See pages where the term company survival is mentioned. Conditions for the survival of an organization in the external environment

The article is based on mine personal experience creation survivalist groups. All errors and situations are completely real, coincidences are most likely not accidental.

Does it make sense in principle to create some kind of group of survivalists who want the (Great Arctic Fox) to survive together? Many years ago, when I was just thinking about this idea, I talked a lot with people about this topic and asked them this question.

The answers were different: from “ Definitely YES!" before " The state and the special ones created for this will take care of us.civil services". Which? Yes, very different, from the ambulance medical care to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the police and the army.

Yes, in any country in the world there are such services and structures. And they were created, according to many, precisely to protect the population (). And yes, in the event of some local, small disasters, accidents and incidents, they are quite capable of fighting the scourge. BUT. Let's look at these services through the prism of their tasks, capabilities for global BP, examples from history and common sense. And in the end, through the prism of simply the human factor and practice.

Why you can’t rely on civil services

Let's not go too far into the past. Suffice it to take, for example, in Bosnia in 1992-95, in Argentina in 2001 and the consequences Hurricane Katrina in 2005, in New Orleans, USA. For those who are not familiar with how and what happened there, I highly recommend reading the stories of people who had to survive in this chaos. Now that many years have passed since those tragic events, more than enough information has appeared on the Internet to study what happened there. This information is objective nature, and not dosed, at the moment of what is happening, by the same special services.

All the examples I have given, which are not even related to each other in any way, have a different nature, reasons and geographical location. But, in the best possible way, they show what situation a person may find himself in and what he will have to endure and how so that he and his loved ones survive. But one factor, despite the difference in time, the nature of the power supply and other parameters, unites them all.

In all cases, civil services and structures did not fulfill their task! And they would not be able to fulfill it in principle. For several reasons. The first is an insufficient amount of human, material and technical resources. For example - 2005, Hurricane Katrina. The rescue service received about 10,000 calls for help from residents per day! And this is during a hurricane, in, say, not the poorest country in the world. And if we take examples of civil war or? And no matter what country it will be, the scenario and consequences will be strikingly similar.

It is physically impossible to help so many victims. There simply aren’t that many ambulance crews, firefighters, and police. AND we're talking about not only about the number of personnel of rescue and other services. With a truly global BP, and we are only talking about this, the entire material and technical base will be destroyed, without which these services simply cannot function.

The first, main and almost the only point that absolutely influences the creation and functioning of such a group is human factor. Because in any community it comes to the fore from the very first seconds of joint interaction: from the purchase of equipment to behavior in real life. extreme conditions. Those who do not understand this will face many surprising things later. And even with all your sympathy for the participants in the process, you will be very dissatisfied with what is happening...

At first, when group of survivalists It’s just starting to be created, everything is fine... Everyone is shouting that it is necessary, necessary, and so on. When does the question arise about direct participation, and even more so about investing your own funds in a common cause, this is where the problems begin! Nobody wants to invest their money in something that may never happen. One needs to take his wife to Ebibet, another has his eye on a new fashionable (expensive, of course) watch, the third decided to buy a new fur coat... In short, there is somewhere to spend money without preparing for any kind of emergency situation. At the same time, everyone wants to survive, if something happens, not only themselves, but also to drag a bunch of relatives and friends with them. Everyone wants to live, but if they invest, then only to the minimum. And better yet, no cost at all. So to speak, “economy class”.

But that doesn't happen in survival. Either you do everything you need to do or you don't. There is no third! Then those who invest heavily begin to get nervous - they somehow don’t really want everything acquired at their expense to be used by others who, accordingly, decided to save money but stay in the group... This moment is the beginning of the end of your mythical “ survivalist groups». Editor's note: Is communism not working? Marvelous! Suddenly! Unpredictable! Naturally.

And this is just one example. And the human factor itself is such an objectively strong component that one cannot simply close one’s eyes to it. Surely, there will be arguments, they say, you need to choose participants better... But if you place an adequate person for a week, even with equipment, you will learn a lot of new things both about yourself and about him... In this case, no one will give you a guarantee of adequacy at all. I'm not even talking about leadership and other important things...

You also need to understand that in any extreme situation, a person first of all thinks:

• ABOUT ME
• ABOUT YOUR loved ones
• And hardly - about you and the group (only if it benefits him).

Do you need one like this? group of survivalists? It is obvious that what it was created for loses all meaning in the real development of events.

As for preparation... If you are still strong in your enthusiasm, be prepared to do EVERYTHING on your own - choose, buy, deliver (equipment, supplies, etc.) And also: buy and prepare a “base”, calculate routes and much, much more. Because the members of your group always have more important things to do... In ordinary everyday life there is always a place for entertainment, household chores, etc. And they are ALWAYS more important. You just need to remember this.

By and large, it turns out that you are creating a group for the sake of the idea itself, in the name of itself, which is absolutely pointless, costly and, excuse me, hemorrhoids. And then, with BP, you will also “drag them on yourself” or stupidly disperse to the sides, sharing equipment. Where is the meaning?

Another thing is family. Blood relations. There are completely different priorities at play here. But it’s better to talk about this separately.

What is a normal group of survivalists?

This is a certain group of people with a certain (preferably similar) philosophy and outlook on life. What should I do? Preferably everything! Or as much as possible. But the most important thing is to be able to stand up for yourself and your loved ones. Be able to preserve, preserve and protect what you have! Why? I think the question is unnecessary. The BP, whatever it may be, will convey and explain this to every person in the strictest form, and if necessary, personally!

