Strategic Agility: Meaning and Principles

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Strategic agility is the capacity of an organization to initiate or respond to change with speed and appropriateness while retaining adaptability and concentration. Maintaining good strategic agility is a challenging technique that calls for a lot of work and constant effort. Fundamentally, it depends on the deliberate efforts of a firm's leaders and management to plan and build an organizational structure that allows information to flow freely across the company. Rapid communication is essential for adjusting fast, hence it is crucial for communication to flow smoothly at all organizational levels. Additionally, it necessitates making an effort to train staff members at all levels how to think strategically, keeping one eye on the company's future while maintaining the other on the tasks at hand.

Principle 1: Prioritize speed over perfection Opportunities come and go quickly during a crisis, so organizations need to be ready and willing to act quickly, even if they sacrifice quality and predictability in the process.

Principle 2: Prioritize flexibility over planning In business schools, strategy is frequently taught as a series of decisions on where to play and how to win. These decisions are often incorporated into strategic plans that are developed, approved, and then carried out over the course of three to five years, before the cycle is repeated. A strategic plan, however, can quickly turn into an anchor in a crisis, keeping a company on an outdated course.