The Wrong Course
The strategies, capabilities, processes and mindsets that have led us to where we are today will not take us into the future. Companies today need a strategy review process and must establish dedicated teams comprising people from cross-functional areas to explore the future trajectory of their business – identifying what is working and what is not, what are the untapped opportunities and which threats could derail their strategy.
Even when it is business-as-usual, leaders have one big concern. How can they ensure that the discussions and options being explored would not become incremental and internally focused ? How could the teams be challenged to see diverse possibilities before converging on the best way forward ? This is a common issue faced by most teams.
Typically teams are run by busy managers or executives who commit limited time to multiple and parallel threads of work. They are often in a hurry to make decisions and get going. Given the stiff timelines and tough project goals, the tendency is to quickly reach solutions that lie within the comfort zones. The assumption often is that they only need to improve their operational efficiency and align their systems and processes to create value. Rushing to quick answers essentially means doing the same things – just doing them harder. This is a ‘delivery’ mindset that is typically employed for managing today.
The Power of Divergent Thinking
To manage for tomorrow with a ‘leader’ mindset, managers and executives need to expand areas of choice and shape the strategic options for their business. For this, they must employ a learning attitude, explicitly challenge themselves and step out of their comfort-zone. How ?
The answer is – by applying divergent thinking.
Divergent thinking as a process for identifying new opportunities, finding multiple, creative ways to address intractable issues or abstract problems and challenging organizational status quo. The benefit of divergent thinking is that it encourages people to think from multiple perspectives to open theoretically limitless options followed by sense-making, ultimately resulting in more innovative solutions or breakthrough possibilities to address the challenge at hand. Often there is no right or wrong answer – hence this process also enables a deeper understanding and significant learning for the individual, team and the organization.
The Four Quadrant Framework at IMSS
Two-directional approach
A two-directional approach, comprising core-forward and future-back thinking, serves to break the incremental mindset that prevails in many companies today.
Purpose Driven
Purpose is not about having lofty “words on the wall” to which companies pay nominal homage when it suits them. Purpose is the reason a company exists.
Outside-in
As the name implies, the outside-in lens asks, “What will the ecosystem of the future look like in which companies must play – and win?” The focus is on trends shaping markets, customer behaviors and the competitive landscape.
Disruption
We find that it is a combination of complacency and arrogance that blindsides leaders and prevents them from recognizing disruption from different quarters. This methodology looks at disruptive players who challenge existing businesses by changing the rules of the game.
At IMSS, it is our endeavor to help our customers be the divergent enterprise. To help them excel and lead by powering their ability to transform experiences, use operations as a lever to transform, become data-driven organizations and digitize their core.
Work with IMSS 3A Digital Disruptive Strategy at imss.co.in/en/3a/ or write to business@imss.co.in.
We offer Four strategies for our customers to become the divergent enterprise
Operations Transformation
Though traditionally considered a back-office function and a cost centre, we have started seeing Operations through a new lens and believe it to be the engine for creating a lot more value than just keeping the lights on. Application of the digital levers of Analytics, AI, Automation and Experience enables us to look at Operations as a treasure trove of insight.
Data-Driven Organization
Across industries, we have evolved our Data offerings to unlock real benefits for leaders who are cognizant of the importance of going digital, and for organizations that are becoming increasingly aware of the direct business benefits of data.
Experience Transformation
With superior customer experience now critical for every industry, business transformation is increasingly guided by the need for better customer interfaces, faster and more robust decisions, more connected processes and improved data insights.
Digitizing the Core
Digitizing the Core Data-driven modernization, a key component in enabling decision making based on data-driven insights rather than instincts or tedious processes, is the top priority and a challenge today for all leading organizations.
