living with change

Here are the principles that define and drive the companies that will dominate the 21st-Century economy: n These companies don’t just sell products; they build platforms that enable netw

Living with Change

Corporate transformation isn’t a one-time thing; it’s a

constant, ongoing process Companies that can adapt to

change, or create change in their marketplace, will survive,

even thrive Companies that remain static won’t This paper

introduces the process of corporate transformation, and

lists resources for leaders who are reshaping their companies

to be agile, flexible organizations that can prosper in these

dynamic times.

It’s a cliché to say that the pace of change has sped up dramatically over

the past few decades That doesn’t mean it’s not true Moore’s law predicted

that the speed of integrated circuits would double every 18 months—which has

held true for a surprisingly long time, so that modern laptops easily outperform

multi-million dollar supercomputers from the 90s But life isn’t as simple as faster

computers As computers got faster, communications got faster too, along with

the ability to collect and analyze data That inevitably meant that the pace of

change for businesses got faster Upstart companies could outcompete stable,

wealthy industrial giants, some of which (like Amazon, Google, and Facebook)

became giants themselves

Businesses need to transform to survive in this environment And it’s not just

one transformation, one re-org that will set you up for the next decade Leaders

need to adapt to constant change, to create and implement new strategies to

survive If you’re not agile, flexible, and constantly reallocating capital to make

use of new and emerging technologies, you will stop being competitive and

ultimately will fail

Here are the principles that define and drive the

companies that will dominate the 21st-Century economy:

n These companies don’t just sell products; they build

platforms that enable networks

n They don’t replace workers with technology; they use

technology to augment workers

n They don’t just build and market products; they create

amazing user experiences

n They don’t use technology to make minor changes to

existing products and services; they redesign the way

services work

n They don’t stick to the status quo; they transform the

structure of their industry

n They don’t exist in a vacuum; they create an ecosystem

where many players can prosper

Many companies show some of the features of the evolution

of technology—some show the principles more clearly than

others For example, every company now has learned to

apply big data and predictive analytics, but 15 years ago,

Google was the best Silicon Valley exemplar of this trend

To flourish in our constantly changing economy, businesses must make the following changes:

Businesses must use data to make better decisions We are entering an age where devices and sensors collect data continuously With increased computing power, this data can be processed faster and easier With the advent of smarter computers, smaller devices, and more precise algorithms, businesses can automate some of this decision making However, not all data-driven decision making is done by a machine Humans, therefore companies and cities, will be smarter and able to do more because machines do the heavy lifting

Businesses must invest in talent Data-driven decision making doesn’t eliminate humans; it augments them, and enables them to make better decisions To succeed, businesses need to attract and retain the best talent available Attracting and retaining talent isn’t something static that you do once, expecting the employee to remain until retirement To retain the best talent, you need to enable them to build new skills and work with new ideas Bored, stagnant employees will leave your company and move on to the next challenge Talented employees who are presented with new challenges, and the resources to help them learn and meet those challenges, stay for the long haul They are the ones who will build your future

Businesses must be agile and flexible They must be organized in ways that

allow them to make changes quickly; they must decentralize decision making

and trust their employees; they must have communication patterns that are fast and efficient Understanding the need for change doesn’t help if you’re locked

into a hidebound structure that prevents you from making those changes

Businesses must focus on customers

Data makes it possible to discover

what customers want to a degree that

was never before possible But data by

itself isn’t enough Henry Ford said “If I

had asked people what they wanted,

they would have said faster horses.”

The transformative insight comes from

thinking about customers from the

beginning: not just what they want, but what they really want that they can’t yet express In your business, who represents the customer? Who does the design

thinking that creates products that surprise and delight?

The following resources will help you transform your company so that it can

prosper in the face of constant change

Understanding the need for change doesn’t help if you’re locked into a hidebound structure that prevents you from making those changes.

Building a Company that Can

Respond to Change

Companies can talk about change all they want, but if they

aren’t organized in a way that lets them respond to change,

they won’t get anywhere These resources tell you how to

transform organizations so they can adapt to change, rather

than be defeated by it

Lean Enterprise: How High Performance Organizations

Innovate at Scale: How well does your organization respond

to changing market conditions, customer needs, and

emerging technologies? Lean Enterprise presents principles

and patterns to help you move fast at scale—and

demonstrates why and how to apply these principles

throughout your organization, rather than with just one

department or team

Creating a Data-Driven Organization: Practical Advice

from the Trenches: What do you need to become a

data-driven organization? Far more than having big data or a crack

team of data scientists, it requires establishing an effective,

deeply ingrained data culture Being truly data-driven

involves processes that require genuine buy-in across your

company, from analysts and management to the C-Suite and

the board

The Agile Marketer: Turning Customer Experience Into Your Competitive Advantage: The methods that enable

marketers to meet this challenge are emerging from an unexpected place: the world of software development The Agile methodologies that once revolutionized software development are now revolutionizing marketing

