SEARCH
This article was originally published on CIO.com by Metis Strategy Partner Chris Davis, Managing Director Tony Qamar, and Senior Associate Grace Cozier.
CIOs are under pressure to deliver on AI’s promise. Yet history shows that many digital transformations have underdelivered — not because of strategy, process or technology, but because of people. Without engaged, enabled and aligned employees, even the most promising AI initiatives will stall. Models may be built, but they won’t be trusted or adopted. Workflows may be reengineered, but without buy-in, they’ll sit unused.
At Metis Strategy, our work alongside technology leaders, driving some of the world’s most complex transformations, has resoundingly taught us that success is always people first. The same lessons apply today as organizations pursue AI-powered transformations: those that succeed put people and culture at the center. Culture shapes every element of the operating model — what decisions are made, how decisions are made, how resources are prioritized and how quickly the company adapts.
Despite strong intentions and significant investments, many transformations falter because leaders misjudge where the true risks lie. A common failure pattern is over-indexing on technology or process while neglecting people. New AI platforms or workflows are often launched with great fanfare, but without engagement, enablement and alignment, employees struggle to adapt and value goes unrealized.
As the ADKAR framework highlights, sustainable change requires more than a solution — it requires awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement at the individual level.
Another pitfall occurs when transformations become process exercises rather than engines of business value. When initiatives are framed as IT-only or designed around governance for its own sake, they lose relevance and fail to inspire the commitment needed for lasting change.
Transformations also stall when priorities are scattered or poorly communicated. Without enterprise-wide alignment, programs become optional, teams are spread too thin and execution suffers. In these cases, even well-designed AI strategies cannot deliver impact.
Finally, cultural resistance or a lack of trust can quietly derail transformations. Employees who do not see how AI initiatives align with their own incentives may disengage, breeding fatigue and undermining momentum. Without trust in data, models and leadership, adoption falters no matter how advanced the technology.
For CIOs, avoiding these patterns is essential. The organizations thriving in the AI era are those that design transformations with people and culture at the center from the very beginning. Through our client work, we’ve identified four cultural elements that consistently shape transformation outcomes — and four actions leaders can take today to strengthen them.
Successful transformations align operating models with customer needs. Too often, companies define themselves as “sales-led” or “product-led” and allow that orientation to drive key decisions. While this can create enterprise clarity, it risks sidelining customers or alienating parts of the organization.
In contrast, enterprises that adopt a true customer-first approach build resilience and agility across functions. Their operating models align incentives, prioritize experiences and ensure teams move in step with market needs. As explored in Achieving product success: A five-step framework for customer-centric design, an article written by Metis Strategy’s own Andre Lopes de Carvalho, organizations that embed customer centricity into their design and delivery processes create more value and are better equipped to sustain transformation.
Revisit your mission, values and incentive structures. Ensure they reinforce a culture where the customer is the anchor for decision-making at every level and for every department.
Digital and AI transformations are demanding. Employees must adapt to new ways of working, acquire new skills and deliver against rising expectations — all while managing day-to-day responsibilities. Without meaningful investment in people, fatigue and disengagement set in, jeopardizing transformation success and putting millions of dollars of investment at risk.
Leading organizations counter this by embedding continuous learning into their cultures. Targeted learning and development (L&D) programs, aligned with transformation priorities, not only upskill employees but also strengthen commitment to shared goals. The best programs address both business outcomes and personal growth — answering “what’s in it for me” alongside company goals.
Provide protected time and resources for development. Tie L&D investments directly to transformation outcomes to ensure employees are motivated and equipped to deliver. Acknowledge that meaningful learning requires space — even during working hours.
Leadership sets direction, but decision-making structures determine speed. Transformations falter under traditional command-and-control models, where approvals and escalations slow progress. The fewer people responsible for making decisions, the slower progress will be made.
Our experience shows that pushing decisions closer to the problem accelerates execution, improves accountability and fosters innovation. Empowered teams make better, faster choices — particularly when leaders set clear guardrails and reinforce trust. A decision-making framework, for example, clarifies which choices can be made locally and which warrant escalation, enabling faster, distributed decision-making.
