Startup Nation Factory by Innovation Israel

A Fun animation that illustrates the Start Up Nation Factory

What is more critical for a successful business transformation, being a change or an adaptive leader?

The balance point between certainty and uncertainty, stability and instability, complexity and simplicity is moving faster and more often that it has ever done previously. 

Coupled with the increasing incidence of ‘Black Swans Events’, those improbable and unexpected events that provide extreme impact and result in unprecedented consequences, have created the conditions for us to re-examine the way we, as organizational development consultants  approach business transformation and change.

Change Programs Don’t Work!

My thirty years of corporate consulting experiences has led me to believe that organizations and cultures don’t really change, not because they don’t want to, it’s because they usually can’t! Too often I have seen CEO’s and OD consultants suggest that there is something ‘wrong’ about their organizational culture, and then embark on a costly, complex, culture change program, that attempts to ‘fix’ it! The result is often a mixture of frustration, denial and blame, usually around the timing, the change programs’ focus, structure or implementation, or ‘wrong’ consulting advice or even the ‘wrong’ consultant!

Working with 'what is' and 'what could be'!

The first step is to work towards deciphering the current organisational culture, through simple, accessible and focussed dialogue processes, rather than complex, prescriptive, tools based processes that are consultant dependent. This approach engages and involves the people, who work in the organisation, and understand it in all of its manifestations and possibilities. By doing this we have made a positive first step towards understanding, at a very deep level,  ‘what is’ as well as ‘what could be’.

What you resist persists!

We can then assess what key factors drive the culture, and then, again through simple and focussed dialogue processes, that involve the people, determine how to stimulate and unleash more of the possibilities and positive energy and reduce more of the negatives. Rather than focus on solving business issues and problems, the real work gets done when determining what the real adaptive challenges are and developing Innovative new ways of solving these problems.

Adapting and evolving is not changing!  

Nature has taught us that Disruption can be both destructive and creative, and that, without it, nature’s eco-systems do not adapt, and reach new thresholds.  Once we understand that an organisation is also an inherent eco-system, that also requires adaptation, then we can create the ‘safe space’ to create Intentional Disruptions.

This stimulates the adaptive process and, if well led, can enable the organisation and its people to become passionate about solving its problems in surprising, imaginative and innovative ways.

What can you do to be a more adaptive leader and ensure that business transformation initiatives that you are involved with, deliver what they promise?

Shai Agassi Launches the Electric Car Today, in Israel, read his Inspirational Note to his Team

Better Team,

Steve Jobs said that "while most people live within the boundaries of the world we know around us, very few people actually get to set those

boundaries, by not accepting them". When he mentioned those few people, he was talking about YOU.

Four years ago, we promised the president of Israel, mr. Shimon Peres, that by today we will have serially produced electric cars that would drive in the streets of Israel. It seemed like an impossible dream. Today we delivered those cars to people who will be driving electric cars daily as their only vehicle. We had to move mountains to get to this day, and we did. Yet we have many more mountains to move.

I'd like to take this chance to remind you why we embarked on this journey. We did so not because we search for riches, even though those riches will find us. Not because we want to end something, even though we most likely will. Not for political motivation or environmental bias, even though we will help the environment and most likely change geo-politics. No, we did so, because ever so rarely a simple idea resonates with so many people, with so much power, simply because we all know it is the right thing to do.

Since no single person can solve a problem as big and deeply rooted in our society, we have to offer every person a proposition that will better their own life, an option for them to switch. We will do so by relying on people's free will. And in the words of Carlos Ghosn: "the car will be a great experience - a fun car to drive". And Indeed the Fluence ZE is a fun car, just as he promised. We salute our friends and partners at Renault for their great achievement. 

We have teams spread around the whole world, in Israel and Denmark, Paris and Palo Alto, Melbourne and Tokyo, teams of people who worked relentlessly over the last 1,500 days to deliver a complete system that no one has ever seen before. I thank every one of you from the bottom of my heart! We started from a white paper, full of ideas and many unknowns. While we have delivered most of that white paper, we still have more to do to prove our system works. We will only get better with time.

I also want to thank those who invested the company and stayed true to their commitment and trust. To Idan, our chairman, the entire board and every investor, big and small, we promised not only to make the world a better place, but to build a great company we can be proud of, one that will be profitable and growing. 

And I want to thank your families, I know the days we passed and the days ahead will take us away from our loved ones in the name of our mission. Remember we are all working for our kids, because we promised them we will be saving their world. And we do as we promised.

Finally, as I was driving into today's ceremony, I asked my son how he summarizes our achievement over the last four years. His words ring so true. "Dad, today is just the beginning". we have not accomplished our mission, we are just starting now. I am so proud of you! And I am sure you feel just as I do today.

Isn't this a great beginning?

Shai

Train Your Brain to Focus - Paul Hammerness, MD, and Margaret Moore - Harvard Business Review

When I am in overwhelm, it is really hard to focus!
These are great tips!

Train Your Brain to Focus - Paul Hammerness, MD, and Margaret Moore - Harvard Business Review

Non-invasive tool identifies Alzheimer's, depression and ADHD

Those amazing Israeli's have done it again with their revolutionary new system!

Non-invasive tool identifies Alzheimer's, depression and ADHD

Zichron Ya’akov: Home of wine, and spies…

This is an article about the beautiful town we live in, in Israel. It shows the landscape, explains the unique history and the wonderful wines that get produced locally!

Zichron Ya’akov: Home of wine, and spies…

The top 10 science stories of 2011

Have a look at the amazing Innovations in Science from the incredible Start Up Nation!

The top 10 science stories of 2011