Us vs Them: Redefining the Multi-Generational Workplace to Inspire Your Employees to Love Your Company, Drive Innovation, and Embrace Change: Learn

about the root psychological causes of generational tension

at work: causes based in the hardwired human tendency to see others as “one of us” or as “one of them.” This dynamic has existed forever, and it always will

The New Rules of Sales and Service: How to Use Agile Selling, Real-Time Customer Engagement, Big Data, Content, and Storytelling to Grow Your Business:

Innovative businesses large and small are discovering new opportunities, strengthening customer loyalty, and mastering real-time buyer satisfaction

Why services aren’t enough—Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO, General Electric: Big companies need to think big and

execute big ideas Learn about how GE is leading the way—as CEO Jeff Immelt says in this conversation with Tim O’Reilly,

we need to “transform that function” of the CIO to move beyond help desk and be strategic

Empowering Employees

Employees are the heart of any organization If your

employees think they are only cogs in a machine, and can’t

creatively engage with the future you’re building, they won’t

grow and they will leave To build the best workforce,

businesses need to encourage their employees to learn,

empower them to make decisions, and participate in building

their careers You need to help your staff reach their full

potential, for their good and your own

Engaged: Unleashing Your Organization’s Potential

Through Employee Engagement: Engaged explains what

employee engagement is, why it matters, what the benefits

of it are, what helps and hinders it, how to measure it, and

how to put theory into action when trying to create it It

offers real solutions to managers and business leaders who

want to enhance performance and increase productivity

Driving Career Results: How to Manage Self-Directed

Employee Development: Expert tips for leveraging

strengths and improving development in areas such as

judgment, problem-solving, creativity, trust, influence,

teamwork, planning, business acumen, customer focus, grit,

technical savvy, communications, collaboration, integrity,

accountability, curiosity, innovation, courage, and more You’ll

learn where to start, what to prioritize, how to commit to a personal plan of action…and how to make it happen!

Creating Engaged Employees: It’s Worth the Investment:

Engaged employees feel recognized, encouraged, and supported—they demonstrate enthusiasm, inspiration, and pride in their jobs Despite work demands and pressure, they successfully achieve their individual and team goals

Debugging Teams: Better Productivity through Collaboration: Even among people who have spent decades

learning the technical side of their jobs, most haven’t really focused on the human component The authors share their insights on how to lead a team effectively, navigate an organization, and build a healthy relationship with the users

of your software

Deciding How to Decide: Companies’ futures and executive

careers are defined by key strategic decisions Most executives over-rely on basic tools and don’t match the tools

to the situation This is problematic because in highly complex, uncertain contexts, traditional decision-support tools can be useless

Embracing Technology

How do businesses respond to changes in technology?

Companies that have understood how to take advantage of

new technologies have been able to disrupt established

markets A few years ago, that meant e-commerce; today it

means data analysis and cloud computing; tomorrow, it may

mean AI, robotics, and virtual reality You need to understand

how technology is changing the business world, and how to

use those new technologies to innovate

The New IT: How Technology Leaders are Enabling

Business Strategy in the Digital Age: With the onslaught of

cloud solutions, the consumerization of technology, and

increasingly tech-savvy business people, it’s time for a

manifesto for leaders who recognize—and are nervous

about—the demands of the digital age Whether you’re an

executive, department head, or IT manager, The New IT

provides an action-ready blueprint for building and

strengthening the role of IT in your company—and

prescribing IT’s future

The Innovator’s Solution: Creating and Sustaining

Successful Growth: Clayton Christensen and Michael Raynor

expand on the idea of disruption, explaining how companies can

and should become disruptors themselves This classic work

shows just how timely and relevant these ideas continue to be in

today’s hyper-accelerated business environment

Design Driven Innovation: Changing the Rules of Competition by Radically Innovating What Things Mean:

Roberto Verganti introduces a third strategy, a radical shift in perspective that introduces a bold new way of competing

Design-driven innovations do not come from the market;

they create new markets They don’t push new technologies; they push new meanings

Mobilized: An Insider’s Guide to the Business and Future

of Connected Technology: Mobile has now become such an

integral part of how we live that, for many people, losing a cell phone is like losing a limb Everybody knows mobile is the future, and every business wants in, but what are the

elements of mobile success?

