INDICATOR OF ORGANISATION RESILIENCE IN TIMES OF DISRUPTION (2021 Report)

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1.1 Survey Purpose
1.2 Survey Content and Approach
1.3 Survey Demographics
1.4 Management Science Underpinnings
2 FINDINGS
3 CONCLUSION
4 Glossary
5 The Organisation Development Tools Institute
- 5.1 The Organisation Capability Maturity Framework
6 The University of Groningen Change Master’s Program
7 Your Organisation Comparison with Benchmark (Appendix A)

1.1 Survey Purpose

This joint Survey by ODTI & University of Groningen Change Management Master’s Program informs research into the relationship between an organisation’s Capabilities, and their impact on agility and resilience. The Survey was designed to test the degree to which Capability Maturity – as normatively defined in Dynamic Systems Maturity Theory would predict Organizational Agility, Resilience and Performance through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

The report shares the initial research insights on how to develop and build Resilience and Agility, to handle ongoing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity.

(Terminology-Glossary): Should the reader be unfamiliar with some of the terms and words used in this report we include a Glossary at the end of the report.

1.2 Survey Content and Approach

Part 1 of the Survey asked participants to select a statement that best reflected their organisation for each of the Organisations 4 Capability Groups (Production, Human, Directive, Macro) at the start of 2020 (Initial period of Pandemic), they were also asked to indicate whether they believe their current experience (May/June 2021) as it relates to each Capability Group (Dynamic Index) was better, worse or the same based on their initial response statement.

Part 2 Participants were then asked to indicate their level of agreement or not; with six Resilience & Agility related statements as they look to the future.

Part 3 of the survey participants selected some demographic information such as their Region, Industry/Sector, Size and their Role.

The Survey was completed between 26th May and 11th June, 2021.

A broad spectrum of Organisations across most sectors and regions participated in the Survey with an acceptable sample size apart from South America (which was excluded from the analysis) and some Industry sectors.

1.3 Survey Demographics

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1.4 Management Science Underpinnings

The questions in Part 1 of the survey are underpinned by Dynamic Systems Maturity Theory (DSMT) and its application in the Organisation Capability Maturity Framework ‘Reference Model’ (OrgCMF™).

(DSMT) is a scientifically-reviewed model that facilitates normative diagnosis and development of all levels of Socio-Economic System including Organizations. It integrates modelling from across Psychology, Organizational Science, Economics and Systems Theory to address bias in each paradigm. For organizations, it explains why they perform at any of its 7 defined Levels; demystifies the nature of Culture; and provides normative diagnosis to optimize Traction for development/change interventions that gain Sustainability from its normative developmental process. This gives some insight into how it can address key causes of the high Failure Rates in such interventions since the 1960s, as documented by e.g., Burnes (2017, pp. xiii-xv).

The Dynamic Indices of Production, Human, Directive & Macro are the main Organisational Capability Dynamic Groupings, within OrgCMF’s full-system Organisation Development model Organizational Maturity Index (OMI) which comprises of 15 Dynamics and 87 constituent Construct Capabilities.

The multiple-choice options of the Questions in Part 1 are descriptors of each of the 7 Normative Maturity Levels of OrgCMF™ and, as used in this survey across the 4 Dynamic Groupings, offer the opportunity for insight into defining Change Capability or Agility for organizations.

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2 FINDINGS

'Global Survey finds that Organisation/Business Resilience in times of Disruption is both Predictable & Actionable'

2.1 Organisation Maturity Insight

Measured on a Normative Maturity Scale, Organisation Maturity can be used to identify a minimum level of Resilience and Agility required to survive and provide a roadmap to thrive during periods of disruption.

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An Organisations Capability Maturity Level determines how it will behave and respond during a period of Dynamic Disruption.

Respondents who indicated their Organisations’ were below Maturity Level 4, also indicated degradation of their functioning during the past 18 months.
Organisations’ who self-assess at above Maturity Level 4 indicate some Resilience and Agility, which increases in line with increasing Maturity Level.

Therefore, Organisations who achieve the Higher Levels of Maturity (Level 4 and above) will demonstrate increasing Resilience with increasing Maturity. However, Organisations who reside at Maturity Levels 1 to 3 degrade during periods of Disruption.

