UNDERSTANDING ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH

GET READY TO UNDERSTAND ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH!

Understanding organizational growth is a key factor in profit maximization and organizational relevance. Growth means enlargement, increase and expansion. Organizational growth is something for which most companies, large or small, strive for. Small firms want to get big, big firms want to get bigger. Organizational growth, however, means different things to different organizations. 

Certainly, for an organization to grow the managers, CEO's and Managing directors must understand how growth is defined, how it is achieved, how to cope with the different challenges that comes with organizational growth, how to identify the factors that hinders growth, how to measure organizational growth, and also to comprehend the phases of organizational growth. In this article we shall begin by exploring concisely the phases of organizational growth and how to measure organizational growth. 

PHASES OF ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH 

Understanding the various unique phases of organizational growth will not only enable you to evaluate your current position in the growth circle, but it will also enable you to effective and efficiently equip your self with the appropriate knowledge of how to explore your potentials for maximum utilization. A handful of scholars and management theorists have developed models of how organizations change and grow. In this article we are going to look at one such model. This model is referred to as the Larry E. Greiner’s model of organizational growth. You can click here to see more!

Larry E. Greiner is a management and organization professor at the University of Southern California. His contribution has really brought tremendous changes the field of management Science. In his 1998 Harvard Business Review article entitled "Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow," he outlined five phases of growth interrupted by what he termed "revolutions" that shook up the status quo and ushered in the successive stage. Based on observations of historical company patterns, he outlined the phases of organizationalgrowth as follows: 

1.     Creative phase: This is the first phase of organizational growth. This is the phase where the company or organization concentrates all their efforts in creating products and following it up with efforts to reach the targeted markets. When a company or subunit of a company is first formed, most attention and activity is focused on developing a product and reaching its market. 

2.     Direction phase: This is the second phase of organizational growth. As the company begins to develop more products and capture large portions of the targeted markets, she begins to formalize business management methods and "professionalize" its practices, and this usually include centralizing power in the organization. 

3.     Delegation phase: This is the third phase of organizational growth. This is evidenced when centralization begins to prove weighty. When centralization proves too cumbersome for a large organization, it begins to delegate power and decision-making in various ways, such as by creating semi-autonomous business units/divisions and moving the reward/risk paradigm down to lower level managers and employees in general. Any company who fails to embrace the phase of delegation will never grow, and the longer they remain in this condition, the sooner their extinction will become inevitable.

4.     Coordination phase: This is the fourth phase of organizational growth. Coordination is needed when decentralization becomes excessive or inefficient. In this phase, management attempts to rein in the organization by merging or coordinating the activities of various fragmented parts of the company, demanding more accountability and creating unifying incentives such as profit sharing. 

5.     Collaboration phase: This is the fifth phase of organizational growth. This is introduced where there is too much evidence of bureaucratic and inflexible efforts. When central coordination efforts prove bureaucratic and inflexible, management adopts a team-based, cross-functional structure and more fluid policies that empower workers and promote dialog, experimentation, and negotiation. 

6. Extra-Organizational Solutions Phase. Greiner's recently added sixth phase suggests that growth may continue through merger, outsourcing, networks and other solutions involving other companies. Growth rates will vary between and even within phases. The duration of each phase depends almost totally on the rate of growth of the market in which the organization operates. The longer a phase lasts, though, the harder it will be to implement a transition.

In view of the above, it is becomes pertinently clear that many organization refuse to grow because at certain stages management lacks the able-ness and or willingness to shift its organizational paradigm. When certain individuals at the top are reluctant to give up power once it's in their hands organizational inactivity and frustration is eventual manifested.

MEASURING ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH 

There are various methods used to measure organizational growth. In addition to such qualitative notions of organizational growth, there are many more tangible parameters a company can select to measure its growth. The most meaningful yardstick is one that shows progress with respect to its stated goals.Number of employees: Some businesspeople boast of the number of employees in their companies or departments. However, the quantity of employees in the company does not produce a good yardstick to say the organization is growing. This is because quantity does not mean quality. It is the quantity of quality employee in an organization that determines the growth of that organization. This is because their contribution to growth of the organization is evidenced in their creative and innovative products. To hire quality employees, however, cost money. A better employee-based measure of growth is change in company or departmental revenue or profit generated per employee. This becomes a valuable measure of increasing (or decreasing) productivity, rather than a measure of labor and salary expense. 

