"You cannot make a silk purse from a sow's ear. And this is why 95% of organisational transformations fail. If the system potential energy remains the same, all you can do is shuffle the chairs on the Titanic."
John Raddall
Measure energy. Generate energy. It's that simple
Every organisation is like a mini universe.
To survive and grow it needs two things.
Energy to generate new thinking and action.
And the evolutionary 'software' to tap into the power of the universal algorithm that drives the emergence of life itself.
Understanding organisational energy - the paradox
We know one thing. Energy drives life, the universe and everything. Including organisations. This is not a question or even a debate. It's a simple fact of life.
However there is a conundrum. Humans are not very good at understanding things they cannot see or touch. For example we speak about things such as values, visions, empathy and culture. Now clearly these are imaginary things, but we deal with them by first convincing ourselves these things are somehow real. And once 'real' we can deal with them.
And here is the paradox. Unlike the above, organisational energy really is real. It is the fuel that drives all our thinking and action. But we cannot see it, we do not understand it, so we just ignore it. Instead we keep our heads in the sand and talk about everything else under the sun.
Of course energy is a complex concept. However complexity is not a cause for denial. The first step is for an organisation to recognise and accept the reality of organisation energy.
It is worth remembering that an estimated 95% of so-called organisation transformations fail. And they fail for one simple reason. They ignore the reality of system energy and the 'software' of evolution.
Potential and kinetic energy in organisations
It is important to understand the difference between potential energy and kinetic energy.
Usain Bolt can help us here. Seconds before his 100m world record run in 2009 he had the potential energy to clock 9.58 seconds. It was only when this was converted to kinetic energy or energy in action, did his remarkable time of 9.58 seconds become a reality.
Exactly the same principles apply to organisations. At every moment in time they have potential energy to perform, and it is only when they act that this potential energy is converted to kinetic energy.
In the case of Usain Bolt his trainers will have worked tirelessly on increasing his potential energy - mental and physical, applying the most up to date scientific principles relating to diet, strength training and psychological preparedness.
And as his potential energy increased, so too did his kinetic energy, as measured by the stopwatch.
Here lies an important principle.
Kinetic energy is always a direct product or result of potential energy. The two energies dance in lock-step. Kinetic energy is a direct function of potential energy. There can be no exceptions.
You cannot make a silk purse from a sow's ear. And this is why 95% of organisational transformations fail. If the system potential energy remains the same, all you can do is shuffle the chairs on the Titanic.
Measuring potential and kinetic energy in organisations
Over the past three decades we have evolved an instrument or barometer for measuring organisation energy. This give organisations a relatively accurate picture of the system's current potential energy and a clear prediction of probable kinetic energy or measured performance.
We have found that every organisation evolves a system 'energy envelope' which determines the system's potential performance. No organisation can perform outside of this 'energy envelope.' It is a physical impossibility.
High energy organisations are always smarter, more competitive and more profitable than low energy organisations.
Generating new levels of organisation energy with our Black Box
Just as Usain Bolt's team used scientific methods to maximise his potential energy, we too use exactly the same principles to maximise organisational energy potential.
Our Black Box analyses the system data from the energy assessment, then customises specific new action and behaviour programmes in the form of a system energy strategy.
The key to these programmes is the application of the evolutionary algorithm and its physical and biological impact on individuals and their energy levels.
We know from experience with hundreds of leaders, their teams, and their organisations that the proper application of scientific methods will always increase the system's potential energy and that this will translate immediately and directly into improved kinetic energy performance.
Principles of the Black Box
The Black Box uses a revolutionary set of practical tools that have proved themselves capable of generating new levels of organisational energy.
The underlying principle is that the performance of every organisation is determined by its measured potential energy.
In addition this potential energy can be increased simply and quickly through the application of customised new actions and behaviours linked directly to the universal algorithm that drives evolution.
Our method to transform organisations is therefore revolutionary and practical. Applying sound scientific tools we first measure system energy and then we generate new system energy. And this guarantees a measured increase in performance and profitability.
It really is that simple.