In order for you and your loved ones not to become easy prey or a victim of circumstances, first of all you need to be able to! Everything else is technology hand-to-hand combat, and much more - only adds chances of survival, but is not a guarantee. No matter what kind of Bruce Lee or Schwarzenegger you are, any child, under certain circumstances, will kill you on the spot. And it’s hard to argue with that...

So, there is a group of people who believe in some kind of end of the world or a global catastrophe (in our opinion - BP), and all sorts of nonsense, and most importantly, they do not count on the state and its system. Doesn't remind you of anything? That's right - a sect, and not just a sect, but armed to the teeth! When I created the group, I understood perfectly well that such an organization, sooner or later, would definitely fall under the hood of the special services and nothing would come of this idea a priori. They'll strangle you in the bud! Without consequences, at best, and at worst - time.

Therefore, the first thing you need to learn is: no need to shout at every corner that you are a survivor.

Official "cover"

As for purchasing a firearm, it is better to explain this and practice sports. Hunting groups and sports shooting clubs! Due to this, the issue of legally purchasing weapons is easily resolved. In addition, this is an opportunity to buy weapons in large quantities, and also in the same volumes. Well, if you are an athlete (IPSC), then reloading. To illustrate what you can legally buy, I’ll post a photo of my old arsenal:

In addition, the creation of sports or hunting team(organization) provides an official opportunity to constantly practice shooting (let me make a reservation, we are talking about a specific country and its legislation). After all, it is not enough to just shoot accurately from a spot in a shooting range; in BP conditions you need to know the tactics of movement (in a building, in a city, in a forest), combing (search), ambushes and much more. How can all this be done officially, without attracting undue attention from the concerned services? After all, you can easily be charged with creating an armed criminal group with unclear motives.

The answer is simple - airsoft! Work out anything, anywhere and anytime!!! The only difference is that the weapon is not a combat weapon. But everything else is like an adult: staying in the forest for days, creating shelters, guarding the camp, learning to work with a walkie-talkie and much more! For example, our team participated in games of different levels - from local to international (Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic...). For your information: some special forces around the world also use airsoft weapons for training.

We did not have a goal to turn programmers or accountants into seasoned special forces soldiers - there was a desire to simply, competently use weapons, so that we would not inadvertently kill ourselves or one of our own on occasion. And then, joint events help strengthen relationships in the group...

Real achievements

By the way, we also earned a little money from these “games” - they were used for the needs of the group. For example, a new Bundeswehr army tent (10.5x4.5x2.5), camp cots, camp equipment and much more were purchased. The plans include purchasing a generator and a stove. The project includes a plot of land (as an example, a farm outside the city) for collection at hour X; transport and so on...

In addition, the status of an airsoft sports club (an organization not seeking income) also allowed us to collect money (membership fees, etc.), but most importantly, to organize some things officially (for example, permission from the military to use the training ground), not on anyone looking back and not looking back. In addition, the property was “hung” on the club and did not belong to anyone alone. Which is also strategically correct. I’ll make a reservation right away that not all members of the airsoft team knew what was going on here - the club was, a kind of cover with opportunities for survivalist groups.

The group included doctors, industrial climbers, law enforcement officers, professional military personnel (since Soviet times), hunters, etc. But the majority are, of course, ordinary civilians (families, children, etc.). Everyone had the opportunity to practice survival, shooting, skydiving, diving... It was even just nice and interesting to get together, for example, to skydive. Even children became interested in this activity (as an example, the 11-year-old daughter of one of ours successfully completed the course and made the jump). You say bullshit??? But I don’t agree! Not every “tough” guy has the courage to jump. In short, work was carried out in all directions...

Moreover, with one of the most active members of the group, we invested and opened a small equipment store. The goal was not only to earn something extra, but also to constantly keep a warehouse with everything necessary at hand. Again, members survivalist groups could stock up there practically at the cost of goods.

BUT! The above-mentioned reasons destroyed everything “acquired by back-breaking labor,” not to mention the idea...

The result is that there is no group, but there are debts. And what’s most unpleasant is that relationships with some people are ruined forever. Although, in truth, I must add that after several years, when I returned to my country and met these people again, many asked me to create it all again and convinced me that this time everything would be different...

Solving the problems of survival of organizations is facilitated by the law of self-preservation, which states that any organization as a socio-economic system has an inherent desire for self-preservation (survival) through the optimal use of human and material resources.

It should be noted that the desire for self-preservation is inherent not only in large formations, but also in every individual person, and not

large teams, including families - small-sized associative organizations.

The law of self-preservation serves as the basis for assessing an organization's ability to survive in changing conditions of existence. The resulting assessment is used to determine the time of existence of the organization and to predict its further development. When constructing an assessment, it is necessary to make as many Full description factors of the internal and external environment that influence the activities of the organization, divide these factors into two groups: positive and negative.

Positive factors refer to resources that increase the organization's capabilities in the struggle for survival. An organization is capable of survival and sustainable progressive development if the energy potential of positive (creative) factors exceeds the corresponding indicator of negative (destructive) factors.

The main difficulty in drawing up a balance of creative and destructive potential is that, when assessing an organization’s ability to self-preserve, it is necessary to take into account not only internal factors materialized nature (presence Money, the state of the material and technical base, work technology, etc.), but also socio-psychological factors. This should include the characteristics of the professional and psychological suitability of the personnel to perform the duties assigned to them, indicators of the general psychological atmosphere in the team (attitude towards management, conflict, ability to work in frequently changing or extreme conditions, etc.).

