Uncertain Times Require Improvisation & Communication in Scenario Planning
- Sean Ryan
- Apr 1
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
The final post in our four-part Scenario Planning Series
As I write this post, the U.S., where I’m from and work on a near-weekly basis, has delayed imposing 25% tariffs on most imports from Canada, where I live.
By the time this goes live, that may still be true. It may not. Retaliatory tariffs might have increased in the game of economic chicken Trump is playing with America’s closest ally. Or a near deal may have been reached. Or some other new twist may have developed.
We don’t know–can’t know–what will happen, and this uncertainty has created incredible pressure on leaders who are grappling with multiple scenarios and their implications. This suspended state can be overwhelming and even paralyzing.
And yet, even though so many things are out of our control or beyond our knowledge, we are not helpless, as Fernando F. Suarez and Juan S. Montes remind us in “Building Organizational Resilience,” a fascinating Harvard Business Review piece that we cite in our new, free Scenario Planning Whitepaper, which I invite and encourage you to download.
In their enlightening 2020 article (a time also notable for its volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity), the authors explore the value of improvisation—which they define as spontaneous, creative efforts to address an opportunity or a problem. They find that leaders who create conditions for more improvised responses are more successful overall.
In times of extreme uncertainty (i.e., now!) that fluency with shifting to approaches that aren’t “business as usual” becomes essential.
“In fact, we believe that the ease with which teams refashion how specific tasks get done—whatever the level of turbulence—is the defining capability of a resilient organization,” they write.
And if “turbulent” doesn’t describe our current moment, I don’t know what does!
Open Up Your Processes to Navigate Uncertain Times
The routines that we take for granted in relatively stable moments are upended. As we write in the whitepaper, scenario planning requires an intentionally flexible, open, and creative approach to uncertainty.
The approach is required when it comes to getting the work done. Enter improvisation.
And while it may feel like things are spiraling out of control, as the authors remind us, “organizations aren’t helpless.”
The more comfortable you become with uncertainty and changeability, the more resilient and responsible your organization will be as you navigate these turbulent whitewater times, and the more quickly you can move in a crisis.
Click here to grab the whitepaper, which we made to give actionable ideas and more confidence to prepare for this unknowable future. It can help make your strategy as dynamic as the current business climate.
Open the Lines of Communication : A Key to Success in Uncertain Times
Along with openness to new ideas and new ways of doing things, times like this also demand a new openness when it comes to communication within your organization.
Even in “normal” times, it is essential for any plan’s success. But the imperative to keep people informed and engaged only increases alongside uncertainty and the likelihood of change.
In my work with clients, I tell them that they almost cannot communicate enough. Too often, though, they’ll host a single town hall or presentation or send an email and consider the message sent.
Nope! However often (and how much) they think they need to share, triple it! That means ongoing and open communication across the organization. Sometimes, I see a tendency to keep information in a tight inner circle. But responding to change will require an all-hands effort. The sooner and deeper your communication, the more engaged your team will be when it’s time to act.
And when you add improvisation to the mix, dynamic responses to evolving situations, the need for ongoing communication becomes even more important.
As scenario planning demonstrates, there’s a power to being proactive, open, and flexible. It naturally follows that communications around the planning should share these traits.
Comments