Navigation

Navigating is an increasingly popular term in business given the constantly changing internal and external environment of organisations. This requires them to do more than just setting their compass to navigate from A to B; they must be able to constantly adjust their course to meet the shifting tides around them.

This means that leaders need to be able to navigate themselves and their organisation. They need to be clear on where the organisation is and where it wants to go. They should understand why it wants to go there, and what could stop it from getting there. And leaders must be able to give the direction and create the conditions for the people and the organisation to have the focus and the discipline to get to the desired future state successfully.

From the perspective of organisational transformation, it is worth considering to what extent your existing structures and processes will allow the necessary agility to navigate, and whether your leaders have the capabilities required.

Pros

• Navigation allows organisations to constantly adjust during the transformation process, which is generally non-linear.
• It encourages leaders and teams to adopt an agile mindset with short-term planning, sprints and rapid delivery.
• It encourages leaders and teams to maintain a bi-focal view on short-term wins and long-term outcomes.

Cons

• Leaders and teams must have a clear picture of  the desired future state in order to navigate. Otherwise they risk to become change fatigued.
• Navigation implies participative leadership skills requiring leadership development interventions, which can take time to embed into the existing leadership culture.

Recommended resources:

Navigating in Times of Change: The N.E.W.S.® Navigation Journey, Goz Aviad, 2020