Don’t Worry.  Be Flexible.
By Samuel Aubrey
 
If there is anything the recent national and international news has revealed is the need for flexibility in planning and a willingness to adjust to controlled and non-controlled market forces.  This should be a personal as well as professional outlook that helps guide our decisions and actions in the short and long term.  A shift in organizational structure, traditional to virtual or vice-versa,  may be a viable (and in some cases temporary) solution or alternative when circumstances dictate to us a change is needed.  A challenge to leaders in virtual organizations is  the adherence to values-based leadership. Values-based leadership is a purposeful activity that compels leadership to confront rapid influences of change by and through effective communication and by fostering collaborative and innovative learning within the organization.  When an organization shifts to a virtual workspace, a leader needs to clearly articulate the need for change and inspire organizational members to prepare for and implement that change uniformly.  It is important to note the many contributions of team level collaborative learning—as organizations rely greatly on group level decision-making and the sharing of collective experiences and knowledge which connects individual and organizational learning.  From a collaborative leadership perspective, a multi-strategy approach which supports a mindset of innovation and experimentation through questioning of the status quo, challenging existing assumptions, reconceiving success, finding new ideas through collaboration, and infusing innovation in leadership and communication strategies can make full utilization of virtual and collaborative structures. Keep in mind, what may be a true structural advantage in fast-changing and fast-paced markets could become an obstacle to strategy development when competing head to head with traditional business models. Identifying and adopting the best strategy for your market and business objectives are critical elements that could determine your overall success.  As an organization in support of your continued professional development and success, your Association is committed to efforts that consciously create a culture of collaboration, innovation, and learning which has the ability to form a shared vision for both traditional and virtual organizations.