{"id":1634,"date":"2016-07-27T09:55:06","date_gmt":"2016-07-27T08:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/africa\/?p=1634"},"modified":"2016-10-26T15:21:28","modified_gmt":"2016-10-26T14:21:28","slug":"strategic-agility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/africa\/2016\/07\/27\/strategic-agility\/","title":{"rendered":"Strategic Agility"},"content":{"rendered":"

My last visit to Nairobi was right after Brexit<\/strong>. As everywhere else, this was a major topic of conversation<\/strong>. In a casual chat with a group of CEOs, we talked about the uncertainty that the British move has created<\/strong>, and we went on discussing other factors that create uncertainty.<\/p>\n

I ventured that African companies<\/strong> may be at advantage relative to Western ones. Being used to compete in instable environments<\/strong> with sudden regulatory changes, they develop strategic agility, and are better at adapting to sudden change<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Strategic<\/a>
It\u2019s agile companies that win the competition race. Source: Wikipedia\/Godot13<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One example: Computer Warehouse Group<\/strong>\u00a0(CWG<\/a>) started in 1991 as a reseller of computer equipment. The business grew to sell hardware, software, and communication systems. In 2010, the\u00a0Central Bank of Nigeria banned the use of ATMs outside bank branches<\/strong>. CWG’s\u00a0ATM sales fell off a cliff: from $35 million down to $0. The company was at the brink of disappearing. However, CGW was able to\u00a0shift their strategy\u00a0and corresponding business model<\/strong> from an IT provider to an enabler of IT operating in the world of cloud computing. By 2013, the company was listed in the Nigerian Stock Exchange.<\/p>\n

Environmental change is a constant in business. Adaptation should be in our radar screen permanently<\/strong>. But it\u2019s in the presence of sudden change that strategic agility<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 to use a term coined by Yves Doz from INSEAD \u2013 proves critical<\/strong>. It\u2019s on the basis of agility that companies that operate in instable environments can outcompete established companies that move slowly.<\/p>\n

The CEO of a Nigerian real estate company told me once: \u201cThey call us cheetahs.\u201d<\/strong> He referred to how quickly they are in making business deals<\/strong>. But he could as well have referred to how quickly they adjust to changing circumstances<\/strong>, like the CWG story illustrates.<\/p>\n

How can companies develop strategic agility?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My last visit to Nairobi was right after Brexit. As everywhere else, this was a major topic of conversation. In a casual chat with a group of CEOs, we talked about the uncertainty that the British move has created, and we went on discussing other factors that create uncertainty. I ventured that African companies may […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1654,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85385,99106],"tags":[95110,100263,100261,1080,100264,88068],"class_list":["post-1634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doing-business-in-africa","category-future-and-perspectives-for-africa","tag-brexit","tag-cheetahs","tag-instable-environments","tag-nigeria","tag-strategic-agility","tag-uncertainty","megacategoria-mc-africa"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t