Revenue: A company is described by its revenues as an "X million dollar company." Although this is probably the most commonly cited measure of corporate growth, it should not be tied to gross revenue or gross margin. It is an error to measure the growth of an organization based on its gross revenue or gross margins. The danger of relying on gross revenue or gross margin as a measure of growth for an organization is that it completely ignores the expenses associated with generating those revenues. Greater revenues do not necessarily mean greater profitability. In periods of very quick "growth," expenses can twirl upward and out of control leaving a company strapped for cash and facing an uncertain future, at best.

More useful, revenue-based measures of growth are increases (or decreases) in net profit or net margins. These methods account for the expenses incurred in generating revenues for the firm and identify the portion that is truly added to the bottom line. Special analyses of profit margins should include calculating the return on investment (ROI), either for the company as a whole or for individual units or product lines. Return On Investment tells management whether the profits being generated are enough to compensate for the opportunity costs, the risks, and the time value of the money that the company has invested to produce those profits. A related metric is return on assets (ROA), which evaluates profits against the value of all the assets (capital, plant, equipment, etc.) the company has channeled into generating its income. 

For many companies, especially publicly held ones, the ultimate measure of growth is the creation of wealth for owners/investors. While net profits are an indication of wealth creation, companies (or their observers) may scrutinize their finances further to determine whether they are actually generating an economic profit, or a profit that exceeds the implicit cost of the capital invested in them. The company may be said to create new wealth after the cost of capital is met.

Market Value Added: The growth of an organization is measure by the degree of market value it has added. This is a more direct measure of shareholder wealth creation. In terms of other competitors position and influence, where a company stands, the market share it has play a pragmatic yardstick for measuring its growth.

In conclusion, I want to strongly stress that understanding organizational growth is a fundament requirement for organization relevance and profit maximization. When management is armed with this knowledge the sky becomes a starting point for the creation of profitable business empire.

For more related articles, click the links below:

1. http://wisemotivecom.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-to-achieve-organizatioanal-growth.html 
2. Get this right!

If this article has been a blessing to you, please feel free to pass it on to others. Also post a comment on this site to make your own contribution to this article. When you understand organizational growth you will be able to manage your company through the various stages or phases of organizational growth.

See you on top!

TWELVE EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR GETTING MORE THINGS DONE IN LESS TIME

THE EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR GETTING MORE THINGS DONE IN LESS TIME

Effective strategies for getting more things done in less time are fundamental principle of productivity and time management. People who spend much time getting things done can actually accomplish much if they understand and implement the simple principles I am going to share with you.

I am very sure you will appreciate the thrill of getting things done in less time, and use your time effectively to accomplish much instead of wasting it to accomplish few task. I use to struggle with this myself until I discover that I can actually accomplish much in less time, and also not sacrificing quality. If you give me just a few minutes of your time, I promise to deliver back to you much more in return.

In just a moment I am going to reveal to you a simple system you can begin using right now. This system will allow you to easily re-capture more hours in your day, more days in your week, and even more weeks in your year. It is the perfect solution for you if you regularly find yourself looking back at your life wondering what in the world happened to all your time, and why you have very few results to show for it.

I honestly guarantee that these 12 effective strategies for getting more things done in less time will help you take care of all the things you have to do on a regular basis, from the small stuff like checking email and reading the news, to the more important tasks, like building your business and spending quality time with your family.

According to St. Francis, "It's no use walking anywhere to preach unless your preaching is your walking." In the light of this, I will like to share with you what I have learned during my walking with the hopes that it will help you create more success and get the things you want to do, done in less time without sacrificing excellence. Many people have asked me, “How do you get it all done with all you have going on," I have had a lot of time to think about what I do and here is what I tell them:

1.     Go to Bed early and Wake Up Early: To be able to accomplish more in less time, you have to form the habit of going to bed early. Remember I said “form the habits of going to bed early”. It has to be a habit if it must produce the required result. This will enable you to wake up early every morning at 5:30am-6:00am to concentrate on the task you have ahead. I realized that an hour a day over two or three months produces a lot of progress. It is all about doing the little things, and you will be amazed at how much you can accomplish early in the morning. It also feels great when you start your day with an accomplishment.

