So much for “business as usual.” With business transformation and change management now among today’s most pressing topics for enterprises operating in today’s fast-moving, hugely-disruptive commercial world, if you’re still doing things the way they’ve “always been done,” take note. Chances are, they’re no longer still the best way to be doing things, as competitors – who are increasingly becoming attuned to fast-evolving commercial landscapes, and changing products, services, and solutions in time with them – may have already surmised.
Keeping this in mind, and that many organizations can now take new business ventures from concept to execution just 30 to 90 days, flexibility and agility have become crucial attributes to strive for in 2020 and beyond. Doubly so for those firms operating in a connected economy, where relationships and connections often serve as key differentiators or points of competitive advantage, and numerous alternative products or services may be just a single click or call away.
Hoping to help your organization relevant – and stay ahead of the curve? Putting a greater focus on enterprise transformation going forward is a must for senior leaders, especially those who find themselves in industries that are increasingly doing business in a mobile landscapes, according to top experts. That’s because today’s executive, like today’s enterprise, now operates in a world where there are no more predictable static day-to-day patterns in business, and continuous change is the new normal. And in this type of topsy-turvy market environment, researchers say, uncertainty is about the only thing we can anticipate with certainty, and unpredictability the only thing we can predict.
Noting this, finding ways to structure organizations (and organizational processes) to be more flexible and fast-responding will only become a more pressing concern in the coming months ahead. Likewise, with those enterprises who are most successful at adapting to change capable of weathering market disruptions up to 10X more effectively than less well-prepared rivals, remember. The more you plan for enterprise transformation, and work to guard against unforeseen events and disruptions by putting platforms and systems in place that can help give your enterprise all the tools and insights it needs to successfully adapt before these disruptions hit? The more successful you’ll be at future-proofing your business.
As discussed in recent book Lead With Your Heart, just a few ways many market leaders are enabling foster enterprise transformation, and speeding organizational resilience and response times, include:
- Creating websites, programs, and initiatives that allow employees to speak up and share ideas when new opportunities and challenges present themselves, and collaborate to quickly develop more responsive solutions.
- Building business infrastructures in such a way that they can become enablers to innovation, not barriers, and allow manpower and resources from every department to rapidly train their sights on collective goals or refocus efforts as needed.
- Offering cloud-based apps, tools, and forums (e.g. open innovation portals) that invite internal and external contributors (including the general public) to contribute ideas, insights, and resources towards developing new products, services, and solutions to meet changing market needs.
- Using flexible software and service solutions, as well as flexible delivery models, to help deploy resources as needed on-demand, so as to more effectively support changing initiatives.
- Making change management a priority at the highest levels, and putting a focus on fueling innovation through the creation of internal start-ups, cross-functional development teams, design contests (which any worker can contribute new concepts and ideas to), and similar initiatives.
As you can see, enterprise transformation is a pressing subject for several reasons – none the least of which in ensuring your business stays competitive, and takes the time to sew the seeds for future success. In addition, more and more enterprises will only need to transform themselves faster and to greater extent than ever before as more and more industries transition towards a connection economy. Clearly, staying on top of change management, and making a point to continuously innovate, will be crucial for any modern organization looking to keep up with quickly-evolving times and trends in the years ahead.
Long story short: The more flexible you enable your enterprise to be, and the faster it can shift strategies in tune with changing business environments, the more competitive it will be going forward. A few smart investments in future-proofing today can make all the difference tomorrow.
