Flexibility: Flexible Companies for the Uncertain World

by Gill Eapen

We are in an era of high volatility and uncertain outcomes, driven by accelerating technologies, shortened product cycles, fast-changing information, an increasingly mobile workforce, more demanding customers, complex financial markets, ad-hoc public policies, and many other factors that add layers of uncertainty to all future possibilities. While most believe that good management requires better prediction of the future and better planning, Gill Eapen instead contends that the best way to manage effectively in an uncertain world is through the conscious application of flexibility — an ability to absorb constantly shifting variables and adapt Flexible Companies for the Uncertain World explores ways in which organizations can systematically enhance their ability to survive and succeed without the guarantees that come with certainty. In these pages, Eapen attributes of status-quo organizations that hinder their capacity for flexibility in their three primary structure, systems, and strategiesA tool and process for diagnosing flexibility-related problems within an organizationSpecific actions companies can take to improve flexibility, regardless of their size or ageA case study of a technology company progressively losing flexibility due to management actions, as well as a detailed project plan for remedial actionsBased on the author’s years of experience working with a variety of industries, including life sciences, energy, technology, financial services, and manufacturing, and his expertise in decision options, Flexibility offers a holistic alternative approach for managing risk and making the best decisions possible in these especially uncertain times.

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 17, 2009

About the author

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