News in Digital from The Digital Transformation People Issue #13

As digital transformation becomes main stream much is being learnt about what does and what doesn’t work.  We’re getting to grips with what it is and what in theory needs to be done, but is our execution letting us down?  An emphasis on lessons learnt in this edition of News In Digital.
If there is anything in particular that you’re struggling with or would like included in our future editions we’d love to hear from you.

A GOOD READ

Futureproof
By Caleb Storkey and Minter Dial
There’s a lot of talk about Digital Disruption. Everyone is looking to be the Uber of Something. What does it mean for your business to be Futureproof? How do you ensure that you’re responding to the right technology? What thinking is essential when it comes to rolling up your sleeves and implementing solutions well? Futureproof explores the three core mindsets and twelve disruptive technologies that you must have in today’s age to help you grow your business, see success and get ready for the next disruption. Lessons learnt.

STRATEGY

5 Company Types which should transform ASAP
By Nick Vinckier
Nick Vinckier outlines two simple frameworks for transformation success – but beware you don’t get stuck and become one of the five archetypes that struggle.

The Corporate Product Death Cycle
By Bram Kanstein
Innovate you must but make sure you validate to avoid falling into the corporate death cycle!

HOW TO

Management challenges in a connected world
By Euan Semple
Listen, learn, connect with your people, understand the world they live in and engage.  Euan Sample looks at how managers (some whose staff would rather be managed by bots) can get up to speed and play their part in fostering the cultural change required for transformation.

How to mess up your agile transformation in seven easy (mis)steps
By Christopher Handscomb, Allan Jaenicke, Khushpreet Kaur, Belkis Vasquez-McCall, and Ahmad Zaidi
While many traditional heavyweights have embarked on agile transformations, most have faced real challenges in achieving their desired objectives.  Based on their experience across numerous transformations this article from McKinsey describes common lessons to learn and missteps to avoid on your agile journey.

Digital Is About Speed — But It Takes a Long Time
By Jeanne Ross
Digital demands entirely new approaches to imagining, designing, delivering, and servicing new value propositions delivering the organizational transformation to enable this new way of working takes time to get right.

PEOPLE & CHANGE

GM’s dress code is only two words
By Leah Fessler
Mary Barra, Chief Executive at General Motors demonstrates the power of simplification, and common sense in the work place. If your goal is to change your culture then sometimes a focus on the small things can pay dividends.

Workforce Data Systems are Junk Food, Not a Gold Mine
By Alec Levenson
“Three large problems with the current state of workforce data and analytics: too much people counting, insufficient historical data, and very little information on teams”.  Alec Levenson highlights the problems and offers some lessons and solutions.

Transparency and algorithmic sharing in the digital workplace
By Lee Bryant
Algorithms may be there to help us manage information overload at work and on social media but how should they be optimised and what oversight should we have?

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

The Essential Role of Brand In The Success Of Your Digital Transformation
By Phil Darby
We know about the importance of focussing on the customer for digital transformation to be successful, but what part does your brand play in this as a driving force for success?

5 Things Leading Retailers Do To Thrive In The Age of Amazon
By Veronika Sonsev
After three days at Shoptalk, Veronika Sonsev discovered five common lessons among leading retailers that are winning the game against Amazon.

How managing your customer’s ‘top tasks’ can deliver a better experience
By Chris Rourke
Getting back to WHY your customers are on your web site in the first. Chris Rourke shows how top task management can help you get your focus back on the performance metrics that really count.

TECHNOLOGY

Sophia Robot & Will Smith Date
What do you get when you cross an A-list celebrity with a humanoid robot? A pretty awkward date, it turns out!  Actor Will Smith tries his hand at a spot of robot dating in the Cayman Islands. (It did not go well).

How babies learn – and why robots can’t compete
By Alex Beard
“If we could understand how the infant mind develops, it might help every child reach their full potential. But seeing them as learning machines is not the answer.”

Servitisation and the 4th Industrial Revolution
By Terry Walton
According to The Manufacturer, “65% of manufacturers will use service-based selling by 2020”. Servitisation involves companies developing the capabilities they need to provide services and solutions that supplement or replace their traditional product offerings. Terry Walton discusses this transformational shift in the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

TALENT

An agenda for the talent-first CEO
By Dominic Barton, Dennis Carey, and Ram Charan
“I absolutely love this piece. Finally the focus shifts away from earnest HR professionals trying to make a difference and over to the CEO who sees Talent First as a competitive advantage.” ~ Jeff Wellstead

Google Moves From Search to Sourcing as Hire by Google Launches Candidate Discovery
Matt Charney key influencer in recruiting and partner for RecruitingDaily.com asks the question “Where does Hire by Google fit in?”

LEADERSHIP

The Board Directors You Need for a Digital Transformation
By Tuck Rickards and Rhys Grossman
Though 63% of executives say that the partnership of the board is critical to the success of transformation efforts, only 27% report that the board serves as an advocate for current strategies. So if this is to be rectified what should digital leadership at board level look like?

“Technology is hitting us so fast that we need actual people to think about
how and why this matters.
In a world of machines, humanity I believe becomes a killer app and there is just not enough of that thinking”
~ Brian Solis

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Bet Your Business On A Platform
By Greg Satell
It’s a fundamental rule of business that you need to be able create, capture and deliver value in order to compete. Platform businesses have demonstrated this in abundance but in this winner takes all nature of the platform economy most will fail. Greg Satell explores why this is and why you shouldn’t bet your business on a platform.

Arrange a Conversation