Potential Oncoming Crisis, What Organisations Can Do?

Since what has happened in 2008 after the financial crisis with struck the US and now we seen the effects spreading to EU and Asia, the overall view for 2009 is gloomy for most people and organisations. For Asia itself, Japan has already announced recession while Singapore is now in technical recession.

Firstly I noticed a trend in most organisations and that is we are excellent managers of crisis. Fire fighting is the usual word we hear in many organisations and yet it goes on and on without much being done about it. I started to find answers and observing and asking questions.

Interestingly, I notice some underlying interest, personal ones and also emerging trends in management approach.

At a personal level many managers have a liking for crisis management because they were good at it. They have been trained to be excellent crisis managers. in fact, many very creative methods of solving problems were discovered during these events. Unfortunately, these more often give temporary positive effects which over the long run spirals organisations towards the bottom. Along with this, employees positive creativeness, enthusiam, loyalty and motivation spirals down with the organisation to the extent that it is no longer competitive or profitable. Sad to say this are very well to a large extent the shortfalls of senior management.

Emerging trends in managements especially for large multinationals are that the leader of the organisation today are neither not so much a strong leader nor good team builders. They are less likely to look into the human part of the organisation which probably they felt is the job of the HR department. They are more concerned with paper figures. many a times is leads to leaders who are less aware of the organisation's motivational, spiritual and humane part of it. Perhaps, out of sight , out of mind. Many a times either they are overwhelmed by the situation or perhaps regard them as low priority. They forget that human forms the organisation and because of them either the results can be achieved or not. To me this is a serious oversight.

While 2009 is said to bring great challenges to many organisations which I regard it as a litmus test for any organisation's competitiveness and excellence.

It is time that organisations take this as a calling to review their Internal processes and come out with different measurements other than that of purely financial. Internal processes that are efficient coupled with 'healthy' employee's state of mind will help organisation weather tough times. It is also a time for management to review their position and strategies to come to a balance between organisation's health (financially, human factor, machines, marketing strategies, supply chain capability as well as its corporate values) and market's potential and situation. As the wise saying, "dont wear a hat that is bigger than your head".

I wish all readers a Happy 2009.