Organizational Synchronization (OS 101-113)
Organizational Synchronization (OS) is the concept of harmonizing, aligning and synchronizing the internal and external strategies, tactics and actions in an organization to maximize its performance and global competitiveness. This approach can be implemented through an “ETK” conceptual framework which identifies the key human or emotional (“E”), technological (“T”) and knowledge (“K”) dimensions of the organization, as well as the interrelations between them and with the external environment in which it operates.
Globalization has generated an external environment of intense change and turbulence, and quite often the internal strategies and tactics of an organization do not change or adapt, leaving it poorly “synchronized”. A “highly synchronized” organization is agile, flexible, and responds continuously and effectively to change, anticipating rather than reacting to the external demands of globalization. Such organization is capable of achieving dynamic synchronization of its E, T and K variables, in congruence with the levels of turbulence within which it competes.
Given its strategic nature, OS is presented in this course as a global competency for executives, managers and decision-makers in general interested in leading their organizations and communities on a path towards higher productivity, sustainability and global competitiveness. An original methodology is described to quantify and measure the global competitiveness of an organization through five levels of “organizational synchronization” (OS). In a scale of 100 points, the most competitive or synchronized organization is classified at Level 5 with a score of 91 points or higher, while the least competitive is classified at Level 1 with 30 points or less.
The success of organizations in education, business, government and civil society will increasingly depend on their level or degree of international and global competitiveness. The synchronization approach offers for the first time a practical “system-oriented” resource to create a permanent process of productivity and competitive enhancement that involves all areas of the organization, through an integrated effort of harmonization and maximization of synergies and strengths. Since the key decisions to improve organizational synchronization are generally made by executives or directors, this approach requires the implementation of a competency-building and development effort at the highest level.
Access and review the syllabus for this course.
OS 101: Introduction to OS
Students are exposed right away to basic publications that form the theoretical foundation for this course. Among these, included is a basic manual for Organizational Synchronization, a guide for certification in this global competency, and the standards of competence that each student must acquire throughout this course.
OS 102: Foresight and Adaptation for Competitive Success: The Power of Highly Human Skills
There is no question that an uncertain world requires anticipation and highly human skills for survival, growth and achievement. These include basic thinking skills, hypothesizing, creativity and imagination, decision-making, planning, social skills, and responsibility among others, in a new globalized reality of networked communication and adaptation. Those individuals, organizations and communities that tend to rely solely on information and telecom technologies to perform their key know-how or knowledge work will find themselves reacting rather than adapting and managing the risks of our highly volatile global environment. In this context, foresight and visioning will be increasingly crucial for competitive success.
OS 103: Creating Achievable Visions with a Global Scope
There is no doubt that organizations today, regardless of their size and nature, must adopt realistic visions that have a global perspective if they want to survive the wave of intense world competition that is rapidly changing consumer preferences, and the sweeping technology-driven transformation of the way we do things. To be achievable, a vision must be the product of a systemic exercise that analyzes your current and future environment, your goals, and your resources (weaknesses and strengths), and also must be specific enough to serve as a framework for the continuous formulation and adaptation of action plans and decision-making. This Module reviews the concept of visioning and how to implement it in our challenging global environment. The key human dimensions of our productive endeavors can only surface and excel when the organization has a clear and feasible vision of where it wants to be in the future. Vision with action is now the basis for success at all levels.
OS 104: ETK Excellence
The information revolution, the reduction of trade barriers and the growing migration, have caused a significant shift in how education, business and government operate. The paradigm that has emerged is what has been called the “New Economy.” Although it is fast-paced and dispassionate, it is also full of promise for those who understand its challenges for performance and customer satisfaction. This Module will review the concept of ETK and the competencies that managers and directors need to be successful in the New Economy. As many organizations have discovered, many of the skills and strategies that were needed in the past to advance total quality and continuous improvement are once again essential for productive success and international competitiveness. These include how decisions are made, how work is evaluated, and how communication is conducted in the workplace. The well-recognized invited speaker will address these issues, and will propose a checklist to self-assess your international managerial competence.
