There is a time in every organization when what worked in the past does not work anymore.

Chan Management Consulting partners with leaders to design agile organizations to be successful in today’s challenging business environment

The platypus problem and organizations. Learn more.

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platypus illustration with circles highlighting its bill, feet and tail.

A platypus is a unique animal that has evolved over a long period of time – It is a mammal, but lays eggs. It is duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed, and venomous. It has evolved and does many different things but no one thing really well and there is no denying — it is a bit odd.

Organizations often resemble a playtpus — a unique organization design that evolved over time from one-off decisions regarding individuals, teams or departments. These one-off decisions address a specific situation or part of the organization, but ultimately sub-optimize the whole organization. These platypus organization designs worked well in a particular environment, but when the business environment changes, they become a liability.

Organizations that face the platypus problem are often:

  • Slow – difficult in keeping up with the pace of change in the market – competition, technology, and changing customer requirements
  • Siloed – difficult to align people, priorities and processes to the changing needs of the business
  • Stagnating – companies that are not growing or changing and holding onto the past will be left behind – your competition are constantly looking for new and better ways.
  • Stifled – not able to effectively address changing business and market needs

We developed CATALYST5 to address the platypus problem and help mid-size organizations meet the business challenges you face. Learn more.

Successful organizations have leaders who recognize when broader changes are needed to drive performance and be successful in the market.

While it is true that successful organizations are built by making good decisions, great organizations recognize when a fundamentally different approach is needed. Chan Management Consulting uses a proprietary process called Catalyst5 to guide organizations through an intentional strategy development and organization design process. Catalyst5 addresses current and future business challenges while helping employees take ownership of the changes needed to succeed in a business environment that is changing faster than ever.

If you are a leader – you may be facing one of these scenarios right now:

You have a vision and want to chart a new direction

You are merging with another organization and need to integrate multiple businesses

Your business is underperforming and you need to drive change and improvement

Your business is growing and you need to define new ways of working to support the new larger organization

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Learn how CATALYST5 can transform your organization and help you successfully meet the business challenges you face.