You’ve heard all the buzz and blather about the new world of work: Millennials, digital everything, AI and AR, 3D printing, blockchain, and hundreds of other vague descriptions of emerging technology and trends that could mean just about anything. Innovation happens. Sure, the speed and magnitude increase with every new year, or maybe even each new day. But, the dynamics of how innovation really works, or doesn’t, have remained relatively constant…until now. The biggest innovation these days is how we work to make innovation happen.
Modern corporations have a fundamental dilemma. They use standardized techniques and technologies to synchronize all aspects of their operation so that they produce predictable results at scale. They are vertically aligned. Think McDonalds. Conversely, a new type of company has emerged with the digital age that achieves rapid growth by deviating from these standards. The networked upstart. These organizations are horizontally connected to a federation of other participants. Think biotech startup.
Corporations have become captives to their business models. Competition didn’t stop Sears from becoming Amazon, Microsoft from Google, or GM from Tesla. What stopped them was their own inability to quickly transit from their dominant culture and competencies, and the innovation leadership practices that maintain them. They tried to create the next big solution with the old rules and tools.
This lively and challenging session will contrast the old world of work with the new, and how to integrate the two. We will explore how changes in the workforce, fluid organizational structures, network dynamics, ubiquitous connectivity, and the economics of fast growth are changing what leaders must do to succeed. We will focus on how to synchronize an increasingly complex and diverse enterprise to make innovation happen.