And so we arrive at 2019 which promises to be a momentous year for all of us. Whatever the outcome of deal or no deal we are all in the midst of VUCA and need to accelerate our response to become more agile and capture new value for ourselves and our customers. For all of us, it’s a matter of innovation and new ways to deliver on our jobs to be done. So the emphasis in this New Year issue is things to watch out for in 2019 and how to create the environment and processes for effective innovation. Please do watch the video of Alexander Osterwalder below which is eloquent, entertaining and hugely informative and builds on the work of our final contributor Clayton M. Christensen et al and their seminal piece ‘Know Your Customers’ “Jobs to Be Done”. Happy New Year to all!
A GOOD READ
50 Big Ideas for 2019: What to watch in the year ahead
By Isabelle Roughol
From Isabelle Roughol, Senior Editor at Large at Linkedin who says “I report and write on the world of work and big ideas, using LinkedIn’s Economic Graph data to illuminate trends in the economy and workplace.” Here’s a pretty comprehensive list of things to look out for in 2019.
STRATEGY & INNOVATION
Interview with Alex Osterwalder at the European Business Forum 2018
“Breakthrough innovations don’t work and they actually become expensive failures” – Alexander Osterwalder. Find out why and what you can do to de-risk innovation and create the environment and processes to create new valuable innovations predictably and quickly.
The confusing world of IIoT platforms needs to change in 2019
By Paul Hobcracft
There are many platform vendors out there but which ones should you choose and why? Here’s a look at the sector from innovation and platform specialist Paul Hobcraft who shares his insights and predictions for 2019.
Measure Customer Progress Using Jobs To Be Done and Outcome-Driven Innovation
By Tony Ulwick
New product success becomes predictable once you know the metrics customers use to measure progress when trying to get a job done.
Increase Digital Revenue in ’19 – Here’s How
By Howard Tiersky
What’s the best way to generate revenue online? Here’s a nice overview of 10 digital business models to think about from Howard Tiersky originally posted in 2018 and still relevant today – we’ve tweaked the title so you don’t miss out!
Five Ways to Tell If Your Digital Investment is Paying Off
By Bob Taylor
You’ll know by now that successful digital transformation can improve your margins but do you know what 5 things the most successful initiatives have in common?
SPEED & AGILITY
Is agile the last word?
By Angela Prentner-Smith
Nothing lasts forever and there’s always the ‘next big thing’. Has Agile won or is it dead already?
How do Nexus and LeSS differ?
By John Coleman
In this article, agility strategist and SCRUM trainer John Coleman compares and contrasts the more advanced maturity patterns of Scaled Professional Scrum, Nexus with Scrum Studio all in one corner, and LeSS. They have a lot in common.
PEOPLE & CHANGE
Culture Evolution versus Transformation
By Frank Poschen
According to McKinsey, 7 out of 10 strategy implementation initiatives fail as they do not deliver the expected value and the reason in the majority of cases is culture. Why is that and what can we do about it asks Frank Poschen, Senior HR executive at Bayer.
Growth v Fixed Mindset
John Spencer videos
An overview of the differences between people with fixed and growth mindsets based on the work of Professor Carol Dweck. Our question is are these mindsets fixed, or can they be changed.
Moving Away From Strict Hierarchies – Why we need a new approach to organisation design
By Neil Perkin
In a world increasingly characterised by horizontality, networks, data and value flows, systems thinking and platform business models, does it still make sense that most businesses are still organised in ways more suited to the industrial age?
CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
A propitious four-star Amazon clicks-to-bricks experiment
By Tony D’Onofrio
Tony D’Onfrio gives us a glimpse into the future of retail as he visits Amazon’s Four Star physical retail store in New York. A worthy customer experience experiment bringing what they’ve learned online to deliver real in-store personalisation, loyalty rewards, online buyer strategies and variable pricing.
How Consumer-first marketing is changing the role of the CMO
By Sean Halter
Three easy steps on how to adapt and adopt to the modern consumer marketing funnel for CMOs on the hunt for new opportunities.
TECHNOLOGY
The mostly complete chart of Neural Networks, explained
Thank you to Kevin Gray for flagging “The mostly complete chart of Neural Networks” in this article by Andrew Tchircoff which should be a great reference for anyone interested in machine learning and AI.
How UK CIOs are using automation
By Laurie Clarke
Automation is a buzz word in the tech industry, with most organisations looking to streamline and speed up processes and lighten the workload for employees. Here’s an excellent piece from CIO exploring how different CIOs are approaching it.
How blockchain will disrupt Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook
By Matt Ward
With so many opinions floating around about it, here’s a deep dive into the ramifications of blockchain technology as it relates to today’s top tech companies, by Matt Ward.
TALENT
Top 9 Predictions for #TalentAcquisition in 2019
Talent pipelines, RPO innovation hubs and recruitment agencies are all on the up for 2019 and the common theme it seems is data – “who is cold, warm and ‘hire-ready’ in real time.”
Adam Gordon and his company Candidate ID seem set to capitalise on the trends highlighted by the Talent Insights Group
The 10 most in-demand skills of 2019, according to LinkedIn
LinkedIn recently analyzed hundreds of thousands of job postings in order to determine which skills companies need most in 2019. They found that employers are looking for workers with both soft skills and hard technical skills, and they matched these skills with LinkedIn Learning courses that are free for the month of January.
LEADERSHIP & ORGANISATION
The three focus areas for a successful digital transformation
By Mobin Barati
Practical advice from a seasoned practitioner of digital transformation, Mobin Barati. Focused and easy to remember advice but key for a successful transformation.
How to use stakeholder events to drive change
By Phil Darby
A well-run event bringing all stakeholders together can create a real sense of community and shared sense of ownership as an organisation embarks upon a transformation. Here’s how to do it from a man with the experience to get it right.
Digital Strategy Now in Place, CIOs Focus on Execution
By Steve Rosenbush
Digital transformation is rapidly moving from the conceptual pilot stage to the execution stage as CIOs seek to deliver on newly established business models as a matter of priority.
What to look out for when hiring a new CISO?
By JC Gaillard
In the wake of non-stop cyber attacks and data breaches, the role of the CISO has never been more important. So what should you be looking for when hiring a CISO and how will you be successful in getting the right skills on board? Some sound advice from Cyber Security advisor Jean-Christophe Gaillard.
JOBS & CAREERS
How to survive and thrive in the AI age: Future proofing your career –part 1
By Deepthi Rajan
While we all understand the importance of agility, the end state is often uncertain. Resilience and the ability to pivot have become critical.
Job opportunities in digital transformation
If you’re seeking to advance your career in digital transformation sign up here and we’ll let you know as new opportunities arise across our network.
“In the early stages of a startup, focusing on “execution” will put you out of business. Instead, you need a “learning and discovery” process so you can get the company to the point where you know what to execute.”
~ Steven Gary Blank
Author of The Four Steps to the Epiphany: Successful Strategies for Startups That Win
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Know Your Customers’ “Jobs to Be Done”
By Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, David S. Duncan
“The focus on knowing more about customers has taken firms in the wrong direction.” If you want your business to remain relevant today you’d do well to focus on your customer jobs to be done.
Read this classic 2016 article from the Harvard Business Review and you’ll see how prescient it is of so much we’re discussing today in relation to customer centricity and innovation.
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