There are a number of drivers behind the “Bringing it all together” undertaking, some relating to:
- the ongoing aspiration to contribute to development of next generation leaders of next generation enterprises
- the challenges in conveying the value to be gained in understanding and applying the practices reflected in the enterprise transformation lifecycle
Next generation leaders
People are intrinsic to enterprises. We conceive, design, plan, organise and realise the enterprises in which we engage. Leadership is a critical element in cultivating the competencies, capabilities and culture required for the successful alignment, collaboration and learning that underpins the development, evolution and adaptation of viable and sustainable enterprises.
All enterprises have their genesis in that first twinkle in the eye that signals an idea taking shape in a founder’s mind, and subsequently develops and emerges in the minds of those with whom that idea is shared and shaped. The more brain and systems savvy these founders and leaders are, the greater the likelihood that a viable enterprise will be nurtured into being and developed into a sustainable and flourishing enterprise.
In considering the profile of Australian firms, we find that there are:
- 1,370,000 sole traders with potential to engage others in pursuing and extending their individual enterprises
- 880,000 firms with 1 or more employees, with:
- 69% having 1-4 employees
- 23% having 5-19 employees
- 7% having 20-199 employees
- 1% having 200 or more employees
This presents a substantial opportunity to contribute to the successful development and flourishing of small enterprises into larger enterprises, being one of the drivers and motivations for bringing the enterprise transformation lifecycle together in a simpler, more accessible manner for each and every one of these firms. When one considers the public and community enterprises that exist beyond those identified above, and then extrapolate that into a global perspective, the need and the drive become even more compelling.
That is but one way to look at the opportunities afforded amongst small to medium enterprises …
- large enterprises have leaders and teams that constitute enterprises in their own right
- a Board or an Executive also constitute enterprises
- a change program or initiative also constitutes an enterprise that is formed and dissipated
In line with our mantra – change happens one-person-at-a-time, all enterprises stand to benefit through having more brain and system savvy leaders.
Enterprise transformation lifecycle
Over the last twelve months, we have outlined various aspects of the enterprise transformation lifecycle as the primary encapsulation of the understanding and practices that we have found to be effective as we have engaged with a wide variety of clients across public, private and community sectors, and which we describe as being more “systems savvy”.
The challenge that we have encountered entails a number of different dimensions, including:
- each leader and enterprise are at different stages of development with differing needs where the enterprise transformation lifecycle may add value
- some of these leaders do not have a sufficient understanding of the issues and challenges that their current ways of thinking cause them to be able to appreciate the value in becoming more systems savvy
- the different aspects of the enterprise transformation lifecycle can combine to make it look complex and difficult to understand, let alone apply, creating uncertainty as to whether it will be worth making the effort in understanding, developing and applying the thinking habits underpinning the lifecycle
To that end, it has become apparent that there is a need to “bring it all together” in a simple, convenient and accessible manner such that any leader can:
- gain an appreciation of how they can derive real value in seeking to become more systems savvy
- identify the areas in which they will gain greatest value with the least effort in the shortest timeframe without having to invest large amounts of time and effort that could be directed to other aspects of their enterprise or to other life pursuits.
This undertaking seeks to address this challenge.
Lifecycle links
In outlining the motivation, drivers and purpose in “bringing it all together”, an example has been provided for one of the key starting points for any enterprise – understanding and articulating the motivation for the enterprise.
This is one of the practices encompassed within the business model element of the Enterprise Transformation Lifecycle.
Further elaboration can be found through the following links:
enterprise-modeling 