'Efficiency through scale' now seems outmoded. Here's what to do about it

THE year 2020 has challenged many assumptions on globalisation and, by extension, disrupted global businesses at an unprecedented level, as a result of closed borders to curb the spread of Covid-19. Around the world, businesses and industries have been impacted and are recovering at their own pace, in a process largely affected by how well their respective countries are handling the pandemic.

All these factors question the premise of the traditional "efficiency through scale" approach - especially when local regulations are evolving quickly to respond to needs on the ground. Large organisations are now struggling to resolve the growing tension between global complexity and local agility, while re-balancing their global approach. Can scale and efficiency still win, when globalisation has become so complicated?

The key to this balance lies in "powering" those at the edges to take ownership and responsibility. While this has always been a hallmark of agile working structures, providing autonomy to those closest to customers, communities and partners has become increasingly important to organisations' viability in today's complex business landscape.