2.2 Productive, Human, Directive & Macro Dynamic Group Insights

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2.2.1 The Human Dynamic Maturity Insight (Emotion, Cognition, Personal & Interpersonal)

The Human Dynamics of an organisation deviate from normal distribution (Bell Curve) into two distinct groupings. Larger Organisations tend to indicate lower Maturity for the Human Dynamics (Mean Maturity level 2-Critical) whereas smaller Organisations tend to indicate higher Maturity levels (Mean Maturity Level 5 -Competitive). (See Figure 2). Figure 3 presents the Dynamics (Macro Capabilities) & Constructs (Micro Capabilities) for the ‘Human Dynamics’.

Larger Organisations need to invest further in diagnosing which Human related Capabilities are constraining their Resilience and Agility and developing those Human Dynamics & Constructs through their development (Organisation Learning) Phases to initially achieve a Maturity Level 5 (Competitive) and beyond.

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2.3 Future Outlook for Organisations’ Insights (Resilience, Confidence, Teamwork, Goal-Alignment, New Ways of Work, Digital).

Organisations that started 2020 with a minimum organisation capability maturity above Level 4 (Operational), indicate their resilience to address future Disruption as improved in June 2021, with Level 5 respondents indicating strong certainty.

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Figure 4 (Future Outlook)

2.4 Regional Organisation Maturity / Resilience Findings

For Europe and North America it was found to be above Maturity Level 4 (Competitive zone) whereas Africa & Asia were below Maturity Level 4 with Asia below Africa averaging at Level 3. There are more regions in Africa & Asia classified as ‘Developing’ which may explain the difference.

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2.5 Organisation Size Insight

It is surely interesting that the org size (250-5000) which is often classified as the SME / SMB sector registered the lowest maturity, and indeed, the only size grouping measuring below maturity level 4. It could be said that these are often scaling organisations with challenges that could be associated with building through the maturity phases.

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2.6 Industry Insights

Services & Professional Services were found to exhibit Maturity Levels equal to or greater than 4 with inherent resilience, as were both Consumer Staple and Discretionary. This finding for Consumer Discretionary is somewhat surprising, but perhaps it is explained by the rise of Digital Providers, though some further investigation is needed. Financial Services and IT were found to function at Maturity Level 4. Public Service and Semi-State rated a Maturity Level 3 which shows a persistent legacy cultural effect despite many initiatives to change this. Other sectors tended to be below Level 4 and this is a concerning finding that surely warrants further investigation.

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2.7 Respondent Role Insights

On average, the Top Team ‘C’ suite rate their organisations at Maturity Level 5 and above indicating an agility in the marketplace. However, middle management rate their organizations at Level 4 which at best represents an internal fitness for purpose but also indicates a Bureaucratic State or Culture, whereas Line Managers & Administrative workers have a less positive view of their organization’s Maturity, rating it at Level 2 which indicates a more Chaotic and Top-Down nature to its functionality.

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3 CONCLUSION

3.1 General Conclusion

As a general conclusion during the period January 2020 to June 2021 characterised by significant Disruption due to the Covid-19 Pandemic Organisation Resilience and confidence in dealing with VUCA was predictable based on Assessment to the starting Maturity Level and Low maturity Organisations (Levels 1-3) can prevent degradation by building Maturity to Level 4 (Operational) and those at Level 4 and above can strengthen Resilience & Agility by continue to build Maturity through the Phases towards Level 7 (Leadership)