Reduce layers of approval and empower small, cross-functional teams with decision rights. Ensure leadership behaviors reinforce empowerment, not control.
No transformation follows a straight path. Markets shift, technologies evolve and customer expectations change. AI adoption in particular requires experimentation — testing models, validating outcomes and adapting quickly to advances. Thriving organizations build cultures of experimentation where teams are encouraged to test, learn and adapt at speed.
We’ve seen this approach succeed when companies create the time and structure for experimentation, whether through dedicated capacity, lightweight governance or innovation programs. Not all experiments can succeed, so rather than penalizing failures, promote a culture that encourages learning from them. The result is not just innovation but resilience — a workforce confident in navigating uncertainty. As Jamie Engstrom emphasized in Technology, talent and transformation at caterpillar, curiosity and collaboration ensure experimentation is both grounded in business value and disciplined execution.
Normalize test-and-learn practices across teams. Protect capacity for experimentation, ensure lessons are shared and reward adaptability as much as execution.
Every transformation involves new strategies, processes and technologies. What ultimately determines success or failure is whether leaders place people and, by extension, culture, at the center. People shape decision-making, innovation and execution; they are the connective tissue of the operating model. CIOs who recognize culture as a true differentiator are better positioned to navigate complexity, make effective decisions and deliver sustained impact.
Wolters Kluwer’s ongoing transformation from a traditional publishing business to a cloud-first, AI-driven enterprise illustrates how people and culture drive successful AI-powered transformations. When we spoke with CIO Mark Sherwood, he discussed how customer centricity is reinforced through business relationship managers (BRM) who bridge technology and business units, ensuring digital investments are aligned with customer and market needs.
Learning and development are emphasized as employees build new skills in cloud, AI and data governance, enabling them to adapt to rapidly evolving technologies. Distributed decision-making is strengthened by embedding BRMs to bring tech and business closer together, ensuring alignment and enabling smarter choices on priorities and resources. Agility is fueled by a test-and-learn mindset, with experimentation balanced by strong ethical AI practices and disciplined measurement.
By maintaining a strong culture and people-first approach, Wolters Kluwer has accelerated its evolution and positioned itself as a leader in delivering trusted, technology-enabled solutions across industries.
CIOs today face constant change — none more urgent than the rise of AI. Shifting customer expectations, new competitive threats and accelerating disruptions are magnified in the AI era. Anchoring transformation in people and culture is what turns volatility into opportunity and lasting advantage.
For CIOs, the mandate is clear: build operating models that not only work today but also adapt continuously for tomorrow. That requires embedding four cultural practices at the center of every digital and AI transformation:
When CIOs champion these actions, they move beyond technology deployment to transformation that is embraced, scaled and sustained. Put people first and digital and AI transformations become not only achievable, but sustainable.
This article was originally published on CIO.com by Metis Strategy Partner Michael Bertha.
The days of treating corporate and digital strategy as separate entities are over since their convergence has become central to data-driven transformation. Yet very few companies believe in it strongly enough to restructure themselves around that reality.
“Investments and behaviors follow org design,” says Sandeep Davé, CBRE’s chief knowledge officer. “In the era of AI, the world requires integration, not isolation.”
For Davé, becoming chief knowledge officer represents more than a role change. It reflects a deliberate reframing of how CBRE approaches technology, strategy, and data.
The company, which serves clients in more than 100 countries and offers services ranging from capital markets and leasing advisory to investment management, project management and facilities management, has long been strategy-led. By elevating Davé from CDTO into a newly created role that unites corporate strategy, research, and data with the overall technology direction, CBRE is signaling that these functions are inseparable in shaping the company’s future.
Davé points to three forces behind the move.
The first is scale and complexity. With our scale — the clients, asset classes, services, and global reach — CBRE needed a way to harness and translate its vast data assets into knowledge and insights. “If we can see every property we touch, and convert that data into knowledge and insights, we create a formidable competitive moat,” he says.
The second is AI as a differentiator. “The thing that distinguishes what you can do with AI is data,” he says. “If AI delivers the transformative impact it promises, then your data foundation, governance, and strategic alignment will determine your rate of success.”
