One small world….whether you like it or not

My generation is working longer and harder than any of those before us. The demands on the average employee in a company’s workforce have never been greater, in regards to hours or results. While the output of the worker has increased, the global technological output has increased at an even greater rate. The age of the internet has somehow morphed into the age of the blackberry – where internet access is available virtually anywhere – to create an atmosphere in which truly competitive companies operate in a culture in which the work day never actually ends. A day in New York ends as a day in Shanghai begins and before that day in Shanghai has ended, the next day in New York has begun again. One could argue that we clearly have figured out how to maximize production while adapting to globalization. One could also argue that we have entered into quite a vicious cycle.

So, if the marketplace has essentially shrunken because technology is making the world a smaller place, then it would stand to reason that globalization is happening whether a company is looking to grow on a worldwide level or not. Through the connectivity of the internet, companies of all sizes are now competing against each other in the same larger space. Your company can either embrace this reality or continue to try and operate in a regional marketplace that no longer exists – and those that emerge successful will be those who can adapt quickly and efficiently.

The key factor when trying to adapt quickly to change is the ability to understand strengths and weaknesses. A department that has operated at one pace for many years will need to be ready to change when that pace picks up. If a group leader understands – and embraces – the greater demands this is a positive; an opportunity to grow, improve, and produce even greater results. But a group leader who resists such change can actually set his team back, and even worse, hold the larger company back too. Proactive thinkers who see a fundamental change coming well before it is actually needed use these times as an opportunity to separate from the competition. Reactive thinkers spend months trying to clean up processes and logistics, working within companies that are always behind the curve. Identifying which type of people are leading groups throughout your company is the first step of a consultation – and the first step to ensuring that you are ready to thrive in a shrinking, more demanding, faster-paced global marketplace.

And unfortunately, if you are reading this and don’t know in which group your company belongs, you may have already missed the boat. They key to a productive consultation is being self aware, understanding what your company is well equipped to do and where it is lacking. From there, we just need to identify solutions that are practical. But a company that delays the all important first step of identifying the necessary changes is only going to have more trouble adapting, if and when they finally realize all of the change they need.