Organisational flexibility – tools for resilient operations
When London hosted the Olympic games in 2012, the number of people using the tube and busses increased dramatically. To help visitors and residents navigate the city's transport network in these unusual times, Transport for London (TfL) had recruited around 3000 'Travel Ambassadors' from their office staff. These volunteers were trained and licensed to help and complement full-time operational staff in Underground stations, at bus stations, and other hot spots during the event. This is a concept which we call 'operational flexibility' - using trained and briefed staff in a different capacity when required during a crisis, emergency, or other disruptive events. Other examples of this concept could be using marketing, finance, or project-management staff to answer phones when a crisis causes increased inbound call volumes or using waiters to deliver food locally when the restaurant can't cater to patrons on-site. Sounds great, but would that work for [...]
