The chairman addressed the convergence of ideas in the digital age and the need for businesses to adopt mutable thinking. Exponential times require moving from linear to complex thinking and planning. Businesses must transition from command-and-control models to flatter, empowered, cross-functional teams and embrace experimentation, autonomy, agile management, and continuous improvement. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital transformation and many companies will establish mobile working as the new normal.

1. PSEICT 2020 – chairman’s address
Enabling Change in a World of Complexity
@DT on Twitter | 24 November 2020
David Terrar | Founder & CXO - Agile Elephant | Director & Chair Cloud Industry Forum

2. 20th Century
We live in Exponential times
2000-2019
2020

4. “Suddenly work was something you did,
and not somewhere you went”

6. The Digital Enterprise Wave
ride it
or go under!

7. The Digital Enterprise Wave

8. The Digital Enterprise Tsunami
tectonic shift / earthquake

11. We live in a time of converging ideas
• Disintermediation – digital cuts out the middle man person
• Disaggregation – breaking and opening up closed value chains
• Dematerialization – physical to virtual, atoms to bits
• Products -> platforms
– products have features, platforms have communities
• Everything as a Service
• “In 2000 you needed a Website, in 2010 you needed a mobile app, in 2020 you will
need an API”
– John Musser, founder of Programmableweb.com
• Design and SEO for your website -> conversational commerce
– Hey Google, Alexa, Siri

12. Evolution of Business Systems
Before Now Next
On-Premise Software,
Hardware, Networks
Software as a Service,
Cloud infrastructure
Marketplaces
Ecosystems
Public Data
Services

13. We live in Exponential times
• 200,000 years of linear thinking
• From Complicated to Complex
• Small changes make
disproportionate impact
• You can’t plan but you can prepare
• We should have listened to Bill
Gates

15. Mutable Business

16. Mutable Business - Technology

17. Business as Usual Characteristics Mutable Business / Exponential Thinking Characteristics
Top-down, Command and Control, Hierarchical Flatter org chart, Team of Teams, Connected, Empowered employees
Departmental and Divisional silos Cross-functional teams, Collaboration culture, Social tools over email
Driven by financial outcomes, Quarterly reporting, KPIs
Understand their “why”, Purpose oriented, Dashboards, OKRs (Objectives and Key
Results)
Focus on shareholder value Improving the state of the world, Customer centric, Driving stakeholder value
Linear, Closed, Sequential thinking Experimentation, Autonomy, Open, Exponential thinking
Innovation primarily from within, R&D based innovation Design Thinking, Innovation at all levels, Partnerships, Collaboration, Crowdsourcing
Strategic planning based on history, Long term cyclic planning Agile thinking, Agile management, Iterative, Short throws, Continuous improvement
Risk intolerance Experimentation, Fail Fast mentality, Startup Mentality
Process Inflexibility Autonomy, Experimentation, Responsive, Agile
Owns or controls its own assets Focus on core, Outsource non-core, Leveraged assets
More FTEs, In-house resources
Less FTEs, More Outsourcing, Automation, Algorithms, Gig Economy, Workers on
demand
Business as Usual Characteristics Mutable Business / Exponential Thinking Characteristics
Top-down, Command and Control, Hierarchical Flatter org chart, Team of Teams, Connected, Empowered employees
Departmental and Divisional silos Cross-functional teams, Collaboration culture, Social tools over email
Driven by financial outcomes, Quarterly reporting, KPIs
Understand their “why”, Purpose oriented, Dashboards, OKRs (Objectives and Key
Results)
Focus on shareholder value Improving the state of the world, Customer centric, Driving stakeholder value
Linear, Closed, Sequential thinking Experimentation, Autonomy, Open, Exponential thinking
Innovation primarily from within, R&D based innovation Design Thinking, Innovation at all levels, Partnerships, Collaboration, Crowdsourcing
Strategic planning based on history, Long term cyclic planning Agile thinking, Agile management, Iterative, Short throws, Continuous improvement
Risk intolerance Experimentation, Fail Fast mentality, Startup Mentality
Process Inflexibility Autonomy, Experimentation, Responsive, Agile
Owns or controls its own assets Focus on core, Outsource non-core, Leveraged assets
More FTEs, In-house resources
Less FTEs, More Outsourcing, Automation, Algorithms, Gig Economy, Workers on
demand
Mutable Business™ - Bloor Research

19. What happens next?
• How long till it gets back to normal?
• How long will we have to social distance?
• What happens to our offices and call centres?
• How do we future proof our business?
• Will there be fundamental change?

20. Agile thinking and management
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember.
Involve me and I learn. - Benjamin Franklin
AGILE
LEAN
DESIGN THINKING
FAIL FAST
TIME TO MARKET
INNOVATION
RAPID ITERATION
ABILITY TO ADAPT

21. Change policy like Siemens
“The coronavirus crisis has triggered a surge in digitalization. We’ve always had mobile
working at Siemens, but now we’re taking it a step further. The basis for this forward-
looking working model is further development our corporate culture. These changes
will also be associated with a different leadership style, one that focuses on outcomes
rather than on time spent at the office. We trust our employees and empower them
to shape their work themselves so that they can achieve the best possible results. With
the new way of working, we’re motivating our employees while improving the
company’s performance capabilities and sharpening Siemens’ profile as a flexible and
attractive employer.”
Roland Busch, Deputy CEO and Labor Director of Siemens AG
https://press.siemens.com/global/en/pressrelease/siemens-establish-mobile-working-core-component-new-normal

22. think

23. When the wind of change blows,
some build walls, while others build windmills.

24. Thank you!

25. References
https://www.bloorresearch.com/2020/08/changing-location-and-travel-patterns-for-future-of-work/
https://marketoonist.com/2020/04/digital-transformation-2.html
https://marketoonist.com/2020/04/transformationclarity.html
https://www.zdnet.com/article/effective-strategies-and-tools-for-remote-work-during-coronavirus/
https://www.startwithwhy.com/
https://www.constellationr.com/blog-news/blueprint-post-pandemic-cio-playbook
https://www.perlego.com/book/778801/abundance-pdf
https://www.bloorresearch.com/2020/04/we-need-to-shift-from-linear-thinking-to-mutable-thinking/
Mutable Business™ - Bloor Research
https://press.siemens.com/global/en/pressrelease/siemens-establish-mobile-working-core-component-new-normal

26. David Terrar
Agile Elephant | Bloor Research
m: +44 (0)7715 159423
e: dt@d2c.org.uk & dterrar@bloorresearch.com
w: http://theagileelephant.com &
https://impossiblethings.fyi
w: https://BloorResearch.com
skype: david_terrar
twitter: http://twittter.com/DT @DT
linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidterrar
blog: http://theagileelephant.com/blog
& https://www.bloorresearch.com/blog/bloor-blogs/