It is particularly difficult to determine the organizational potential of the management level, which largely depends on many indicators of the manager’s personality. Among them are initiative, professionalism, general culture, communication skills, organizational skills, the desire to use innovations in management activities, etc. experience business organizations in the conditions of formation market economy shows that most often the liquidation of organizations is not associated with economic or material reasons, but is a consequence of ineffective management.

From the law of self-preservation it follows that profit cannot be main goal organization, because profit is a purely internal issue. The first years of the formation of market relations in Russia convincingly showed how short-lived organizations are that work only on the principle of achieving maximum profit. The processes of stabilization of market relations, the development of competition, stable division of the market into segments, and price stabilization led to the self-liquidation of such organizations. Currently, organizations of this type can exist only for a fairly short time and only in new market segments.

The basis of the struggle for self-preservation is the ability of a business organization not only to adapt to the external environment, but also to be able to use the changes occurring in it to its advantage. A complete and comprehensive analysis of the external environment allows managers of both newly created and existing business organizations to anticipate potential threats to survival, as well as to anticipate new development opportunities. Competent forecasting allows you to develop a model of the organization’s situational behavior and avoid its destruction.

In the struggle for self-preservation of the organization, the management of the company must take into account various factors external environment that pose a threat to the life of the organization.

Let us briefly describe the environmental factors listed in the table that influence the activities of the organization.

International factors. These include relationships between states, agreements on tariffs and trade between countries, and the legislative framework of various countries. Large and medium-sized business organizations usually seek to enter the international market. Therefore, they must monitor the policies of other governments to protect or expand the national market. Many measures can be not only prohibitive (establishing high customs duties for certain groups of imported goods), but also of an incentive nature. For example, the French government, in order to encourage the export of products light industry introduced a 15% discount on selling prices for goods exported by individuals to other countries with payment of compensation from the state budget. In Finland, when leaving the country, VAT is refunded at the border for goods purchased by foreigners in local stores.

Political factors. This is primarily the state system, legislative and regulatory activities federal government and local authorities, level of legal regulation economic activity, the state of credit policy, protectionism in customs policy.

Economic forces. Among them are the rate of inflation (deflation), tax rates, the ability to manage finances at the state level, the conditions for granting loans, the price level, the solvency of the population and enterprises, and the unemployment rate in the country.

Market factors. Numerous market factors significantly influence the performance of a business organization. Analysis of supply and demand allows management to timely anticipate unfavorable situations, take into account the demographic situation, level of competition, market capacity and security of the organization within the selected market segment. Studying the behavior of competitors allows us to determine their goals and strategy in the market, which enables a business organization to be prepared for potential threats from unfriendly competitors.

Technological factors. Changes in the technological external environment can put an organization in a competitive situation in a hopeless position. When analyzing the technological external environment, it is important not to miss the moment when innovations appear in it. For the current stage of development business relations Russia is characterized by rapid changes in the field of work technologies. This is mainly due to the fact that in last years the possibilities of using the latest achievements of the advanced countries of the world have expanded. These are not only technical innovations, but also modern information Technology, new technologies for managing organizations, financial flows, etc.

Social factors. These factors are closely related to what large groups of the population prefer. In conditions of economic instability, they can pose a significant threat to the survival of the organization. Currently, Russia is characterized by a noticeable influence of such factors as heightened national feelings (buy only domestic goods, do not buy goods from people of certain nationalities, etc.), an ambiguous attitude towards entrepreneurship, changes in social values, the development of a movement to protect consumer rights etc. Compiling a list of potential threats to the existence of an organization, analyzing these threats and preliminary development of scenarios for behavior in extreme situations significantly increases the chances of survival of a business organization striving for self-preservation in conditions of intense competition, which, as the experience of reputable business organizations shows, is quite feasible.

an open system, it can ultimately survive only if it satisfies some need outside itself. To earn the profits it needs to survive, a firm must monitor the environment in which it operates. Therefore, it is in the environment that management looks for the overall goal of the organization. To select an appropriate mission, management must answer two questions: Who are our customers and What needs of our customers can we satisfy? A customer in this context is anyone who uses the organization's output. The clients of a non-profit organization will be those who use its services and provide it with resources.

OPERATIONS. Very important for the long-term survival of a company is the continuous analysis of operations management (in the narrow sense of production - Approx. Scientific, ed.). And some key questions that need to be answered when examining the strengths and weaknesses of the operations management function.

However, the desire of any managers to achieve goals other than long-term profit maximization is limited within certain limits. Shareholders or the board of directors can remove them and transfer the company to new management. In any case, firms that are not closely involved in maximizing profits have little chance of survival. Firms that survive in specific industries place long-term profit maximization as a top priority.

These strategies typically involve implementing remedial actions to stop declining profits. In these conditions, efforts should be concentrated on those activities and areas in which the company has the greatest experience or clear market success. Saving strategies are based on the assumption of firm survival. Correctly estimating expenses involves analyzing historical financial data, as this is the best starting point for predicting future expenses.

Opportunities that overcome an organization's weaknesses. In order to identify them, it is necessary to find out whether the organization's weaknesses are significant for the survival of the company. Do they influence key success factors? Can the firm counter weaknesses with strategies such as joint ventures or alliances with organizations that demonstrate strength where the firm finds weaknesses, or can solve its problems through technological innovation, improved control, development communications, etc.

