Transforming organisations

‘Trigger experiences’ in the Board Room

People do ask about this ‘trigger experience’ idea that I write and speak about. A trigger experience is something big and powerful that happens, usually very suddenly. At a personal level it could be the abrupt onset of a serious medical condition or getting a puncture on some freeway in the middle of the night when it’s pouring with rain.

Essentially all trigger experiences require a similar response. We have to:
- think about what has happened
- decide what to do about it
- take action

With the advent of the knowledge economy these experiences are happening more and more often to organisations. It could be that:
- a long standing and valued customer suddenly takes their business elsewhere
- a major competitor arrives to take significant market share
- the business model that always worked in the past doesn’t work anymore
- knowledge and information moving at 186k miles per second is leaving us behind

As the product and service life cycle gets shorter and shorter the ‘y factor’ generation (those born since 1976) are simply doing things differently, seeing things differently, behaving differently from the baby boomers. (1945 – 1960) Yet it is the baby boomers that make up the majority in most Board Rooms.

That is why it is so important that trigger experiences are dealt with in an emotionally, interpersonally and intuitively intelligent way. That requires tacit knowledge and tacit knowledge is part of the Intellectual Capital of the organisation.

posted by Tim @ 2:32 AM