2.     Write down all the things you want to get done for the day: When you form the habit of writing down all you want to do for a particular day before you begin it, you have actually taken a vital step to managing your time effectively. Time management is crucial in the pursuit of getting more things done in less time. Write down everything from writing, going for a wedding party, visiting a friend, attending a business submit, creating content, or planning your next project to answering your email, making a follow trip on your customer and balancing your checkbook. Do not begin the day without writing down what you intend to do for that day. This will allow you to be focus and prevent you from drifting.

3.     Know Your Priorities and Write them Down: There are many things that are clamoring for your attention, but you cannot attend to all of them at the same time. That is why you need to prioritize. What is your priority? Until you get your priority right nothing can ever become right in your life. Knowing your priority before going to bed gives you momentum to begin a good job tomorrow morning. You have to know your priorities, write them down so you can see them and then take action that is in alignment with your priorities.

4.      Assign a specific time to each task or group of tasks: Depending on the nature of the task, anything from 15 minutes to 2 hours. Chunks of 30 minutes or less work best. Do not invest too much time in a particular project, at the expense of others.

5.     Focus. Intense focus produces amazing results. When you focus, your energy is like a laser. You know what you want. You know what you need to do and you do it. So just remember these 3 simple things. Know what you want. Know what you need to do. And do it. To help you "do it," write down a to-do list and check items off as you complete them. Also identify your distractions and eliminate them. If phone calls bother you while you are completing a task at home or work, shut the phone off until you are done.

6.     Select a task, start a timer and focus on nothing but accomplishing that task: Distractions are a major hindrance to accomplishing your task in time. Never allow anything to distract you until your task is accomplished. This means you do not answer the phone, you do not get up for a drink, you do not log onto Face-book except it is part of your major task. You remain focused on the task-at-hand!

7.     Create Mini-retreats: A little lull is necessary for getting things done in less time. Do not bombard your brain with too much information, that it has no time to refresh. Not many people have time for a month long retreat; instead we must plan mini-retreats into our day. You must carve out time for solitude and creating a lull in the midst of chaos is a good treat. You must schedule your priorities into your day. If you do not plan it, it is less likely to happen. If you are completing a project at work, working on a book, or a school assignment, schedule time each day to work on this project.

8.      Segment your task: Breaking down your task into smaller unit will help you to accomplish your task in less time. Do not try to do everything at once, you may become discourage. But if you break your task into subdivisions, you can use the motivation acquire in completing one aspect to finish the others.

9.     Find out the most efficient and effective way to accomplish that task. Every given task has a way to it. If you have effective and efficient knowledge on how to finish it in its best standard, you can accomplish more in less time.

10.                         Let go of negativity and self doubt: Negative thinking will keep a man or a woman in the common place of procrastination. It will produce unbelief that helps to paralyze the creativity of the individual and render him or her inactive. Unfortunately, so many of us hold ourselves back from achieving or creating what we want by thinking negatively. I know this well because I was the same way. Each morning I now take a walk and let go of the things that use to hold me back. Now you may want to know how to let go. It is very simple. You let go through your thoughts, your breath and your body.

While walking, focus on your breathing... let go mentally and verbally of the things that hold you back. Say it in a loud voice, "I let go of my stress, my fear and self doubt. I let go of my need for approval. I let go of my need perfection." By letting go of the thoughts and emotions that hold you back you become more capable, freer and more energized to take action.

11.                         Let go of attachments and expectations: When you have an attachment to the result or expectation you create pressure and tense energy that prevents you from getting things done. You start to think about what it will be like instead of doing it. Remember, you do not have to be perfect. Understand that all those who wait to do all things in a perfect way shall never get anything done perfectly. Without a mess up there can never be a miracle. If silly things were not done, people will not have known how to do things intelligently. Your beginning may be miserable but with constant practice you shall become dexterous.   Just pour your energy into creating and let the outcome be the result of your positive and flowing energy. Have fun. When you have fun things get done, but when you are consumed with thought of your inability for the creation of your dream or expected masterpieces, things go wrong.