The problem of assessing and selecting the best options using economic criteria has acquired great relevance in connection with the development of innovative processes in all areas of enterprise activity and the need to plan innovative activities. Long-term planning of innovations is considered as a means of existence and survival of a company in an environment of increasing competition. Long-term planning affects such areas as the company’s production program, areas of application of products, sales markets, production process, etc.

Further existence of the company. The enterprise may have excess capacity, there is intense competition in the market, demand and consumer preferences have changed. In such cases, in order to continue production and liquidate inventories, prices are often reduced. In this case, profit loses its meaning. As long as the price covers at least the variables and part fixed costs, production can continue. However, the survival of the firm may be viewed as a short-term goal.

With the right approach, variable (direct) costs should be the limit below which no manufacturer will price their products. In any case, the true function of cost is to set a lower limit to the initial price of a product, while the value of that product to the consumer is determined by the upper limit to its price. In practice, variable costs can, under certain conditions, when there are large unloaded capacities and the question of the survival of the company, act as a lower limit on prices.

A company's knowledge of its competitors and an adequate assessment of its own competitiveness are often critical not just for the success of the business, but also for the survival of the company in general. The initial formal verification can be carried out in a very simple way, when the company puts “yes” or “no” in questionnaires such as the one presented below.

Note that senior managers often deal with the paradox of strategic management. On the one hand, the responsibility of senior managers is to ensure that the enterprise operates efficiently and achieves the expected profits. On the other hand, they must be able to quickly maneuver under the influence of external threats and opportunities. Unfortunately, many managers who succeed in ensuring the effective functioning of the enterprise turn out to be more passive and less prepared for changes in the external environment. On the contrary, managers who have achieved flexibility and adaptability of their firms to the external environment do not guarantee the firm's survival in competition if they ignore operational problems. For successful leadership, these two aspects must be balanced.

Since an organization is an open system, it can ultimately survive only if it satisfies some need outside itself. To earn the profits it needs to survive, a firm must monitor the environment in which it operates. Therefore, it is in the environment that management looks for the overall goal of the organization. The need for mission selection has been recognized by prominent leaders

Profit represents entirely internal problem enterprises. Since an organization is an open system, it can ultimately survive only if it satisfies some need outside itself. To earn the profits it needs to survive, a firm must monitor the environment in which it operates. Therefore, it is in the environment that management looks for the overall goal of the organization. To select the appropriate mission, management must answer two questions: "Who are our customers" and "What needs of our customers can we satisfy."

Fifth option. Only the component of the crisis period of life is taken into account, that is, there is only a goal related to the survival of the company. In this case, there is a complete restructuring of the internal structures of all departments with maximum simplification of the external structure, that is, most of the departments associated with the development of new products and technologies are cut off. The company is moving into a new quality.

First of all, the goals of the marketing pricing strategy are determined. They can be maximizing current or future profits, gaining a larger market share, gaining leadership in terms of product quality, the company’s survival tasks, etc. Then the base price level is calculated.

The agitation phase is the creation among staff of a feeling of strategic discomfort associated with the realization that the personal fate of employees depends on the survival of the company, due to radical changes in the management strategy of creating the image of a reliable and influential leader, establishing two-way channels of organizational communications between the anti-crisis manager and the enterprise staff. The propaganda factor can be used to a large extent when using the capabilities of PR.

Innovation. The ability to develop and offer new products is the main condition for a company's survival in competition. A company's ability to continuously innovate and effectively manage these processes is the basis of its business activity.

The second alternative amounts to estimating the value of discounted cash flows only in the scenario in which the firm remains a going concern, and then using the probability that the firm will be a going concern at that value. Chapter 12 contains a couple of approaches that can help exploit this probability, these include statistical probits and Monte Carlo simulation models. If we estimate the probability of a firm's survival as a going concern, then its value can be determined as follows

The assumption here is that profits will quickly return to normal levels and little will be lost if results are allowed to be achieved immediately. However, for individual firms, negative or low earnings may reflect factors that are not likely to go away soon. There are at least three groups of firms where negative earnings are likely to be a long-term phenomenon that may even threaten the survival of the firm

Is the company likely to survive?

Until recently, the activities of most Russian companies were based only on obtaining short-term benefits, without focusing on the future. It is no secret that a huge number of companies were created only to realize some short-term goal, without the desire to maintain their presence in this market in the future. However, due to the transition of business to a more civilized framework of activity and relative economic stabilization, companies are forced to move to strategic management. One of the urgent needs of this is the need for a formal description of certain guidelines, directions of activity of the organization, and this is the lot of both newly created companies and those already operating on the market. This is due not only to the problem of the company’s survival in a competitive environment, but also to the need to unite the company’s employees on the path to achieving certain results, i.e. create a corporate culture. In this case we are talking about such concepts as the mission and purpose of the company. Mission is a concise definition of the direction of the organization's work, its goal orientation, the organization's disposition towards processes inside and outside it that motivate employees. Goal - desirable

The idea that the desire for a person to search and realize the meaning of his life is an innate motivational tendency inherent in all people and is the main driver of behavior and personal development belongs to Viktor Frankl, the creator of logotherapy, a prisoner of the Auschwitz and Dachau concentration camps. Motivation is considered by psychologist Gordon Allport as a state of tension, which, with passive adaptation, leads us to seek balance, peace and satisfaction; with active personal striving, it is not about removing, but about creating tension to resist balance.

