| Charles Handy in his book the Empty Raincoat | | | | One of the critical roles of leadership is to identify |
| discussed the Sigmoid curve and its implications | | | | when to change. This takes vision and courage |
| for organisations. In essence, Handy was | | | | from the leader because in the short term the |
| explaining that all organisations have life cycles | | | | risk to changing the business may appear to be |
| that are fairly predictable and can be expressed in | | | | large. Leaders therefore need to be forward |
| terms of 5 shaped curves, like a product life | | | | thinking and able to see the "big picture". Leaders |
| cycle. The curves show how organisations form | | | | need excellent strategic thinking skills. However |
| and start to grow, before eventually reaching a | | | | leaders need also to be aware of their own and |
| peak and then starting to decline. The time span | | | | the organisations' mind sets, which can constrain |
| for the growth, maturity and decline may be very | | | | them and their organisations; a "mind set" being a |
| long or fairly short (think of the life span of a | | | | "way of doing things" that can ultimately by |
| games console). | | | | limiting belief. |
| However, there is no simple way of calculating | | | | Examples of mind sets can include : |
| exactly how long an organisation will take to reach | | | | "All watches must have hands." |
| a peak or when the decline will start. What is | | | | "All letters must be sent by post." |
| critical though is to begin a second wave / curve | | | | "You need film to take photographs." |
| of organisational / business development before | | | | Leaders therefore need to continually challenge, |
| the peak finishes and not wait until pending | | | | innovate and develop if they are to successfully |
| disaster has become clear to everyone. | | | | reinvent themselves and their organisations. In the |
| This is a paradox, of course, because why change | | | | words of Marcel Proust - "The real act of |
| something when everything is apparently going so | | | | discovery consists not in finding new lands but in |
| well? | | | | seeing with new eyes". |