Yesterday was a day that will go down the memory lane. No, not because it was Valentine’s Day but more for what I overheard in the elevator. I was out to meet a top executive at a leading conglomerate with consolidated revenue of over USD 3.5 Bn and the exchange I heard in their elevator left me bewildered, to say the least. Here’s what I heard:
Employee 1: Since the morning, I have had to spend more than 2 hours to send a dozen emails and speak to 3 people to get internet access in the office, and then only to be told that I wasn’t eligible just yet. Now, how am I supposed to work without such basics?
Employee 2: Oh, that doesn’t surprise me one bit, it’s been 6 months I have been here and I’m still struggling to get my manager to agree to give me access to emails on my mobile device.
And with that, was the end of my time with these two folks in the lift. But this conversation was enough to talk about the colonial mindset a large cross-section of traditional organizations continue to battle even in 2020.
While I can go on and talk at labyrinth about such examples, but the intent is not to share a guide on how to spot a dinosaur organization. Instead, the intent is to use this piece as a vehicle to pass a key message to my audience, the senior leaders at some of the world’s top organizations about the need to change and evolve, as of yesterday.
If anything, this exchange is a rude reminder of why some of the world’s top (read largest) organizations are dinosaurs and on the brink of extinction, if not already. This conversation also blatantly highlights how traditional policies, processes, and more importanlty mindsets are ruining the future of traditional organizations.
Here on, survival for organizations, especially the traditional ones, isn’t going to be determined by their might and muscle, aspects seen as critical until recently. The future belongs to the swiftest, not necessarily the biggest and the fittest. So, change before it’s too late (it already is btw), and of course, before you meet your fate!
Do you work for a traditional organization and face similar issues, practices, and mindsets? Our community here would love to read your story! Please do leave your comments below and share your horror stories and experiences.
Cheers,
SVG
SVG World 