Values ​​are semantic universals, unique to each individual, obtained through generalization. typical situations that society or humanity has had to face in history. The meaningful characteristics and the possibility of positive comprehension lie in the plane of answers to three questions: what we give to life, or the value of creativity, what we take from the world, or the value of experience, and the value of attitude through the position we take in relation to what we do not able to change . In a study of the reasons for the decline in the competitiveness of American industrial companies in world markets, conducted in the mid-80s by representatives of the Harvard Business School under the leadership of Bruce Scott, it was recommended: “to fully understand the importance of the ideological factor for economic efficiency national economy". It is ideology in any company, as well as in any other organization, that answers the main question: “Why are we all doing this?” - giving organizational activity meaning.

At the firm or company level, four important functions of ideology can be distinguished:

• it defines the goal towards which everyone needs to strive;
• mobilizes staff;
• sets a clear criterion for belonging to a given team;
• forms a system of values ​​that allows you to choose acceptable methods to achieve your goal.

A consequence of the fact that de-ideologized organizations are unable not only to develop effectively, but also to exist for a long time in general, is a kind of “demand for ideology,” including the services of consultants, scientific institutes, such as the Republican State Enterprise Institute economic research Ministry of Economy and Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as qualified managers.

The collapse of an organization follows a chain:

ideology – psychology – social relations – technological level.

What must happen to an organization for it to have a clear need for ideology? Firstly, the organization must enter a crisis, and secondly, it must turn into a complex structure. My practical experience overcoming crises in the activities of AlPari magazine confirms the radical conclusion that a company is generally able to find a new worthy meaning for its existence only in a situation of crisis that threatens organizational and economic death. An ideology that has not been hard-earned in a critical situation remains a set of formulated platitudes that do not have a positive impact. With a lack of resources, time and instability in the external environment, the formalized decision-making procedure fails; it is at this moment that the ideology shared by everyone and devotion to the idea of ​​the organization unites all its members. The organization changed by the crisis experiences psychological and economic recovery.

The growth and structural complexity of companies actualizes the organization's need for ideology. When a certain level of production concentration is reached, only ideology can ensure success in global competition. The experience of the Toyota Corporation, which implemented the famous “kanban” system for organizing flexible production developed by Taiichi Ohno, is interesting. Today, in Toyota factories, where every worker has the right to stop the conveyor, production output is 100 percent; on the contrary, in mass production factories, where only management can stop the conveyor, assembly lines are constantly stopped, and not to eliminate defects (they are fixed at the end of the conveyor) , but due to coordination failures, such as untimely deliveries of components, etc. As a result, 90 percent completion of the plan is considered an indicator of good production organization. Perhaps one of the main differences between mass and flexible manufacturing was their end goals. Mass manufacturers had the limited goal of producing a “good enough product.” The ideology was that more could only be achieved by exceeding cost or human capabilities.

“Flexible” manufacturers have set themselves the goal of continuous improvement: constant cost reduction, zero defects, endless variety. Naturally, no one fully achieved these goals, but the desire for excellence was the basis for the next stages of development.

Due to the structural complication of the organization, the so-called effect of synergistic connections is achieved, which, with the cooperative (joint) actions of independent elements of the system, ensure an increase in the overall effect to a value greater than the sum of the effects of the same, but independently acting elements. It should be noted that the effect of synergistic relationships can be both positive and negative.

The crisis and the complication of the structure lead to the need to change the principles of functioning of organizations. The majority choose the path of self-developing (self-learning) organizations. American consultant Peter Senge has the following definition: “A self-learning organization is a place where people constantly discover that they create the reality in which they live and act. Here they learn how to change this reality. It is not enough for such an organization to simply survive, as it constantly expands its ability to create its own future. But a creative attitude towards one’s future is impossible without ideology.”

This view of the organization as a self-developing system leads to a change in the type of leadership. At first glance, in conditions when a company must be guided by principles or corporate interests, the leader ceases to be, of course, the main participant in the process, but in fact his role is strengthened. It’s just that now the object of his management is not so much employees and structures, but rather the ideas and values ​​of the organization, i.e. its ideology.

These conclusions are true for any organization, including entire states. Chief Editor American magazine “Forbes”, Steve Forbes, the author of a number of reform initiatives of the administration of President Bush, sees the success of the United States in global competition precisely in ideology. Among the main values ​​of Americans are personal freedom, the opportunity, thanks to personal imagination and enterprise, to achieve what you can, relying on your own strength.

The conclusion that ideology is a tool successful implementation economic tasks, requires close attention and study. In conditions of competition and the lack of advantages in other resources, such as money, technology, etc., ideology seems to be the main resource of Kazakhstani enterprises and organizations. IN modern conditions achieving economic success rests on the ability to operate with a liberated intellect, ready to create fundamentally new solutions and technologies.

Bibliography

1. V. Frankl / Man in search of meaning. M.: Progress, 1990.

2. Expert/ No. 39./ 2000. p. 31 – 35.

3. I. Urmanov. Synergistic connections like new model organization of production / World economy and international relationships. / No. 3. 2000. p. 19 – 26.

4. Expert. / No. 20./ 2001. p. 29 – 35.

David Hanna, Maxim Ilyin, Georgy Melik-Eganov lane from English Vladimir Kuzin
Chapter from the book “Code of Survival. Natural laws in business"
Publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber"

So we try to swim forward, fighting the current, but it carries everything away and carries our boats back to the past.
Scott Fitzgerald, "The Great Gatsby"

The only thing more difficult than creating something new in an organization is eliminating something old.
Russell Ackoff

People only buy two things - good feelings and solutions to problems.
Michael Le Beauf

When the winds of change begin to blow, some build walls and others build windmills.
Lao Tzu

The final principle of the Code of Survival that we explore is the principle of adaptation: adjust strategy and reallocate your resources in the face of external change to remain at the top of the curve. life cycle.

