According to wikipedia, an insider is a member of any group of people of limited number and generally restricted access. Herein, the term insider (as in Organization Development / Engineering [ODE] Insiders) is used in the context of privileged profound information / knowledge concerning the fundamental valuable organization ontological elements. Since 1951, when the Force Field Analysis was published, there have been tens of organizational design / development models and hundreds of their versions being adapted by organizations of various sizes and types. Yet, it is still very difficult, if not impossible, to predict that an organization-design will promote consistent and effective execution of its strategy year-after-year. There are many theories on organization design but they are not useful in guiding organization design decisions, particularly hoe strategy links with day-to-day operations. In fact, according to Tom Willingham (2013), strategy execution is the greatest unaddressed issue in the business world today. The execution value gap (the lost value between your strategic plan and the actual execution of the plan) is enormous. The inability of CEOs to successfully translate their strategy into execution and impacts is considered, by many, to be the major reason why CEOs fail. According to Gary Tomlison (2014), scary statistics concerning strategy execution management include:
- Less than 10% of effectively formulated strategies are effectively executed.
- Over 80% of all strategies fail to get fully implemented.
- Nearly 50% of business leaders say there’s a gap between their organization’s ability to develop a strategy and their ability to execute it: o They have confidence they can develop a plan, but they have little confidence that their organization can actually execute it. o Even worse, 64% lack confidence in their organization’s ability to close that gap. Most leaders don’t believe they can achieve the plan.
- Research shows that the number one frustration in organizations among employees is ineffective communication.
- Less than 50% of employees understand how their actions relate to company goals.
- Only 19% of employees feel a strong sense of commitment to the company goals.
- Only 9% of employees believe their work has a strong link to their organization’s top priority.
- Over 75% of employees say their company doesn’t reward them or motivate them to achieve goals.
With these scary statistics, one can imagine how conscientious organization leaders are constantly engaged in the need to restructure their organizations to improve their performance and competitive advantages. So, in our complex and information-rich and information-driven but organization-wisdom poor world, the concept of ODE Insider knowledge should be a welcomed one, as a source of direct and useful guidance. In this regard, ODE Insider is herein contrasted with an outside expert: the expert can provide an in-depth theoretical analysis that should lead to practical opinions (but rarely does), while an ODE Insider has firsthand, material knowledge of the fundamental valuable organization ontological elements considering the organization’s present situation. Insider information may be thought of as more accurate and valuable than expert opinion.