Creating a Culture of Data-Driven Business: How does

your company become a data-driven organization? Mainly, it means making decisions based not on opinion, but on what the data is telling you And that usually requires a shift in company culture In this collection, four data experts demonstrate different ways that companies have experimented with change, often with surprising results

Leading in a New Era

Leadership isn’t just telling people what to do; it’s enabling

them to be productive That requires rethinking your

relationship to your staff How do you build teams? How do

you protect them from administrative trivia? How do you

keep them challenged so they don’t become bored and

leave? These resources help you transform your leadership

and build productive, empowered teams

Lead the Work: Navigating a World Beyond Employment:

A detailed look at the evolution of employment and its

far-reaching implications

The New Rules of Management: How to Revolutionise

Productivity, Innovation and Engagement by

Implementing Projects That Matter: A guide for modern

organisations about optimizing productivity, creating a

culture of innovation, and building high-performing teams

Harvard Business Review on Finding & Keeping the Best

People: If you need the best practices and ideas for winning

the race for talent—but don’t have time to find them—HBR

gives you 11 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place

Flow-based Leadership: What the Best Firefighters can

Teach You about Leadership and Making Hard Decisions:

Multiple studies have shown that, if people have the proper

training and experience, they will make better decisions in

emerging situations while in a flow-state How can your organization help your people experience flow more often, thereby improving their decision-making?

Team Turnarounds: A Playbook for Transforming Underperforming Teams: In today’s uncertain economic

environment, teams are asked to do more with less As sports fans already know, behind every great underdog story

is a leader who roots out the competitive advantage that will propel the team to victory Learn how the fine art of the turnaround really works, from how to inspire the team to the actual tools for change

The Four Mindsets: This is the key to significantly increasing

productivity, performance, and revenue in your organization Developed as a guide proven to help all levels of managers to connect, focus, align, and activate their teams to elevate results, you will find a range of resources and tools to use and become a “best in class” leader today

Leadership: A Master Class—High Performance Leadership: A former hostage negotiator and current

professor reveal the latest research and practice behind high-performance leadership, bonding, and managing conflict Lessons include negotiation, building trust, and how positivity matters for leaders

Creating Value

Business leaders need to create value: how do you make

decisions that expand possibilities and create new

opportunities? Business is not a zero-sum game Too much

business thinking has focused on capturing value, rather than

creating it These resources show you how to make decisions

that are informed by data, and that enable you—and others—

to thrive

Decision Quality: Value Creation from Better Business

Decisions: Few things are as valuable in business, and in life,

as the ability to make good decisions Can you imagine how

much more rewarding your life and your business would be if

every decision you made were the best it could be? Decision

Quality empowers you to make the best possible choices and

get more of what you truly want from every decision

Data-Driven Leadership: Meet the challenges of high-stakes

accountability, build performance-based organizations, and

improve outcomes This advice show you how to transform

data overload into a data-positive culture You’ll learn the

difference between driven leadership” and

“data-informed leadership,” and how to use distributed leadership

to inspire collaboration and guided analysis

Finding the Decision Making Sweet Spot: Scott Berinato,

HBR senior editor, explains the opportunities and pitfalls of

making decisions in a social context

Creating a Culture of Data-Driven Business: How does

your company become a data-driven organization? Mainly, it means making decisions based not on opinion, but on what the data is telling you And that usually requires a shift in company culture Four data experts demonstrate different ways that companies have experimented with change, often with surprising results

Seven Strategy Questions: A Simple Approach for Better Execution: To stay ahead of the pack, you must translate

your organization’s competitive strategy into day-to-day actions that will enable your company to win in the marketplace By posing provocative questions, you identify critical gaps in your strategy execution processes, focus on the most important choices you must make, and understand what’s at stake in each one

Before You Make That Big Decision: All leaders know that

decision making is a critical part of their job And most executives are aware they need to be on the lookout for biases that will distort or mislead and cause their

organizations to make the wrong decisions about investments of time and money Yet research shows that few executives actually use their knowledge about bias to

improve their own decision-making practices or that of their organization Follow these guidelines for confronting bias and improving bottom-line decisions

Telling Your Stories

You can’t transform a business if you can’t communicate your

stories But communication is much more than branding and

advertising Learn to build content that your customers want,

and understand how all of your company’s actions are a

reflection of its brand and values

Content Inc.: How Entrepreneurs Use Content to Build

Massive Audiences and Create Radically Successful

Businesses: This is a new model for developing valuable

content, building an audience round that content, and

creating a product for your audience

True Story: How to Combine Story and Action to

Transform Your Business: The old way to market a business

was storytelling But in today’s world, simply communicating

your brand’s story in the hope that customers will listen is no

longer enough Instead, your authentic brand must be

evident in every action the organization undertakes

Using Storytelling to Effectively Communicate Data: Learn

from this framework to overcome common deficiencies in

visual communication, as well as how to leverage a story

structure to introduce complex graphics in ways that entice

and engage your audience