Active Waiting As Business Strategy: Learning From The Serengeti Plains

Abstract

Fast decision making, a propensity for action, and getting things done appearto be highly valued by both practitioners and academics in the United States. Undersuch monikers as exhibiting initiative, being proactive, walking the talk, and takingcharge, getting things done is widely lauded and promoted. As a result, most managersare content to deal with day-to-day operational activities that require immediateattention, daily routines, and superficial behaviors rather than addressing importantissues requiring reflection, systematic planning, creative thinking—and above all—time. To address this often unproductive busyness the authors propose active waitingwhich involves the recognition that not all problems are open to a quick fix andthat sometimes waiting can be a valuable option. However, waiting does not haveto be passive. The authors recommend that managers act like the skilled, veteranlions of the Serengeti plains and adopt active waiting in order to be able to seize theopportune moment in pursuit of effective business strategy. This paper offers a six-stepprocess to help leaders integrate active waiting into their supervision style andconcludes with recommendations for managers.