Navigating the Unknown in Organizations: And How to Read the Respective Organizational Capabilities

As organizations adapt to this new era of perpetual and unpredictable change, the fabric of team structures and leadership is undergoing a profound cultural transformation—a radical paradigm shift that extends far beyond what our society has encountered to date. As we navigate this evolving landscape, it has become increasingly clear that traditional organizational structures and paradigms, originally designed for a context characterized by gradual shifts and a relatively stable work environment, are no longer sufficient as solutions to address the profound economic, social, political, and environmental challenges companies are presented with. This prompts the question: How can individuals effectively navigate this terrain of uncertainties within organizations impacted by these complex, interconnected, and transformative challenges? What adaptations are necessary for organizational leadership to confront these uncertainties, and successfully guide their organizations and teams through them? The conventional approach to problem solving typically involves identifying issues and devising corresponding solutions. However, in the face of the unprecedented challenges currently gripping society—ranging from global pandemics and rapidly changing natural environments to significant shifts in social and political power structures, biotechnological advances, Artificial Intelligence, and financial crises—we find ourselves unable to rely on our usual problem-solving paradigm. This chapter delves into unconventional methods, urging leaders of organizations to adopt a different lens through which they perceive and interact with the world—and how they read their own and an unknown organization. While the innovative organizational structure outlined in the Three Pillars by P. Wollmann (P. Wollmann et al. (eds.). 2020. Three Pillars of Organization and Leadership in Disruptive Times, Future of Business and Finance. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.) represents a fundamental shift in how organizations can be run to adapt to these demands, the focus of this chapter is on the transformation leaders and their teams must undergo. It emphasizes a more nuanced analysis of how our behaviors, thoughts, and connections align with our intrinsic human qualities to support this innovative approach. Reading an (unknown) organization means therefore to evaluate the maturity degree the organization has already gained on this necessary journey.