3.2 Key Findings from Initial Data Analysis

Any Organisation can identify is current Resilience to Disruption by Assessing its Capability Maturity and can build Agility and Resilience by building its key capabilities and their respective Maturities through the Development Phases to The Higher Levels of Maturity (5-Competitive, 6-Advantage & 7- Leadership).
1. Organisations who when self-Assessed measure their Capability Maturity at above Level 4 on a 7 Level Normative Maturity Scale, demonstrate a level of Agility and Resilience that allows them to survive todays and anticipated VUCA (Disruption). The higher the Maturity Level, the greater the Resilience & Agility and the stronger the confidence to weather any period of future VUCA.
2. Organisations who when self-Assessed measure their Capability Maturity at below Level 4 indicated that their capability Maturity Level and Performance degraded during the recent VUCA period and their confidence to deal with future VUCA was low indicating low resilience and limited Agility.
Prior Research by Burnes, Hamel, Mc Kinsey and correlated by Sweeney in 2019 indicate:
1. 51% of Organisations are trapped at Maturity Level 3 or below, thus explaining a significant contributor to the Historic High Change Failure rates (70%+ Burnes 2016). Though this Survey finds the number is less at 35%.
2. 27% of organisations reach Maturity Level 4-Operational (Often referred to as Bureaucratic) and fail to progress to higher levels.
3. Only 22% of Organisations achieve Level 5 and above and attain system level Agility implied by Hamel (2015??).
Larger Organisations are more likely to rate Human Dynamics at the bottom 3 levels with a mean of Maturity Level 2 for approximately 55% of this population (30% of total participant population). Though not surprising that Emotion, Cognition, Personal and Interpersonal Dynamics are lower for large organisations the mean of Maturity Level 2 (Critical) suggests some significant risk factors exist for these organisations.
1. Larger Organisation should as a minimum complete Triage Level Assessment on the 4 Human Dynamics often associated with ‘Cultural’ deficiencies, but not exclusively.
2. For those organisations that are aware of potential shortfalls in the Human Dynamics then Diagnostic Level Assessment on some or all 21 related Micro Capabilities (Constructs).
3. Self-awareness amongst the top levels of management that they likely see the Organisation in a more positive light than the lower levels and that Resilience and Agility may not be as they might have expected
Self-awareness amongst the top levels of management that they likely see the Organisation in a more positive light than the lower levels and that Resilience and Agility may not be as they might have expected

3.3 Areas for Further Research

SME/SMB Organisations (250 -5000 Employees) measure the lowest Maturity for size groupings, this requires further analysis to understand the basis for this result.
It is interesting that for ‘Directive’ Dynamics (Macro Capabilities) which include Management, Leadership, Strategy, Goals and Reward for North American Organisations they measure an average maturity of 3.68 in the Red Zone, whereas for Productive, Human and Macro Dynamic Groups they rate around Level 5-Competitive as would be expected. Further analysis is required to understand this and perhaps some further Research.
Further analysis on specific Sector results is warranted, especially both Consumer Staple, and Consumer Discretionary.

4 Glossary

Capability: The ability to mobilise resources to achieve an aim.

Capability Maturity Model: An Organisations Capabilities define "its ability to mobilise resources to achieve an aim” so in effect they reflect the Business & Operating model’s effectiveness. Capability Maturity Management is a means to simplify and focus on those complex and interrelated resources that are relevant to achieving the organisations aims and ambitions.

Capability Maturity: Capability Maturity can be described as the functioning level of an organisation, which is determined by the quality of the resources and the effectiveness of their integration, interoperability, management and utilization. It can also be described as the organisations learning level which is its ability to process change. In effect a maturity level determines an organisations, teams or specific functions performance and its Change Capability (Agility).

Capability Maturity Management: Capability Maturity Management is an approach to Planning, Organising, developing and applying an organisations capabilities to achieve an organisations or teams aims and ambitions. It is an approach that enables the management of VUCA.

Capability Maturity Assessment: Capability Maturity Assessment is the structured and scientific process of measuring the Maturity Level of an Organisation, Team or Function through their Reference Model, Dynamics or Constructs.

Development Process: Development Process; the specific actions for any Organisation, Team or Function (Model, Dynamic, Construct) at the measured level of maturity and the sequence of building (learning) from the lowest maturity level (Crisis-1) to the highest level (Leadership-7)

Dynamic Systems Maturity Theory (DSMT); Dynamic Systems Maturity Theory (DSMT) is a scientific means for understanding and improving Organisation Systems. How they function? Why they perform at a specific level? The Nature of their Culture and the Learning & Development Process.

Dynamics: Dynamics are the forces that influence the functioning level of the system or sub-system, they are a means of classifying and understanding the Macro Capabilities of the system/sub-system (Organisation, Team, Function). Their maturity level can be measured on a normative scale.

Dynamic Indices; are groupings of Homogenous Dynamics and consist of 4 Groups: Productive, Human, Directive & Macro.

    1. Productive: The dynamics that relate to the physical environment and the work and individual does, and how it is organised.

    2. Human: The dynamics that relate to individual and group behaviours, relationships and personalities and how they influence performance and growth.

