Every week, we put together a list of our top 5 articles of the past week. Happy reading!
In this organization, the hierarchy enables speed and agility Jurriaan Kamer (reading time: 5 minutes)
Is there anything we can learn from Formula 1 racing teams in terms of organisational agility? Juriaan Kamer argues that there is. For instance, a race director plays a critical role in directing team of teams (a concept from General Stanley McCrystal). He argues that this type of organization generates greater alignment and autonomy. This is neat comparison of competitive sport to business.
The Importance of the Strategic Level: Germany in the Second World War Strategy Bridge (reading time: 17 minutes)
This is an amazing strategy post shared by Antoine. Admittedly, I’m a bit biased. I love all things world war two and military strategy. They are some insights that are widely applicable to business as well. There are three levels of in war and it describes how Germany failed because of the lack of a good strategy.
Tactical excellence and operational dexterity must be directed via a realistic strategy. What ultimately matters are the political consequences of battles wrought by operational art, rather than their immediate material and tactical outcome
Planning and Execution in a Time of Crisis Itamar Gilad (reading time: 8 minutes)
Right now company executives worldwide are holding frantic strategic talks over video conferencing. What’s our strategy? Which projects to keep and which to cut? How much of the workforce to terminate? What parts of the work to outsource?
Itamar Gilad, a veteran product manager, insists that waterfall planning cannot match today’s reality (obviously). Plans need to be adaptable and organizations need to be built for uncertainty. He proposes his GIST framework (Goals, Idea, Steps, Tasks) as a way for companies for better dealing with change.
What Corona Virus means for the Global Economy Ray Dalio, TED (reading time: 52 minutes)
I’ve been reading a lot about the financial impact of the crisis. In this video, Ray Dalio explains in deeper terms what this really means. It’s scarier than what we think. He also talks about how we can diversify our economy and how ultimately how we can come out of this stronger.
How Leaders Help People Find Real Hope in the Face of a Pandemic Ron Carucci, Ethical Systems (reading time: 10 minutes)
People are desperately in need of hope. But how can you create hope when there is so much uncertainty? This is a great post about how leaders can help their teams find hope. This isn’t about making false promises or positivity, it’s about strength and perseverance.
Bonus:
Community Mobility Reports Google
The amount of data that Google has is just insane. Check out these mobility reports the company provide to show the impact of the pandemic on foot traffic across every country.
