Business Transformation Requires Transformational Leaders
Leadership and teaming skills are front and center in times of rapid change. Meet today’s constant disruption head on with expert guidance in leadership, business strategy, transformation, and innovation. Whether the disruption du jour is a digitally-driven upending of traditional business models, the pandemic-driven end to business as usual, or the change-driven challenge of staffing that meets your transformation plans — you’ll be prepared with cutting edge techniques and expert knowledge that enable strategic leadership.
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Insight
A company is a collection of distinct units that are supposed to collaborate well with each other in order to deliver a superior product or service. But do all the parts work together well? In times of transition and significant change, how firms do things can also change significantly, requiring the units within the firm to learn how to realign and collaborate in new ways.
This is the second Executive Update in a three-part series that explores the idea of "the Web as platform," one of the cornerstone concepts of Web 2.0 popularized by Tim O'Reilly, 1 among others.
Much of the perceived successes of outsourcing are merely the initial honeymoon reports (i.e., the initial announcement of a deal). These are focused on celebrating a deal that has been signed and its anticipated benefits. Rarely do we get the followup report regarding whether any of the expected outcomes were actually achieved.
Ideas for how you can reduce the costs to train your IT staff as well as help reduce the expense of learning programs throughout your organization.
I have been using two devices since they launched: the BlackBerry (since 1999) and the iPhone (since July 2007), and neither has left my side since its launch, except for a five-month trial separation from my BlackBerry. As I write this, two devices -- the BlackBerry 9000 and the iPhone 3G -- are charging.
IT managers face logistical problems in balancing global standards with local needs in increasingly globalized organizations. While many people in business and government repeat the mantra "think globally, act locally," applying this ideal entails a host of challenges ranging from coordinating communication across disparate time zones to determining technical standards implemented on top of wildly differing infrastructures.
In the past couple of years, organizations have sought sourcing value beyond cost savings. Access to talent and business process innovation are two examples of these more strategic aspirations. Yet, as the economy goes, so go sourcing priorities. Cost-saving sourcing projects are likely the highest priority again this year. While saving money proved elusive for some organizations in the past, those disappointing efforts arm managers today with a deeper understanding of the levers influencing sourcing costs, increasing the likelihood of success.