Business Transformation Requires Transformational Leaders

Almost every organization has some room for grassroots Agile initiatives; projects for which no mandatory process has been defined or organizational units where managers are less interested in how their teams work than in whether they deliver expected results. Launching an experiment with an Agile delivery process is therefore relatively simple. It takes a project, a team motivated to try (or demonstrate) how an Agile approach works, and a project sponsor willing either to play the role of product owner or to appoint one. Such a project does not really challenge the status quo; its results are uncertain, so even naysayers tolerate it. In this Advisor, we share some of the challenges of taking such an initiative.

In light of the changing landscape of cyberattacks, it is critical that organizations change the way they address cybersecurity. Relying only on traditional methods of blocking attacks with firewalls, antivirus software, and passwords will be a mistake. Organizations instead need to implement cybersecurity measures that are capable of handling the new breed of cyberattacks. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) comes into play. AI-based cybersecurity solutions use machine learning (ML) techniques, which are a subset of AI. In this Advisor, we explore two broad categories of ML algorithms: supervised learning and unsupervised learning.

Innovation at its core relies on focused creative thinking, which allows organizations to respond successfully to situations that do not have easy answers or readily apparent solutions and drive results in a collaborative emergence of novelty and marketable value. This focus originates within teams staffed and equipped to apply their collective creativity and experience to business challenges, which fosters the opportunity to make enhanced real-time decisions that benefit both the enterprise and its stakeholders. As we explore in this Executive Update, it is the creative collaboration of organizational teams, in concert with end-user sentiment, that drives the most effective innovation.

With so many variants of the core components of the blockchain definition — like validation, distribution, opportunities, and challenges — it becomes clear that exec­utives may need a matrix or rubric to decide if/how to adopt blockchain based on industry and objectives. Even if your company is not considering automating processes via blockchain, your competitors may be doing so, and government entities may even force your hand. Therefore, it is important to start the internal discussion now. In this Advisor, we’ve shared some questions to help your organization quickly engage in deep discussions.

In her article, Andi Graham describes how those at her digital marketing agency started working actively with clients, co-planning and co-designing with them. These new behaviors required her staff to expose their doubts and uncertainties to clients. Resistant at first, employees saw the difference in speed and quality of feedback, improved client relations, and higher efficiency. This story shows Agile adoption through small steps with wide-ranging effects.

The Agile Manifesto and its obvious extensions don’t address issues needed at the organizational level. In their article, Jutta Eckstein and John Buck augment Agile with Beyond Budgeting, Open Space, and Sociocracy, something they call “BOSSA nova,” and link those with strategy, structure, and process to cover key organizational issues.

We are now in the “post-Agile” age. This issue of CBTJ covers some of the cutting-edge ideas emerging from the Agile community, including Heart of Agile, Modern Agile, the GROWS Method™, BOSSA nova, solutions-focused thinking, and goes further with stories of politics in Zimbabwe, entrepreneurship in Pakistan, and running “agile classrooms” in several countries.

Finding the right approach for effective serial breakthrough innovation has become the holy grail for today’s companies. However, our survey shows that there is still a long way to go before companies’ efforts match their aspirations. Although nearly 90% of companies recognized the importance of defining specific strategic objectives for breakthrough innovation, only about half of them currently do so. Those that do define specific breakthrough objectives and goals are, on average, nearly four times more satisfied with the results than those that do not, and the more explicit the goals are, the higher the success rate. While there is no single formula for success, it is clear that there are some important key factors. In this Advisor, we share some of those key factors as well as four organizational models that have proven effective in different situations.