12.                         Learn to Delegate: You cannot do everything yourself. The key is to delegate and enlist the support of others. Learn to rely on the expert counsel of qualified hands. Let their wisdom and creativity aid you in finishing quick and strong. Determine what can be delegated, and delegate it. Train someone to do it right, then oversee them and make sure they are doing it right. When you delegate well enough people to do what you can do, you have succeeded in leveraging your time to produce more in less time. This is a principle of successful duplication which is one of the cardinal points in intelligent and successful enterprising. Those who have learned it in advance are now enjoying.

If you practice the above simple steps regularly, it will totally revolutionize the way you get things done in your life. I bet my guarantee on this! It will seem as if you have awakened an unstoppable force inside you that has been asleep for a long time.

Take a look at them again, then take 30 seconds and allow the structure and purpose behind these twelve steps to sink in. You will instinctively see the genius in the system. I can say this without sounding like I am bragging, because I did not develop it, I am just a true-believer in it. It has helped me and all to whom I have taught it who dare to persistently follow it. In view of this, I am deeply convinced that it will do same to you. I am sharing with you wholeheartedly what effect using it has on my brain in order to almost force it to want to take action on a consistent basis.

It boils down to the fact that it uses these three key elements:

    An end-result or goal (each of your daily tasks): Our brains love goals, big or small, because they are built to be goal-seeking machines. Give your brain a goal, and it immediately goes to work finding ways to achieve it. I have a controlled experiment for this, and it is amazing how much you can accomplish if you have a goal before you. Have you ever wondered why there are some who are languishing in poverty while just a few seem to be succeeding as if there is no obstacle on their way to success? The simple reason is because those who are succeeding today have goal or goals they are pursuing; they have something driving them, while those who have classified themselves as failures do not have anything call goal; they have nothing diving them.

    A specific timeframe or deadline (the time you assign each task): Once your brain has a goal, a deadline is the fuel that motivates it to act! The shorter the deadline, the more revved up your brain gets.

    Believability (the order and structure of the system): Instead of surrendering yourself to lackluster (uninspiring) results because you see your day as an overwhelming, uncontrollable mess, this system breaks your day down into small, manageable pieces that you actually see yourself getting your task done with ease. When you believe you can, you will!

When these three elements are brought together, the synergy totally transforms the way you psychologically and emotionally look at all the things you have to do. So much so, that after you have used it for a while, you almost feel yourself getting addicted to taking action. That is what I want it to do in your life. I want it to break in pieces every seed of inaction, and give you great momentum for effective and efficient task accomplishment.

These twelve effective strategies for getting things done in less time will take you to the top of life and make you a resourceful and relevant individual in your work place, amongst friends, family members and religious association.

If this article has been of immense help to you, please post a comment to share your thought.  I will also appreciate honest contributions and suggestions.

When you create the time and employ the effort to do the above mentioned twelve strategies for getting more things done in less time, your life will never be frustrated and confused. These strategies help you live a very organized, quality, productive and profitable life.

See you at the top where you belong!

SEVEN PRACTICAL STEPS FOR GOAL ACTUALIZATION

 SEVEN PRACTICAL STEPS FOR GOAL ACTUALIZATION

These seven practical steps for goal actualization shall completely transform your life and give unlimited momentum to your ability to actualize every goal in your life that has been lying dormant for years. Goals that are suppose to make your life meaningful, but due to some circumstances in your life they have been incapacitated. Are you in the valley of constantly dreaming new dreams and having new visions, but lack the capacity to transform those new dreams and visions into reality? Then you are about to put an end to that debilitating situation! There is something about "new" that keeps our thoughts occupied with new resolutions, new dreams, new hopes, new plans and new wishes. New Year gives a perfect starting point for opening the next chapter of our life and making it better and brighter than the previous one.

Unfortunately not all of our dreams and desires become reality. Keeping the initial enthusiasm and motivation over the long period of time is often tough. That is why these seven practical steps for goal actualization are very important for your success in life and business or career. If you have made resolutions last year you probably know how difficult it is to stay committed to them. The reason why so many people give up on their New Year’s resolutions almost as quickly as they make them is simple. While resolutions for the New Year give us a wonderful sense of positive intent, they are extremely hard to stick with unless we turn them into clear, and well-defined goals.

