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Example: BP
Finding an Equilibrium between
Chaos and Order
When John Browne became head of
BP exploration he was determined
to
create more value for both
customers and shareholders.
Although BP was successful,
Browne knew that the world was
changing and in the face of an
uncertain future, the business
had to become more
adaptive.
So
what did he do? He did not call
in the strategic planners or
continue to restructure and
rationalize assets. Instead, he
took a more courageous step and
decided to raise the creative
tension. Moving with, rather
than against, the increasingly
heightened turbulence, Browne
established the preconditions
necessary for creating such
tension and deliberately moved
the organization to a situation
that was at the edge of chaos.
That is, the point at which a
natural equilibrium is found
between
chaos and order, comparable
to the conditions in the
evolving natural world.
Browne and his team were
consciously evolving BP into an
adaptive
entrepreneurial organization,
one that would be better able to
survive and prosper in today's
uncertain and turbulent times.
Know How To Manage Change
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