The second law of thermodynamics states that systems move inexorably towards a state of disorganization and death. This principle is true for many systems, but it is not the governing law of the existence of organizations! Organizations are the only living systems that may not be subject to the second law of thermodynamics. Organizations can outlive their founders. However, as we have learned through life cycle research, relatively few organizations realize this potential. Why is it so difficult for them to adapt in response to changing market imperatives?

Steady State Organization: A Double-Edged Sword

One of the principles of the code of survival is both a blessing and a curse for the survival of organizations. This is the steady state principle: survival is ensured by stationary processes that follow a proven functional procedure. The steady state allows the organization to expend the energy necessary to achieve the goal, as well as create reserves for difficult times. An unstable state can produce results today and at the same time lead to the depletion of all reserves, leaving us penniless in an emergency. Therefore, the steady state provides the control limits that are shown in this figure.

Please note that the system generates alarms whenever a process goes beyond controlled limits. The forces that maintain the stationary state are mobilized to correct the process and return it to the specified framework. But what if there are drastic changes in the market? What if the current target and current steady state are no longer aligned with the market?

For example, a steady-state graph might represent SONY at the peak of the popularity of its Walkman portable player. Then Apple introduced its iPod, and the MP3 revolution transformed the market. What would be the fate of SONY if it continued to produce Walkman players - even better than before? The product (and perhaps the company itself) would begin to move down the life cycle curve. Here's what the graph would look like in this situation.

The system would treat attempts by SONY employees to master MP3 technology as something that requires adjustment and returning back to known boundaries. You've probably heard people trying to protect the steady state from innovation.

• “This new invention is just a fad. It won't last long."
• “We need to improve our marketing to show consumers why our product is still better.”
• “This new product may gain a small market share, but it will not cause us significant harm.”
• “It is foolish to expect us to abandon our current technology and start over.”
• “We can maintain market share by lowering the price.”

This type of thinking produces actions that protect today's steady state: lowering the price of carriages, increasing the number of jewels in mechanical watches (an alternative to quartz watches), using attractive packaging for unhealthy foods, and producing more powerful television receiving antennas.

Systems require two types of feedback

In cybernetics (the science of general laws control in systems) two types of feedback are considered that help living systems maintain their existence for a long time.

The first type of feedback measures deviation from the goal and the steady state, and the second type of feedback tells the system that it should deviate from the steady state because the goal has changed. Typically, organizations make better use of the first type of feedback than the second. An example of the difficulty in using feedback of the second type is provided by Kodak: it clung tightly to its photographic film heritage and for a number of years ignored signals about the advent of the digital photography era.

Just think about the real consequences of the action powerful forces, which maintain a steady state, but actually work against the survival of the organization!

• Federal postal services continue to operate as usual, although they are increasingly being replaced by services provided by Federal Express, United Parcel and the Internet.
• Companies continue to produce paper diaries, although many consider them a weak parody of smartphones or tablets.
• Videotapes and DVDs continue to struggle to survive, although they are increasingly becoming obsolete due to the opportunities provided by the Internet.
• Newspapers compete for subscribers with numerous electronic sources that provide the same information via the Internet, but much faster and cheaper.

To survive market turbulence, companies must take a closer look at what is happening in the outside world and plan accordingly to respond. The appropriate response to external changes that redefine the purpose of the system is to redesign the operating parameters.

Notice how the graph has shifted the steady state control boundaries to better align with the new target. The organization has now adapted to the emerging needs of the market.

Stora Enso: the world's oldest industrial company

Stora Enso is considered the oldest industrial company in the world. This is a striking example of an enterprise that has successfully adapted to changing external conditions throughout its history.

A document dating from 1288 makes the first mention of Stora Kopperberg, a Swedish copper mining enterprise controlled by the Swedish crown, high nobility and foreign merchants. During the Middle Ages, this company supplied copper used for a variety of purposes, mainly for the construction of ships and the cladding of church steeples in Europe. Stora has made a major contribution to the development of the Swedish economy.

Over the centuries, as technology and people's lifestyles changed, Stora successfully adapted its business from a mining operation to a pulp, paper and wood products company.

In 1998, it merged with Finnish Enso Oyj and became the world's second largest company in the pulp and paper industry. At each stage of adaptation, Stora Enso redefined its purpose, found a new steady state to produce new products, mobilized resources, developed complex skills in new businesses and sought synergies with new partners to remain at the peak of the life cycle. The copper mines that Stora owned in the 13th century have long since been exhausted, but the company is still alive, and the 30,000 workers at its 85 sites on every continent continue to make a significant contribution to improving the quality of life for many of us.

How to ride the life cycle curve

Let's look at how your company can ride the lifecycle curve like Stora Enso has done. First of all, let's look at the dynamics of the life cycle through the prism of the adaptation process.

This S-shaped curve illustrates the relationship between the principles of the Code of Survival and improved organizational performance. Some companies go through this process once and then continue to move forward for years with minimal changes. According to the leaders of these companies, organizational design is a process that should be used in times of crisis or when a new strategy is required. Therefore, they reason, good management is enough to cope with emerging problems.

Good management, unless it is aligned with the code of survival, is not enough, as evidenced by the large number of Global 100 companies that have lost their leadership positions, and more larger number companies and brands that have ceased to exist over time.

