The Responsive Organisation

I had my holidays all figured out. I was going to spend it at Abuja with my wife. Apart from needing the rest, I figured that I could make up for our honeymoon which was very short. Then a day after we arrived Abuja, I received a call that changed everything.

I was needed very urgently by a leading Lagos ISP to provide Business Development Services and provide leadership for the team they put together for their new fiber internet and smart city project for Lagos. While I could provide most of this support remotely; I still had to define what each team member would do, streamline the nature of the technical surveys and carry out onsite inspection for critical information I needed for the feasibility study design. Since it was just going to take few days and I considered the urgency of the need; not to mention the fact that the Founder of this respected ISP said they wanted me because they considered me a startup specialist, I travelled down to Lagos. In three days, I was done, and was soon on the throes of departure. But that is hardly the crux of my writing.

To travel back to Abuja on the 24th, I decided to board a bus. But I had one challenge; I had no cash. Well, it was pretty simple; just withdraw money from the ATMs, right? Well, that morning, it wasn’t simple. There were queues at every ATM, and some were either out of service or out of cash. Then it hit me; I could pay with POS. But I had no such luck; only two transporters ever used that option, and they said they network was experiencing difficulties that morning, so they couldn’t use it. They and every other transporter I went to asked that I go withdraw money, then come and pay. All of them, except one.

As I made enquiries at their office; they didn’t have POS like the rest. But they didn’t just let me go; they asked me the nature of my difficulties. And I explained; the long queues and malfunctioning ATMs. As I still spoke, one of the staffs whispered to someone who turned out to be the manager. Then she turned back to me to ask if I could do mobile transfer to their account. Why not, I responded enthusiastically. That seemed to open the floodgates for this fledgling company that struggled to fill up five buses on a good day. They filled up to four buses going to Abuja alone! And it didn’t stop. As someone committed to daily learning and continuous improvement, I wasn’t about to miss out from this. So I thought very hard and long about it; what had been at play that had been such a game changer, which I could also learn and apply to my business. Then it hit me; that Transport Company was a responsive organization!

So yes, I want to talk about a responsive organization. According to an online dictionary I consulted, been “responsive” is “reacting quickly and positively”, with such synonyms as reactive, receptive, flexible, amenable, quick to react, and open to suggestions.

According to Michael Hills, “The Responsive Organization is built to learn and respond rapidly by optimizing for the open flow of information; encouraging experimentation and learning on rapid cycles; and organizing as a network of employees, customers, and partners motivated by shared purpose.”

A quick look at the incident would define responsiveness with an everyday occurrence. First, been responsiveness isn’t a function of been large or small, blue chip or not; it’s an organizational culture that can be learned and ingrained. It’s also not about having a mantra or a platitude to be hung on walls, which says, “We are a responsive organization”. Secondly, responsiveness comes with been aware of what is happening in your business ecosystem, consciously reviewing the changes, and adapting to them, in a way that solves problems for clients. Clearly, despite a lot of people having problems with cash payment, due to the ATM’s, only one company, albeit an unknown one was open enough, to adopt a payment solution they hadn’t offered before, just so they could solve problems and add value to their customers. Finally, it is also very clear that a responsive organization would trump one that is blind to the industry and the challenges of its clients, any day!

But you don’t have to be a registered business to benefit from been a responsive organization; whether a solopreneur, or a craftsman; it helps you add value, and attract clients. My encounter with Sani, a cabman in Abuja showed me that. Somehow, my challenge with getting cash that morning had come up, and he told me how he had landed a big client. She came to make withdrawal, and get a cab to run several errands. But the queues were just too much for her. Noticing her distress, he had asked her, and offered to give her cash if she transferred money to his account. She was excited. She ended up retaining him for close to the whole day! He thought about giving value; he ended up getting value!

As we wind down into 2017; a year with several predictions for small businesses; I make bold to say that any organization that isn’t responsive is nailing its coffin. Every organization must review how it does things, and possibly do away with unnecessary bureaucracies that stifle flow of information and kill responsiveness. It’s not just about been aware of the changes in the environment; one must adapt or die; especially, if the changes come slowly. Don’t let changes in the business ecosystem make you live in denial, because of what you have known to be true in the past; because there wasn’t any sharp changes. We must not be like some frog species which quickly jumps out of water if you plunge in very hot water, but boils to death if you place in cold water and slowly heat it to boiling. The frog is aware of the changes in its environment, but only changes internally to conform to it, rather than jumping out to save its life.

One last thing; every business that wants to stay relevant by offering services that are flexible enough to be responsive to changing social patterns, as well as the needs and challenges of clients. To negate this is a sure recipe for disaster. Merry Christmas!