on how leaders can build adaptable corporate cultures.
Photos courtesy of individual members.
1. Learn to accept change
Without your willingness to accept change, it is nearly impossible to be flexible and create an adaptable environment. The only step I recommend to companies in their journey is to learn to accept change. The whole culture around them will know how to do the same and many more successes can be found. †Cami Powell†The journey of a self-employed person
2. Have a growth mindset
Flexibility requires a growth mindset, meaning active learning across the organization with the intention of making adjustments. We do this by creating psychological safety where teams are not afraid to fail, questioning is welcomed, learning programs are standard from the moment of onboarding and clear communication flows ensure seamless shifts in the delivery process. †Afshan Hussain†Fishawack Health
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3. Adopt transparency:
Flexibility comes easily to those organizations that have also adopted transparency. Transparency about how you build, what you deploy and who you employ are key factors in ensuring that people can comfortably adapt to the changes the organization must make. This transparency cannot stop internally either; it should be widely applied not only to employees, but also to customers and shareholders. †Shayne Skaffi†Blooma
4. Let go of static processes and operations
At Lifetime Quality Roofing, personal happiness is our most important core value. We try to provide an inviting, engaging workplace for both our internal and external employees. We continuously adapt internal processes, procedures and operations to keep up with the changing times. A great person once said, “If you don’t grow, you die.” Life is constantly in a state of continuous growth. †Zach Willard†Lifetime quality roofing and storm recovery
5. Empower your team to make changes
The key to building a culture of adaptability is enabling the team to make changes in real time. Members of the management team must be process-oriented with a demonstrated ability to think. The team must have the confidence and institutional knowledge to draw on best practices and experience to make decisions – large and small – without compromising output. †Miguel Castro†LGS Panama Tourism Development
6. Create structure for employees
I often talk about freedom in a framework for organizations. Having a structure that gives employees autonomy over the aspects of the “how” will aid in adaptability, resilience and motivation. †Jenni Field†Redefining Communication
7. Build in proactive
Flexibility is a lie unless the company builds a culture of proactiveness. If the team is constantly responding and struggling to get ahead of work, how could anyone feel comfortable leaving early to watch the school play or take a mental health day? Set clear priorities for the day, week, and month. Team members who value flexibility will meet those priorities and maximize their time outside of work. †Lesley Hensell†Riverbend Advice
8. Set Boundaries
Letting talent on your team “play” their best game is the key to getting the very best performance out of each of them individually. An extremely proactive management approach is to draw the outside lines and let your team play their best game within those lines with total flexibility that allows them to showcase their talents. When the lines are crossed, push them back in. †Mike Costigan†Millionaire Agent Academy
9. Use core values ​​and a mission as your guide
Determine your core values ​​and a mission or goal. We use our core values ​​to define who we are and how we work, and use them to hire, fire, promote, demote and discipline. We are a roofing company, so our mission is to revolutionize an industry and change the way people view roofing. We value the use of new technologies to extend the life of roofs, save money for our community and create a culture of change that is transferred to the people we interact with. †Kenny Robinson†Roof Savers LLC
10. Promote Collaboration
Creating a culture of collaboration with a can-do attitude is key to adaptability, which in turn is key to the success of a modern, growing organization. This is especially true in an international organization where cultural aspects, labor law and the way of working are always a challenge, but virtual culture and pandemic separation are areas where we need to find a better balance in the future. †TH Herbert†Semarchy
11. Create an environment for innovation
To build a culture of adaptability, organizations must first have a process and culture for innovation. Companies need to create an environment where ideas are captured, nurtured and respected so that everyone within the organization can positively influence business process improvement and product development. †Samuel Johnston†nth company
12. Avoid bureaucracy
To be flexible, you need to be flat. Flat organizations win because they can be agile, make quick decisions and move. Every person in your company should be able to contact someone else directly, with no questions asked. This makes your company flexible and effective. Bureaucracy kills flexibility. †Eric Berkley†Berkley
13. Be agile
Creating a culture of adaptability in any business relies on the ability to be agile. It’s critical that companies have a culture that embraces constant change, whether it’s a go-to-market strategy, workforce planning, or product roadmap. Companies also need to have the right systems in place to easily adapt their business to changing factors in their industry or in the overall economy. †Yong Kim†Wonolo
14. Think long term
Do not change the direction of your organization in response to the political discourse or current topic of the day. Instead, make adjustments to shifts in the market that will benefit the company in the long run. †dr. David Lenihan†Tiber Health