OS 105: Collective Strategies for Organizational Change: Sustainable Networks and Critical Mass
A world of continuous change and discontinuity with intense global dynamics mandates that organization and communities adopt collective strategies that accelerate the transition to a new global mindset and sustainable networks of collaboration. Various studies and research have confirmed that new ideas and technologies can only propagate with their own inertia and merit in human-organizational systems when a “critical mass” of individuals collectively adopts them. This “tipping point” or active energy generated by such critical mass is similar to organic systems, which provide a good analogy with organizations that operate in sustainable-networked environments.
OS 106: Synchronizing Managerial and Marketing Strategies
Managers, marketing specialists and consultants are focusing today on personnel cost-cutting, streamlining supplier chains, expanding utilization of their e-resources, re-training and re-evaluating markets. But the rate of change of taste, styles and preference of today’s consumers demands that organizations keep adapting and changing efficiently and effectively. This can only be done by synchronizing or establishing full-compatibility between our internal managerial strategies and our external marketing and development effort. This Module presents the how of this innovative productivity approach, including monitoring and assessment techniques to continuously measure an organization’s global competitiveness and potential for productive success.
OS 107: Maximizing Value through a Synchronized Organization
There are a number of prerequisites to start an organization or community of interest along the path of synchronization, i.e., the strategic concept of achieving full harmony between its internal managerial and productive practices and its external marketing and development efforts compatible with today’s global environment. Disposition towards change, at the individual and organizational level, and a new mentality or perspective that includes commitment to action and adaptation, are crucial towards the feasibility of implementation of this process. However, competence in optimal resource management with overlapping strategies that involve monitoring, adaptation and assessment of human, technical, financial and political assets is the key to full implementation and continuous maintenance of an effective synchronization program. The practical result of all this is the maximization of value of our efforts and achievements. This Module will discuss the mechanisms and techniques of this new organizational strategy which will be increasingly essential to education, business and government as we evolve from the so-called New World Economy into a new “World Productive System” of human, technology and knowledge competencies that is already impacting the way we all work, live and interact.
OS 108: Creative Resource Management and Risk: Strategies for Organizational Synchronization and Sustainability
Sustainability in a complex world mandates creativity and innovation in the management of our resources in lieu of the risks that we now face at all levels in education, business, government and civil society. Renewable sources of energy and water must now be in the forefront of our plans and strategies for organizational improvement, quality and performance. Solar and wind power generation and use will become a key competitive advantage in all sectors of the economy, and small and large utilities and energy companies will have to evolve from current non-sustainable business practices of waste and dependence on fossil fuels, to new sustainable strategies synchronized with the new global reality, producing zero waste and generating with a majority of renewable energy.
OS 109: Trends and Protocols of our Globalized Environment
The new realities of globalization have produced new economic and social trends that impact our traditional behavior. Organizations that have recognized this new dynamic are now focusing on adopting strategies and tactics to synchronize their internal and external environments. But the speed of change and adaptation is increasingly intense, costly and difficult. This Module describes the strategic importance of being able to identify sectorial and global trends and protocols to effectively implement the process of organizational synchronization (OS) in turbulent and fast changing environments. Forward-looking organizational change is now possible through the permanent application of OS.
OS 110: Forum Participation
The Forum is an electronic board that facilitates the interaction via written dialogue with other students of this course, creating a community of shared learning. In this segment you are required to add to the Forum of this course one or more constructive reflections (criticisms are not allowed) in response to a message posted by another student or as a new message posted by you.
OS 111: Competency Exam
The student must take and approve this test in order to advance to the Action Plan.
OS 112: Action Plan
Develop and report an OS action plan per given instructions.
OS 113: Practical Project Report
Report on the experience and results of implementing a practical (real) OS initiative or project per given instructions.
If a Credit grade is obtained, the student is recommended to obtain the OS global competency certification.