AGILE - Implications for the Enterprise

In my last blog we looked at being AGILE in a VUCA world and ended with a link to a grid that would help identify people who could function and succeed in an environment that required agility. I hope you took the opportunity to place yourself and colleagues on this grid. The PetLynx team had an interesting discussion as they reported outcomes to the HHOP scrum we have every week. One observation was that self confidence plays into being agile and being a performer.


So what does all this have to do with 'BRAND'. As we move along I am intentionally building the case for how corporate brands are but an aggregation of the personal brands who 'ACT' for the company. Especially in a day and age where the lines are blurring between consumers and those who market to them, it is important to understand how the enterprise employee/actors are going to effect branding and brand values. 


In this blog, I want to illuminate implications for the brand enterprise. My observation is that most enterprises need a new paradigm. I call it the 3 R's of a new enterprise that attracts top performing agile employee/actors who can move the enterprise successfully into this new world:

• Relinquish (hand over/give up) control and structure in order to obtain agility as well as best performance, engagement and responsibility.
• Relax (ease up) on conformation and other enterprise thresholds allowing 'actors' to express their true nature so they adopt the shortest path to value for the enterprise.
• Re-purpose digital assets and information resources so they can be used by employees, clients, vendors and other stakeholders to assemble a truly personal experience/solution.

We will visit this paradigm from time to time but let's keep it in mind as we explore something really interesting - the concept of 'selfsumerization'.  In his recent leadership paper, Dr. David Jacobson, Director, Emerging Technologies, for PwC introduces and explains “selfsumerization”.  As Gen Y and Digital Natives arrive to the work force in numbers, Dr. Jacobson predicts selfsumerization will lead to many implications for the enterprise.  

Access the article

Why is this important - because of his prediction on timing - Dr. Jacobson suggests the enterprise will need to modify structure and understanding in the next 2 to 5 years.

Exercise:  Use the three R's to pick one thing that will move the enterprise toward this new paradigm.  Share the idea in the comments section so the rest of us benefit from your thinking!