Here are seven practical steps for goals actualization will help you to stay on track with your resolutions and make the upcoming year unforgettable:

1. Get It Right the First Time: Before trying to formulate any actual long-term goal for the next year, have a 'mind dump'. It is a great and simple way of getting a lot of ideas out of your head. Clear your mind and acquire a good view of your plans, decisions, and wishes. This is fundamental to your success. You cannot continue to do the same thing over and over again, and expect to get a different result. 80% of what we are currently doing will lead us nowhere. But if we can discover 20% of what we are doing in the right direction, we can actually become great in life and in ministry.

Devote at least 20 minutes of your uninterrupted time to brainstorm. Sit down and relax. Take a piece of paper and write down whatever goals come to your mind. Do not analyze anything. Just write it down. It may be Big or small. It does not matter. Write down everything you wish you had gotten to, but did not. Anything you wanted for a long time, but never had enough time, courage, or persistence to follow through. Do not take for granted the simplicity of this step; for it is your first step to fulfillment.

2. Pick Your Goal: Take a look at the goals that you have written down. Do you think anything of your resolutions is unrealistic? What is the most important goal for you at the moment? There are many goals that you would like to accomplish, but only few of them will have the biggest impact on your life for the rest of days on earth. Find out the goal that is relevant for the moment ant that which has a long term capacity to transform your life and that of your business, career, profession or ministry.

Identify the goal! Is it something that can be achieved in one year? Or will it require more time? If it is a long term goal that will take several years to achieve, you might want to break it down into smaller goals that you can accomplish in less than a year. Otherwise, there is a high chance of losing motivation and initial momentum.

3. Concentrate your efforts on just one goal: Too many folks fail to actualize their goals because they try to accomplish all of them at the same time. This is a step in the wrong direction. It will lead you nowhere but failure. Do not set a lot of different goals at the same time. Although it may seem like a good idea to divide your focus, time and energy between multiple goals, in reality it is counter-productive. No matter how multi talented you are, you can only one thing effectively at a time.

When you set a goal - you make a decision to stay committed to it. If you are pursuing a lot of goals at the same time, you are not committed to any of them. You are just going with the flow, hoping that you will find time to squeeze everything into your already busy schedule. But what you do in reality is lose control of your time and let outside circumstances dictate your life. What a tragedy!

Concentrate your effort in one goal, and you will be amazed what you can accomplish. One goal gives you clarity and focus. Ten goals create chaos and confusion. If you want to succeed in achieving your goal this year and in the subsequent years, chose just one goal at a time and stick to it until it is 100% complete. Then pick the next one.

I know that we want to have everything right this moment. Most of us are impatient by nature. But think about this: It is much better to achieve one major goal than set 10 goals and fail to accomplish any of them! When you set one goal and achieve them, it creates self confidence and earned you self respect. Nobody will penalize or mock you for setting and fulfilling one goal, but they will laugh you to scorn if you set out to accomplish many goals and fail to fulfill just one.

4. Create Your Affirmation: Positive affirmation is a gateway to the realization of your goals. Once you have chosen your goal, turn it into a personal statement. And then turn it into something more than a statement - make it your own song or a verbal formula that is continuously repeated in your mind.

Make sure that you make your goal as detailed and clear as possible. There is a great way to check if your goal is stated correctly. Look at your goal “from the distance”. Forget that you have written these words just a few hours ago. Imagine that you see this statement for the first time, because your friend wants to know your opinion on it. Do you have any questions? Are there any clause? Are there a few things you would like to clarify? If so, make adjustments to your goal, until it is 100% clear to everyone who reads it for the first time.

After that put copies of your goal on an index card, make it your desktop wallpaper, post it in the car or right next to your bathroom mirror or next to your computer at work. Ensure that your goal is always at a forefront of your mind. Repeat it out loud every single day. Make your goal a center of your focus. This will help you to keep your motivation and excitement high throughout the day.

5. Decide on an action plan: Deciding on an action plan is a serious step in the seven practical steps for goal actualization. Many people fail to achieve their goals not because they lack desire or enthusiasm, but because they fail to plan their success out. Goals are not simple items on your to-do list. They cannot be done overnight. Any worthwhile goal requires sustained effort and energy over the long period of time. Without a well-thought action plan it is almost impossible to carry big goals out. In the absence of a well defined action plan, the burden of goal actualization becomes an undulating frustration.