As the graph shows, if you want your company to ride the life cycle curve, you must begin to master the code of survival, go all the way to the end, and repeat again whenever market conditions require it.

Organizational preparation for adaptation

One of the reasons why organizations find adaptation difficult is that no one is directly responsible for its implementation. Of course, the CEO and senior management team must pay close attention to adaptation, but its importance is easily overlooked when the demands of the here and now of work and efforts to maintain a steady state push everything else into the background. Recall the discussion in Chapter 7 about criteria for setting boundaries in work processes. The time factor is one of these reasons. Maintaining proper attention to long-term issues often requires separating yourself from people who are dealing with short-term issues. Thus, the first question to be addressed is how to organize the adaptation process.

Some companies appoint people responsible for monitoring conditions in the outside world and making recommendations for necessary actions. It is believed that attention should be paid to several dimensions: marketing, consumer research, market economics, technology of production of goods/services, operations, legal issues, etc. Specialists are often combined into a team or teams to better interact and create synergy in aspirations. One example is Procter & Gamble, which has two independent product development teams for each of its major brands, such as Charmin cosmetic wipes. One team manages Charmin's current product on the market. At the same time, another team is developing a product called Charmin that you won't see for another five years. It is a way to add complexity to an organization (Principle #5 of the Code of Survival: the ability to simultaneously manage both today's and tomorrow's businesses).

Once you've decided how to structure the onboarding effort, you need to determine what exactly the different "players" will need to do. The following sections propose approaches to answer this question.

Changes to comply with environmental regulations

The goal is to provide consistent monitoring of two types of feedback:

1. compliance of results with strategy;
2. the need to change the strategy itself.

Some of the tools already discussed may be useful for getting both types of feedback. Stakeholder feedback, balanced scorecards, and business performance monitoring are useful in helping to stay on track toward achieving strategy. In addition, change managers can also analyze feedback to find ideas to better meet the organization's adaptation needs.

Of course, there are specific sources of type 2 feedback that your organization may need. Those who require the second type of feedback can supplement customer feedback with information from non-consumers.

As an example, I’ll give you a story from one of my colleagues.

Ann recently bought a new compact car. Soon she received a call from an employee of the plant where the car was assembled. He asked Ann a few questions about the quality of the new car and whether she was satisfied with the purchase. A few days later, she received a call from an employee at Honda Motor Company.

“Mrs. Green,” he said, “you took a test drive in a Honda a few weeks ago, but did not buy it. You recently bought a new car, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Anne replied.

“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about test-riding the Honda and driving the new car?”

Anne was then asked to tell her what she liked about the new car. In many ways, it was similar to the first call she received from her car manufacturer. After that, she was asked what she liked and didn't like about the Honda car. Finally, the question was asked about what made her choose the new car over the Honda.

Honda's research is a good example of the second type of feedback: find out what key stakeholders in your industry really need, not just what current consumers think about existing products. What if Kodak and SONY collected feedback early on in the transformation of their industries? What could your company learn by conducting similar research today?

Regardless of the type of feedback the company needs, you need to assign employees responsible for regularly accessing sources of feedback of the first and second types. This ensures that your enterprise is aligned with the existing ecosystem of stakeholders, both now and in the future.

Adaptation of strategy

After reviewing the material in the previous section, it becomes clear that you need to take a close look at your strategy in light of the feedback and recommendations you may have received. I call this need “check against strategy.”

Effective feedback will inform you about the needs and opportunities that exist in the market. Determining priority needs and opportunities and concentrating your future efforts on them are the tasks of strategy. What will make an existing strategy, product or service obsolete? What opportunities could you pursue to strengthen the business in the future?

One consideration for tailoring your strategy is formulated by economist Joseph Schumpeter as a dynamic model of product promotion through “technology push” (Push) or “market pull” (Pull).

Market pull refers to the dynamics of identifying needs and the subsequent organization of research and development, production and marketing of a new product to satisfy them. The path from home music system to MP3 is a good illustration. Research has shown that people would like to be able to listen to music outside the home. Car stereos partly filled this need, the Walkman further expanded the music lover's options, and MP3 surpassed these two alternatives by allowing people to listen to music in the car, while walking or playing sports - all from just one device. Today the MP3 system has become widespread.

“Technology push” has a different dynamic. It suggests that a company uses its know-how to create a new product that no consumer asked it for. No one demanded disposable diapers until Procter & Gamble introduced Pampers. P&G researchers have gained experience creating absorbent materials in the production of disposable cosmetic wipes and paper towels. Someone suggested that there might be a need for disposable diapers. This is how Pampers appeared, and after a few years they became indispensable in many countries. Likewise, no consumers requested Post It adhesive bookmarks. A legendary 3M researcher developing a new adhesive accidentally created strips of paper that could be stuck to any surface, peeled off, and stuck back on. He decided that people had a need for such bookmarks. Nobody asked for it, but now millions of people use Post It for a variety of purposes.

When you evaluate your strategy, Schumpeter's model will give you two good analytical questions:

• What needs could we satisfy better than anyone else?
• What goods or services could we produce using our skills and technologies that no consumer needed yet, but could quickly gain adherents?

As you study the market to understand how your strategy fits into it, keep in mind the historical factors that have moved companies up and down the Global 100 list.

