Digital Business Models - May, 2013
Digital business models increasingly distinguish between those organisations that create compelling customer experiences and those that don’t. Without the ability to deliver a value-creating online and mobile strategy, customers will seek out those competitors that deliver seamless and engaging digital experiences.
Big-Bang Disruptions vs. Conventional Innovation - April 2013
Big-bang disruptions are a major dilemma for organisational leaders and innovators. They lure away customers in droves in almost every segment (including “underserved” customers or the least profitable ones). And while CEOs are accustomed to shorter product life-cycles and new technologies encroaching on mature markets, big-bang disruptions can wipe out entire product lines in a matter of weeks and months.
Creating a Civility Culture - March 2013
Workplace incivility defined as “a form of organisational deviance… characterized by low-intensity behaviours that violate respectful workplace norms, appearing vague as to intent to harm” is increasing. A survey of thousands of workers across different industries in 2011 showed that half had experienced rudeness and discourteousness at work at least once a week, compared to a quarter in 1998.
Managing Knowledge Assets - February 2013
Managing knowledge can be difficult because knowledge itself is an elusive concept. Researchers have argued that knowledge takes the form of three competitive assets: (1) Human capital – individuals’ stocks of know-how, skills and expertise; (2) Social capital – knowledge held in groups and networks of people; and (3) Organisational capital – knowledge embedded in databases, routines, patents, manuals, organisational structures, etc.
Customer-Driven Strategy - January 2013
Customer strategies drive companies’ ability to meet actual and potential customer needs and to deliver on key organisational objectives. As mass marketing principles becomes less and less relevant, personalised customer relationships have become more important than ever. An annual survey of the 25 most popular management tools in 2001 revealed that customer relationship management ranked in the bottom three; however in 2010 it was ranked in the top four.
Social Software Strategy - December, 2012
Organisations are increasingly being sold the virtues of social software – not only will it help connect and empower employees, customers, and partners, it will also foster innovation and deliver performance breakthroughs. Because of this, senior executives are under pressure to conform to the ‘social trend’. But simply mimicking the social software choices of competitors is dangerous because every organisation faces unique challenges – and opportunities.
Learning Organisation - November 2012
Organisational learning – the capacity to create, share, and retain knowledge in order to get results – is present in all organisations to some extent. But yet some companies clearly leverage this capacity better than others. Whereas some leaders only pay lip service to the concept in their value statements, others actively help their organisations to build learning processes that are robust, hard-to-imitate, and sustainable.
Big Data Management - October 2012
The era of ‘Big Data’ is rapidly evolving in ways that are substantially different to ‘analytics’ of the past. As of 2012, about 2.5 exabytes of data are created each day, and that number is doubling every 40 months. Walmart, for example, collects more than 2.5 petabytes of data every hour from its customer transactions (a petabyte is one quadrillion bytes, or about 20 million filing cabinets’ worth of text).
Innovation Leadership - September 2012
Brilliant innovations go hand-in-hand with great leadership. Innovation leadership is about expanding employees’ visions about what innovation is; building frameworks that support innovation strategies; and ensuring people know their roles in innovation and are actively engaged in company growth. The demand for innovation and sustainable growth is stronger than ever – “innovate or die” is the mantra driving twenty-first century organisations.
Culture Change Management - August 2012
Culture is the most enduring feature of any organisation – it is an intangible expression of all the shared values, beliefs, and norms that define the ways organisations behave and get things done. Despite organisations’ constant efforts to reinvent and reinvigorate, culture is invariably one of the most difficult types of change. Two of the most respected commentators on organisational change, Michael Beer and Nitin Nohria, claimed that about two-thirds of change initiatives fail.
Sustainability as a Key Driver of Innovation - July 2012
Corporate Social Responsibility is evolving. It is less about managing corporate reputations – ‘greenwashing’- and more about business fundamentals, such as how products are designed and how supply chains are managed.
Understanding and Managing Risks - June 2012
Risk management is often treated as a compliance issue and an exercise in rule-following. Maximising compliance is, of course, a sensible precaution but rule-based management neither reduces the likelihood of disasters nor their impact. Executives need to understand the distinctions between different risk categories and tailor risk management strategies accordingly.