    3. Directive: The dynamics that relate to setting, organising and achieving the aims and ambitions of the organisation and how they motivate performance and growth.

    4. Macro: The dynamics that relate to the business, environment and resources that influence or are leveraged to achieve the aims, ambitions and performance of the organisation.

Constructs; are the building blocks of the system or subsystem that underpin its ‘Dynamics’, in effect they are the meso or micro capabilities and their maturity level can be measured on a normative scale.

Habituates: sits at, resides, operates at. In OrgCMF™ it refers to the current level of maturity that an Organisation, Team or function is at. (Model, Dynamic or Construct).

Organisation Capability Maturity Framework (OrgCMF™); is a set of Bodies of Knowledge, Reference Models, Techniques & Tools based on the DSMT Capability Maturity Standard, which enables Organisations and teams improve their Performance (Functioning & Learning Levels) in line with their Aims & Ambitions for Change, Improvement & Transformation.

Organisation Maturity Index (OMI is the primary OrgCMF™; Reference Model, Body of Knowledge & Capability Maturity Assessments, which guide Individuals and Teams in measuring and improving the maturity levels through the structured Learning & Development Process that apply to all Organisation Systems and their underpinning Capabilities.

Reference Model: A Reference Model in systems, organisation, and engineering is an abstract framework or domain-specific ontology consisting of an interlinked set of clearly defined concepts produced by an expert or body of experts in order to encourage clear communication. A reference model can represent the component parts of any consistent idea, from business functions to system components, as long as it represents a complete set. This frame of reference can then be used to communicate ideas clearly among members of the same community.

Reference Framework: A Reference Framework is a Body of Knowledge, Reference Model, Guides, Tools, Platforms and Standard that represents researched and practiced approaches that reflect shared learning and best practice in an ecosystem or domain.

VUCA; is an acronym to describe a difficult situation or environment that an individual, team, organisation or thing must exist in or plan for its eventuality.

   1. Volatility; tending to rapid and extreme fluctuations. The term is used to describe the size and frequency of the fluctuations or variations in any system element.

    2. Uncertainty; simply means the lack of certainty or sureness of an event, data or information now or in the future.

    3. Complexity; means the ability to understand any situation or system (e.g., Organisation, Team, Function) due to the number, variety, and sophistications of the system elements and their ‘Inters’.

    4. Ambiguity; means the doubtfulness of meaning, or uncertainty of intention, that makes a situation or system capable of being understood and implies a wrong decision or action is possible.

5 The Organisation Development Tools Institute

The Organisation Development Tools Institute (ODTI), Researches, Develops and Provides tools that help organisations plan and execute Incremental, Transitional and Transformational Change, based on Organisation Science and Dynamic Systems Maturity Theory (DSMT). DSMT identifies the distinct learning levels (Maturity levels) that describe any organisations functioning level (Performance and ability to change), and provides a roadmap to improve Performance, Resilience & Agility to higher maturity levels.

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5.1 The Organisation Capability Maturity Framework

Bodies of Knowledge: The Organisation Capability Maturity Framework™ ( OrgCMF™) is a Change Capability Maturity Framework, consisting of Three Reference Models and their related Bodies of Knowledge which describes each Maturity Level for each key organisation 'Dynamic' (Macro Capability) and underpinning 'Constructs' (Micro Capability). It also provides a roadmap to guide change actions and improve change capability.

Capability Maturity Assessment: The starting point for any organisation change or improvement program, is an appropriate organisation assessment, which provides a true measurement of their current capabilities, and appropriate guidance on actions to be taken to achieve both their target change goals and improved capability maturity. (For each Reference Model, OMI, TMI, DMI)). Approach: The ODTI Digital Platform provides access to the full OMI, TMI & DMI bodies of knowledge, and Assessment Portfolio. A self-service model for all standard Assessments is planned, and where required ODTI can configure an assessment to meet specific customer change program goals.

For more information email info@orgcmf.com, or visit www.orgcmf.com

6 The University of Groningen Change Master’s Program

“Best General University for Pursuing a Master’s degree in the Netherlands” in 2018. The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, City of Talent. Quality has had top priority for four hundred years, and with success: the University is currently in or around the top 100 on several influential ranking lists.

www.rug.nl

7 Your Organisation Comparison with Benchmark (Appendix A)

Available only to Study Participants