by Sally Earnshaw, MD of Blue Sky, Brightwave and G2G3
In a world of constant change, organisations must focus on their wetware as much as their software, writes Sally Earnshaw, MD of Blue Sky, Brightwave and G2G3.
First, the bad news: relentless and rapid disruption is the new normal.
As we transition from an industrial economy to a digital one, every sector is in a state of unprecedented upheaval. Your customers’ expectations are changing, your competitors are evolving and your technology is exploding. From service via Snapchat to a sudden shift in regulations, every week seems to bring a new behaviour or tool that demands an organisation-wide overhaul. And this is the slowest it’s ever going to get.
Next, the worse news: simply “going digital” isn’t going to save you.
Of course, you’re investing heavily in new tech and automation – you’d be mad not to. But you’re probably struggling to achieve the ROI promised by your much-hyped digital transformation. After all, you can put the latest AI into your call centre, but unless your people are adapting what they do around it, it’s only so much expensive code.
Now, the agonising news: you still need to put the customer first.
Because although you’re under serious pressure to recoup that digital investment, fast, you still need to get everybody in your organisation prioritising the customer in everything they do. You know it’s the only way to ultimately cut costs, boost profits and secure your future. But although your product teams might be pretty good at thinking about the customer at all times, it’s likely you have a lot of people who aren’t. And it’s even harder to achieve when your new speech analytics system has come down with another bug.
Ready for the silver lining? You’ve already got exactly the technology you need, not just to survive but to thrive in this unpredictable landscape.
And what is that technology? Human brains. You see, homo sapiens are really good at coping with change – much better than computers. An ability to adapt is programmed deep into our DNA – it’s how we made it to pole position on the planet. Unfortunately, many leaders focus solely on the agility of their software, when they should be asking, how agile are our people?
Because doing sprints and stand-ups doesn’t make you agile. You can’t just graft new behaviours onto old organisational structures. You can’t run a two-day workshop about “becoming agile” and cross your fingers. You can’t introduce concepts such as sprints and MVPs and hope they’ll magically catch on.
What we need is small, empowered, persistent teams that get stuff done. Teams that work on what matters most right now? Teams that work in the right way, to deliver instant value for your customers? Teams that deliver quickly and regularly, improving as they go? Teams that remain aligned with the overall direction of your organisation – even as it evolves?
These are essential questions for any business looking to successfully ride our new pace of change. But unfortunately, rather than being answered by a quick-fix, out-of-the-box solution, they challenge some of the deepest assumptions about how an organisation operates. They demand that command-and-control hierarchies get swapped for distributed, networked micro-communities. They demand that decision making gets transferred to those closest to the work. They demand that leaders give permission on a daily basis. They demand new mindsets and behaviours that embrace technology while still putting the customer first.
Ultimately, they herald the emergence of a new type of business: one that thrives on change, rather than being threatened by it. And one that makes the most of all the exciting new digital developments available, without sacrificing or undermining those tools that make the biggest difference to the customer: human insight, intuition and expertise.
So: how agile are your people?
Blue Sky – G2G3 – Brightwave
We’re the people experts. We’re leading the next generation of agile with a practical, results-driven approach. We’re neither techies or theorists – we’re people experts. We’re using our understanding of how humans and organisations work on the ground to make agile a reality for every kind of business.
We’d love to help. Give us a call on 01483 739400 or drop us a line at hello@blue-sky.co.uk.