There may be no bigger juggle for integration companies than trying to stay focused on the here and now while also planning for the seemingly endless changes coming for our businesses tomorrow.
While a few integration firms have been gobbling up the competition, and others have expanded their offerings into IT, cloud, security, and mobile, no single company gets a pass on dealing with the volatile markets of today.
For most integrators (and businesses as a whole), it isn’t easy to be future forward and “in the moment” at the same time. We simply aren’t wired this way. But as change becomes more rapid, we must figure out how to do this – because our strategies no longer have shelf lives measured in years. Instead, they’re measured in months, weeks, and sometimes days. The new world requires a constant state of change and adaptation to go along with in-the-moment execution that is focused on delivering best-in-class customer experiences.
Here are a few tips to get you started.
Invest in Culture
It’s so easy to discern strong cultures versus weak ones. Companies with strong cultures are, by nature, more capable of dealing with change and the speed bumps that are part of every business.
To build a strong culture, you need people who are passionate and engaged. To develop those types of people, communication and vision are key. Many smaller businesses struggle to tell the stories of their businesses and their evolution, but everything gets simpler when people buy into this.
Think Adaptability
Dealing with rapid change is hard when the change is large. When you try to make large change, it almost always flops. Transformed organizations often make constant change much like an automobile in cruise control. Lots of small, evolutionary change yields more material change that doesn’t feel so disruptive. Iteration can be innovation, especially for small and mid-sized organizations.
Put Customers First
Customer centrism and experience is the heart of the movement we call “digital transformation.” We don’t transform our businesses for the purpose of technology – we transform them because of new customer demands and requirements.
If you ask yourself what your customers really want versus what you can deliver to them based on traditional models, you’ll open the internal doors of innovation.
Involve Your People
Your people are your first customers; ask them for input. They often know more about the market and what it wants because they are in the trenches and on the front lines.
Going back to my note about culture above: When employees feel involved, they work harder and produce more. This isn’t just my opinion; this is proven by research from Harvard, Gallup, and more.
Creating a company that can handle rapid change will undoubtedly position you for greater long-term stability and success. —Dan Newman, Cofounder of V3*Broadsuite
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