• New technology: how will it affect us? What does she threaten? What opportunities does it open?
• Changing economic conditions: how goods and services will behave in the emerging global financial market? What will be the mandatory quality, cost and value requirements?
• Acquisitions and mergers: are there potential partners whose merger could strengthen our position in the market? Are there any players on the market that we would never want to merge with?

Changing Workflows

We have seen Stora Enso adapt its product lines to tap into new businesses. Copper mining requires different technologies from pulp and paper production. During such transformations, it is important to remember the need to design quality processes that are in no way inferior to those of established industry leaders or newcomers to the product category. All the characteristics of this design that we discussed above - free-flowing processes, minimizing the number of redirects of work from one department to another, solving problems at the point of origin and ensuring self-sufficiency - also apply to new lines of business.

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak accomplished great things homework, before they tried to create Apple Computer. To create their production model, they established partnerships with many industry experts and learned what others are doing computer companies. Since its inception, Apple has used cutting-edge technology and equipment to produce products, and workflows have evolved over the years as computers have evolved and products such as the iPod, iPhone, and iPad have emerged.

The competitive market does not care whether you are an experienced player or a newbie in the industry. If you try to compete with less than perfect processes, even the best ones will suffer. best products. If new products or services are required from you, then you will have to pay a price in the form of designing processes that will allow you to be competitive from day one in the new business.

Difficulty Level Adaptation

The process of adaptation must also affect the principle of complexity related to the code of survival. Your organization may need to learn new skills. New work processes may require different combinations of skills among your workers. Employees and departments may need to learn new skills to operate independently in new processes, and team structures may also need to change. Here are some questions to consider when adapting to new complexity requirements:

• What skills do employees need to develop? Who needs these skills?
• What skills can be obtained from partners? Is a temporary infusion of technical, marketing or strategic analysis skills required? Are these skills only needed for the initial/transitional period or are they required on an ongoing basis?
• What skills and expertise do you need to obtain from external experts, from other companies, etc.?
• In what ways can existing competencies be used in new areas?
• What mix of skills and resources do new organizational units require to be self-sufficient in day-to-day operations?

Adaptation of relationships with partners

Dartmouth Professor Emeritus James Brian Quinn likes to say, “If you don’t do something better than anyone else in the world, then by doing it yourself, you’re giving up a competitive advantage.” This statement gives rise to several important issues related to adaptation and survival. As your corporation adapts to new economic conditions, new technologies, new markets and cultures, and new products and services, what adaptability should you expect from existing resources? Must everyone reinvent themselves in all dimensions? Or should you take advantage of partnering with those who are already strong in the areas you need to master? Here you need to answer several questions similar to those posed in the previous section.

• Wouldn't it be better to partner with someone else to gain the skills needed to win in today's (tomorrow's) market?
• Can we transform relationships with key stakeholders from transactional to truly collaborative, as Saturn did?
• How can we learn from those who are superior to us today in what we are going to do in the future?

Ritz-Carlton began establishing its gold standard of service by sending its executives to study at Walt Disney University. Disney, still a reference organization in terms of customer service, transferred its experience and standards to Ritz-Carlton, which adapted the Disney formula to the specifics of the hotel business. Procter & Gamble studied new organizational principles at universities and other corporations to develop its own “engineering concept” for team-based production systems in the late 1960s.

Research departments at many corporations have long-standing partnerships with universities to stay informed the latest discoveries in medicine and others natural sciences. Many global competitors partner with local marketing experts to better understand the local market and culture before expanding into a new geographic region.

As these examples show, partnering in today's complex world can provide faster, less costly, and ultimately more effective solutions for your businesses than trying to figure it all out with your own staff. Carefully consider ways to adapt to new market demands. Choose partners who will help you stay at the top of the lifecycle curve. And most importantly, remember that simply calling each other partners is not enough. Success comes when you both become partners.

Embracing what you inherit to shape your legacy

In previous chapters, we looked at how Ritz-Carlton, Procter & Gamble, General Electric, Walmart, US Synthetic, Apple, Honda, Shell, and other companies designed their organizations according to the code of survival and reaped a bountiful harvest. The leaders of each of these companies inherited different levels production efficiency, different cultural strengths, different commitments and strategies. They also inherit rapidly changing market dynamics driven by economic crises, increased global competition, new technologies and changing consumer demands. The leaders whose accomplishments we admire and whose products and services we buy today have used everything they inherited from their predecessors, reforming their companies so that they remain among the best no matter what changes happen. Their legacy is not measured solely by quarterly profits or annual dividends. Their true legacy is that the companies continue to maintain leading positions in the competitive race.

Adaptability is at the core of corporate survival.

This ability requires the implementation of all other principles of the code of survival. To survive you must:

• adapt to the evolving needs of your key stakeholders;
• develop (and adjust) a strategy that is so motivating that your employees instinctively strive to implement it;
• design high-quality processes that will form an efficient steady state;
• mobilize resources to do whatever is necessary to ensure that stakeholder needs are met;
• develop complex skill sets and self-sufficiency so that employees and units can meet the system's survival needs;
• develop synergistic partnerships with key stakeholders to achieve greater results than you could achieve alone;
• constantly measure your results against the changing needs of the market and start again from the first point of the code of survival when the market demands it.

These seven principles are easy to understand, but harder to put into practice. The leaders who demonstrated loyalty to them did not have any exceptional management skills, but they persistently studied and practiced everything that needed to be done to survive in difficult times.

In the final chapter, we explore in more detail the even greater legacies left by these leaders and organizations.

Sweden: The oldest corporation in the world, Time Magazine, March 15, 1963. Approx. auto