Great Performance !

Align Resources with the Ebb and Flow of the Work. The resource demands on any organization are not static. They fluctuate with the seasonal sales cycle. External events can bring certain strategic issues to prominence while others ebb in importance. Being responsive to this ebb and flow demonstrates that you are in synch with the strategic needs of the organization at different times. Recognizing where a project is in the business cycle, for example, can make it easier to secure resources when they are needed.

Alison, a biotech executive, has to be especially attuned to timing and its impact in resolving the conflicting demands on limited resources. Alison leads cross-functional teams that take a drug from the time it is discovered in chemistry through the FDA approval process. Even with an annual budget upwards of $40 million, Alison’s challenge is to ensure that the drugs she has under development move steadily toward FDA approval. Working within a matrixed organization, she must compete with other team leaders for human resources—the various disciplines that bear on any drug trial.