Time to take action: Management Buzzwords?

Throughout the past years and numerous discussions and meetings with clients, we've discovered terms like "digital, agile, human-centered, design thinking" coming up more and more. Oftentimes, they are used in context of a way to describe the way start-up companies work, utilizing the strength of the internet or simply automating processes in the company. The most common of which is this: "making everything online"..

We got to thinking that it has to be one of the most overused terms in the working world by now.

And so we before we even dive in defining the terms, we've come up with three main reasons as to why these terms as are cropping up in the world, and why now, in the following pic:

Rapidly Changing Consumer Behaviors

Changes and advances in the way society communicate and buy. Simplest example: just watch voice tech growth over the years, people brushing their teeth and buying a new toothpaste online at the same time will be the norm.

Unprecedented Technological Advancements

Brings about intensified competition as products and services can now be procured with virtually no regard for borders. Welcome disruptions!

Communication & Collaboration

Competition of talent and human capital in order to create value. Collaboration is more important than ever within a team to create value. Especially in the most simple ways of using whatsapp, emails, softwares like slack/trello, and having everything on our phone.

But really, the most simple way to summarize these changes and trends is that we are living in a whole new world. The world as we know it has changed.

To truly grasp how much our world has changed and how we've adapted, take a look at COVID-19. As it turns out, the pandemic drove us like no other words did (transformation, disruption, tectonic market shifts, etc.). In a few months, we collectively started virtual meetings, using collaboration tools on a daily basis, shifted sales online.

It's tough to say when the world will get back to normal - if ever.

Now, it's time to really work on the issues we've wanted to all these years. Embrace these core truths:

Reimagine your Future

Take the time to take a programmatic look at your future and growth opportunities. It's the time to understand the drivers of your business and decide on your ambition. It might be a complete shift to your core business, expanding to new lines, or new acquisitions. Some things might look too bold and too risky, but if you don't decide, you'll never know.

Once you've decided on a "north star objective", it's time to align the organization.

Digital transformation is really People Transformation

Time to embrace the truth: digital = people. It's the people who decide, design, develop, and deliver the technologies to use within an organization. So when you say digital, you're really talking about people.

We suggest using OKR (Objectives Key Results) to align departments and teams. Remember that transformations are centered on your teams spending the time that they need on things that matter. An excellent guide and introduction to it can be found here: https://medium.com/@meetfelipe/okr-vs-kpis-what-is-the-difference-ffa54673fcf1

Unconventional Routes

Now is the time to take action. Spend time to talk with your consumers and end users. What do your consumers really need? Are you solving real problems? After doing so, experiment and test as quickly as possible.

We've found that small-scale experiments (5-8 users) tend to be reveal fundamental flaws/advantages about solutions - no matter how outrageous/innovative the solution. So work on it as quickly as possible. If it doesn't work, pivot or shut it down. If it does, scale. It's the moment to put the adage of "fail cheap, fail fast" to work.

I used the word "time" 10x in this ~600 word blog post. Because more than ever, momentum is of the essence. Taking action now requires boldness and commitment. If not now, then when? It's time to take the future in your own hands!

YK has developed Agile Culture & Execution - a methodology for delivering real solutions quickly. To learn more, please contact support@yongkurniawan.com

#disruption #startup #startup #consumerbehavior #technology #breakthrough #covid #covid19 #coronavirus #recession #transformation #OKR #peopletransformation

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