If you want to noticeably improve your chances of success - plan specific actions that will lead you to the desired result. Your goal should be your compass that will point you into the right direction. Your action plan is a detailed map with the baby steps that will take you to your destination point. Action plan also helps you to monitor your progress, while giving you a sense of accomplishment and making the whole process seem a lot easier.

6. Make Your Success Inevitable: Even if the goal that you have chosen sounds really appealing, it does not mean that you will stick to it. From experience, I have discovered that when it comes to doing actual work, our motivation disappears with a speed of light.

Here is a quick example. Having a beautiful, toned and slim body is a very inspirational goal. We all want to be healthy and look great. However, getting up early in the morning to run 1 mile, denying ourselves things we love to eat, changing our lifestyle sounds much less appealing. At this point we have to consciously force ourselves into doing all these things to get the end result that we want.

Of course, if you have an iron will and unbending self-discipline, you will achieve your goal anyway. But if you are like me, you probably will not torture yourself for a long period of time. Fortunately, there is a way out. You can accomplish anything you desire, without having to force yourself into doing something. All you have to do is set up the right conditions and let things happen for themselves.

For example, if you want to get more exercise, you can find a friend who wants to get back in shape and offer him/her to exercise together. Or set up an appointment with a personal trainer at the gym. He will stay by your side the whole time and you will more likely do your best. Or you can make a deal with your spouse that every workout that you will skip, you will give him/her N1000.

Leave yourself no escape from achieving your goal. Whatever conditions you can you set up to make your success inevitable, do it now! With a little imagination and support of your friends and family you can accomplish any goal! Make sure you surround yourself with people who are successful and who desire your success and are eagerly committed to making your success a reality. Never associate with dream killers; they are a heavy load that will surely prevent you from successful accomplishment.

7. Build on your success: No matter what goal you have decided to pursue, there is only one way to achieve it - take a first step and build on your success gradually. There is no way around it. You cannot become a multi-millionaire without making your first million. You cannot get in shape and have a gorgeous looking body, without doing the first workout. You cannot write a book, without writing the first chapter. You cannot become a good preacher or teacher without first being a student.

Whatever you want to accomplish in life requires that you first do something every single day towards making your wish a reality. Even if you do just a little bit. Something that does not require a lot of your time or effort, but you does it DAILY; you will achieve even your most daring goals. Do not allow a single day go by without "incrementally" adding to an accomplishment of your goal. Consistency is the most important factor of success. Not motivation, not knowledge, not your skills - but consistency.

When we are first faced with everything we must do in order to achieve our goal it is easy to feel overwhelmed. When a goal seems too difficult to accomplish we often procrastinate, preferring to postpone hard work for a later time. The problem with it is that "later time” may never come.

The only moment when you can change or do something is NOW. Do not delude yourself with self-justifications that it is ok to skip today, if you do twice the work the next day. Deep down in your heart you know that it is just another story that you are telling yourself. You may be able to deceive others, but you cannot deceive yourself.

Conclusively, my friend, I am enthusiastically convinced that the above seven practical steps for goal actualization will turn your life around if you can only put in the effort to consistently practice them. It is my duty in this life to contribute to the enlightenment and complete transformation of human lives through the application of the words of truth and wisdom. Let the above truth seek into your life, and your place will forever not remain in the common place of mediocrity. It is written, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” Freedom to actualize your dreams and life goals come through the application of the words of truth. Ignorance is the greatest victimizing tools in the hands of the oppressors. Get going with this truth and you shall bask in the contentment of the transformation that the seven practical steps for goal actualization have brought to your life. Do something that will take you closer to your goal every single day. Even a tiny step towards your goal creates momentum and boosts motivation. And it is a step that you will never have to take again.

If this article has been of great benefit to you, do not hesitate to post a comment to share your experience with me and also with others who are regular lovers of this site.

Do your best in putting these seven practical steps for goal actualization in any area of your profession, business or career, and you will be amazed at how fast you will actualize every purpose that has laid too long in the common place of un-accomplishment.

Best wishes!