Organisational Emotional Intelligence as a Cultural Strategy for Resilience and Infinite Success in a VUCA World

First of all, I would like to start by highlighting the two concepts of game theory: finite game and infinite game. The first one is defined as known players, fixed rules, and agreed opponent objectives, the second is defined as known and unknown players, the rules are changeable, and the objective is to keep the competition. Based on these two definitions, the game of business is an infinite game that has existed long before every single community that exists on this planet today,and it will outlast every single company that exists today. There is no winning in the game of business, and the reason is the competitors haven’t agreed to the rules ; besides that, there is no end to the game. Therefore, it is the leaders of the companies that understand the business environment they are in so they organize the resources and the decision making around that infinite context that outlast and frustrate their competition (Simon Sinek, 2019).

Furthermore, it is clear that today and even more than before, we live in a VUCA world 'Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous' that is shaken by significant development trends in energy, industry, food, technology , and bioclimate. A constantly changing environment, characterized by a digital revolution and an unprecedented pandemic crisis, where companies face major challenges, bringing opportunities but also threats. More than ever, they must confront these changes and benefit from them, while limiting the risks. To achieve this, companies must continually work on their agility and develop the skills of their employees in order to guarantee their survival and resilience to foster organizational evolution.

As Charles Darwin argued: “It is not the strongest species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one that adapts best.” This is where agility, an adaptive approach that appeared in 2001 with a manifesto bringing together 4 values and 12 principles, in order to embody the values of change, by understanding two main factors: responding to changes (anticipated or unexpected) in an appropriate manner and timely, besides exploiting changes and derive opportunities (Dove, 1996; Kidd, 1995), cited by (Zhang and Sharifi, 2000). By flexible and rapid adaptation, all components of the agile organization are affected, including the objectives of the company, technology,and employees (Kidd, 1994), cited by (Rzepka and Bojar, 2020).

In addition, by focusing on the agile manifesto, we can find that priority was given to individuals and their interactions, as well as adaptation to change. Building projects around motivated people and self-organized teams and favoring dialogue in person. That being said, it is organizations with high emotional intelligence that excel in this context of agility and manage easily all types of transformations by building human-centric approaches.??????????????????

Moreover, in periods of change (change in hierarchical structure, e.g., welcoming a new CEO or department head, business mergers or acquisitions, business restructuring.), it is critical for leaders to establish trust so that, employees feel comfortable expressing their concerns. Besides, demonstrate active listening and value their input, be transparent about what is known and what remains uncertain. Additionally, constitute, when necessary a ‘task force change’ and ensure those people selected are supported and equipped to clarify and reinforce important aspects of the changes and future state vision. On top of that, it is crucial that leaders are vigilant and sharp in ensuring fluidity and transparency during the circulation of important information and communications Top-Down or Bottom-Up in the periods of change. Sometimes, be close to protect first-level employees, especially Gen Z, from the bad intentions of people in middle management, who can dilute information or modify it in their favor by protecting themselves with the hierarchical system followed unfortunately blindly by some leaders!

With this culture of development and trust, leaders/managers are helping Gen Z overcome the need for instant gratification and teaching them the joy of impact and fulfillment that comes from working hard on something for a long time. So that they can navigate the complexities, evolve, and ultimately thrive in today's dynamic business landscape.

In a nutshul, through a commitment to organizational emotional intelligence, organizations are putting in place a cornerstone that allows them to demonstrate agility and resilience across various settings, helping to create the mechanisms that enable connections to occur and develop business synergies by establishing the principles of co-construction and continuous improvement with an infinite mindset of success.

Last but not least, after you have made a first reading of my article, I share with you an historic statement of Hervé Renard, the former Moroccan football coach on the success story of Moroccan football who has applied several points mentioned previously: "I worked there in Morocco, and for me, the great development that Moroccan football is experiencing is not a surprise because they work very hard day and night with an extremely professional system. Morocco had been working for years to become the world number one in football. It was their project when I was their coach and now Morocco is number one. This team is not only capable of winning the Olympic Games, is also capable of winning the World Cup. The development is incredible.".

Now, I invite you to read my article once again, deciphering with all your intention the different points raised. I say thank you for your time and your precious collaboration.