The Islamic Brotherhood of Egypt – Lessons in Transformation, Scalability & Reinvention to Al-qaida
First it was the British, the Suez Canal & Egyptian Nationalism. Then it was a creation of Israel carved from Palestinian homeland. This was followed by the humiliating peace treaty between Egypt & Israel. Thereafter, the fight against Soviet occupation against Afghanistan. The Islamic brotherhood fought for one lofty theme after another.
It was 9/11 when the world came to terms with the transforming power of Islamic brotherhood that started in Egypt as a battle for national pride. With that single strike, Al Qaida, an offshoot of Egyptian brotherhood, had transformed the way the world looked at itself. While it did not lose its fundamental characteristic of a fight for self-esteem & avenging the wrong done against innocent Muslims, the brotherhood transformed itself from a small political movement to a scalable, aligned and very focused organization.
These and many such other transformation programs undertaken by various religious sects and movements have compelling lessons for organizational transformation & strategy execution.
The single minded focus achieved by Islamic brotherhood through the concept of jihad against a formidable adversary was a strong unifying theme for a transformation program. The theme was re-invented & adapted to align with the socio-political realities of the times, but it never lost its essence. It could be communicated in a simple manner on the banks of Nile, deserts of Arabia, markets of Peshawar or the valley of Kashmir.
Any transformation program needs to be powered by strong theme/s which can create a unique identity of their own. As market realities change, the transformation program needs to reinvent itself & modify the themes and make them relevant to changing realities of different times & different markets.
There are many transformation lessons that can be learned from the spread of Islamic brotherhood like the empowerment of branches & training (or indoctrination) academies for the fraternity. However the ability to remain relevant & continuously seek and identify an adversary for jihad is the most important achievement of the strategic transformation program.
It haunts me every time I board a local train or take my baby boy to a crowded supermarket. I never thought that the British interest in dominating the Suez Canal will have such a transforming impact on my life.
Sarvajeet Chandra writes on issues that are usually brushed under the carpet, or are too everyday-ish for high street strategists. He writes on making strategic plan robust, how to execute strategy well and other tactical issues for everyday business success.
Please visit http://www.strategyexecution.in to join a crusade/jihad war on business failure !
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