Flattening your organisational structure creates greater operational agility while improving staff morale and ownership.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are more than just policies and marketing tools. They are quickly becoming a top priority for organisations of all types and sizes, as companies that embrace DEI outpace their competitors and perform better as a result of integrating DEI principles as part of their core DNA.
As companies adapt to a fractured and uneven recovery post-COVID recovery period, those that integrate best practices in sustainability will lead the way.
New technology will be an essential component of COVID-19 recovery, but effective leaders must also empower their people.
The office of the future may have already arrived, thanks to COVID-19. But what should organisations expect when their employees get used to working from home?
Companies must respond to evolving consumer expectations and demands with better supply chain and logistics management. Technology is the solution.
Ever since the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing has been at the forefront of innovation. New technologies that improve efficiency and productivity have always been enthusiastically implemented, leading to great benefits for both producer and consumer. Today, an important new dimension is at play, as manufacturers find themselves in the midst of the digital revolution. Those who embrace the forces of disruption will prosper, while those who resist the inevitable will fall by the wayside. Digital transformation is the only way to ensure lasting success, and manufacturers need to take every step necessary to ensure it is done correctly. Manufacturers that do not commit to digital transformation will not be able to keep up with competitors who can offer data-based services to their customers. If they do not offer the latest services, buyers will find someone else who does.
Hendrik van den Berg is the Founder and Managing Director at Neos IT Services. Having founded the company in 2005, Hendrik and his diverse team have transformed Neos into a thriving business. I recently met with Hendrik to have a detailed discussion of business transformation and what it entails. The most fascinating insights from the interview revolved around the role of technology and cultural change in the transformation process.
Years after its inception, Blockchain remains a central focus of the tech world, thanks to its potential to revolutionise business activity in every sector. Yet when it comes to the actual integration and implementation of Blockchain technology into mainstream use and business value chains, people may be getting ahead of themselves. Public interest in Blockchain has largely been limited to the hype surrounding cryptocurrencies – and in some ways, the Bitcoin phenomenon itself is a useful metaphor for Blockchain as a whole. In both cases, while the potential for genuine disruption is great, the current level of excitement nevertheless seems premature, as a number of complex obstacles still need to be overcome.
True business transformation requires change to an organisation’s culture, processes and strategies in the face of shifting norms, digital disruption and evolving consumer needs. If done effectively, the benefits can be both immediate and long-lasting. However, transformation for its own sake is not a sustainable recipe for success. Before they begin the change process, companies must set clear goals to determine where they want to go and what enablers they will need to get them there. A clear plan for benefits realisation is critical to successful transformation.
From the outside, multi-generation family businesses often appear to be models of stability. Yet underneath the durable exterior structure, many such companies must deal with highly complex family politics and emotional components that affect how they operate and how they are led. Lack of cohesion and strategy during crucial processes – like business transformation and succession – causes the vast majority of family businesses to fail before they reach the third generation.
In April, the Bangkok Post reported a curious case of Thailand forcibly removing a US national’s “seastead” residence on the grounds that it compromises Thai sovereignty. “Seasteading” is described as the making of a home in a new, previously uninhabited place at sea, and is associated with the concept of autonomy, self-sufficiency and a frontier lifestyle. This is usually achieved by building residential structures just beyond the fringes of a country’s territorial waters in an attempt to remove the structures from any governmental control.
Most family businesses fail to survive past the third generation. Personal disputes, legal challenges, and other obstacles can tear family businesses – and sometimes entire families – apart. Fortunately, safeguards are available to help ensure a smooth transition between generations. The process of succession can be supported and facilitated before it even begins, with the help of a well-written family constitution.
Too often considered to be a medium-to-low priority, corporate culture affects everything about an organisation – from the way its over-arching goals, to its internal behaviour, to the types of interactions it creates with its customers. Moreover, corporate culture issues are primarily leadership issues, because the way senior management thinks and acts will always affect the mindset at other levels of the organisation.
The future economic effects of artificial intelligence are hard to calculate, but are likely to be staggering. A study by McKinsey Global Institute estimated that worldwide GDP could increase by up to $13 trillion by 2030 as a result of AI alone. Current research within APAC, however, shows that companies across te region have yet to prepare themselves for the next generation of computing – with fewer than half of them having begun to make the necessary transition in earnest, even as four in five already agree that AI adoption is a necessary step for staying competitive.
General artificial intelligence – the idea that a computer can simulate (or surpass) human performance in all situations – remains a distant goal, perhaps never to be achieved. But by breaking down human mental activity into discrete processes, and by optimising specialised processes for speed and accuracy, computers can excel far beyond human performance.