of options and people) and back again.
Over the years, a lot of management innovation has focused on the upside of empowerment. Although I do not disagree with this philosophy, I hope to present it in a new light. Strategic Shock Absorbers put people at the center of the process as opposed to at the margins. Individual judgment and creativity, after all, are crucial in times of change and turbulence. As Mahendra Agarwal, CEO of the thriving “FedEx of India,” Gati Limited, told me: “In the present turbulent world the business environment is not entirely predictable. [Success] depends on [this]: How sound is the foundation of the organization? How strong is the management team? These two parameters are important in order to take care of any kind of uncertainty because turbulence will definitely be there.”10 Agarwal, having built a logistics and delivery business that has a reach of 99.3 percent of India, covering 653 out of 657 districts, knows something about empowering people to manage amid change.
Yet, my research also shows that in times of extreme change, organizations just as frequently need to limit people's involvement. This is where the oscillation comes in. Resources and options contract when surprises hit – because compression creates clarity. Later, resources and options expand again when we have clarity around the strategic plan. Knowing when to compress and expand is part of the art of management. It is discretionary as opposed to mechanical – but the Strategic Shock Absorbers act as an expert guide.
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