The third is organizational maturity. After years of scaling cutting-edge technology across the business, including the latest AI offerings, CBRE now has the platforms, infrastructure, and cultural readiness to take a bold next step. Functions that once operated in isolation are being reshaped.
Research offers a clear example of that reshaping. “We’re elevating our global research function by streamlining processes and improving outcomes,” Davé says. “Now, by applying AI and automation, we’re increasing efficiency while also significantly enhancing the quality of our outputs.”
The unification of functions reinforces a central truth in broad technology and AI adoption that context is king. Without it, even the most advanced tools deliver limited results. When technology, research, and strategy move together, the impact can be transformative.
Evidence of that transformation is already visible at CBRE. In facilities management, predictive analytics now inform repair-versus-replace decisions, cut duplicate work orders, and optimize service delivery. And across the enterprise, more than 65,000 employees use Ellis AI, the firm’s gen AI platform, to access trusted data, generate insights, and automate routine tasks.
“Tools alone don’t bend the cost curve,” says Davé. “It’s important to understand the environment, intent, and nuances that shape intended outcomes. When we combine the richness of our data with the insight of our people and the discipline of strategy, AI stops being a showcase of use cases and becomes a driver of real market differentiation.”
CBRE’s establishment of this position, particularly under Davé, signals a deliberate strategic move that says consolidating key functions under one remit is more purposeful and productive.
Conway’s Law is a useful reminder here whereby systems often mirror the communication patterns and structures of the organizations that build them. Fragmented companies and cultures yield fragmented technology solutions. For leaders serious about capturing the full value of AI, progress will demand more than governance frameworks or technology investments. It may require rethinking reporting lines, incentives, and collaboration models.
Convergence isn’t just an idea, it’s an operating model. And the future of AI-driven transformation will be shaped not only by the technology deployed, but how organizations choose to design themselves around it.
This article was originally published on CIO.com by Michael Bertha, Partner at Metis Strategy
I’ve always found starting a transformation program to be a lot like starting a fire deep in the woods. You need the right kindling, a thoughtful structure, just enough airflow, and a stubborn streak of patience. You get one shot. A poorly placed twig, a damp corner of newspaper, or the wrong wind can send you straight back to square one.
Transformation is similar. In my experience, getting buy-in and funding is actually the easy part. Selling the dream is energizing. Pitch decks and executive endorsements come quickly when the upside is clear. But as the saying goes, execution eats strategy for breakfast.
So, how do you ensure your spark turns into something sustainable? How do you start a transformation once? And right?
As the tech or digital chief, it’s often your job to establish the vision. You are the torchbearer. But carrying it alone won’t get you far. If the executive team isn’t aligned, the fire won’t light. And I don’t just mean funding. I mean real, consistent participation.
It’s not enough for the C-suite to add their names to a steering committee slide. They have to show up. Literally. They have to be vocal champions of the work, carve out time between their “day jobs”, and help make the hard calls when resistance inevitably surfaces. And they have to treat this work as part of their job, not a favor to you.
One Fortune 500 industrial client did this exceptionally well. Despite decades of success, they made a hard shift toward growing recurring revenue. Their entire executive team became transformation leaders: the CFO owned the business model redesign, the CMO ran customer experience, and an EVP from one of the business units led product evolution. These weren’t ceremonial roles; they were accountable for deliverables. They ran check-ins. They drove decisions. And they exceeded the revenue growth targets they promised the Street.
Then there’s the rest of the organization, the teams responsible for executing the strategy once it’s underway. Even with the mandate, funding, and transformation function in place, you’ll inevitably encounter skeptics. A key leader—or more often, a small cluster of them—will quietly resist the effort. Sometimes it’s subtle: slow adoption of new processes, side conversations that question the direction, or just general disengagement.
And it matters. Like a rogue gust of wind through a fragile fire, even a few internal skeptics can kill momentum before it builds.
Some tech executives I’ve spoken to say that in organizations founded before the digital era, as much as 50% of the workforce — leaders included — may need to change over the course of the transformation, which could be several years, to truly reset the culture. That’s not an argument for blanket turnover. It’s a reminder of how disruptive transformation really is, and how much resistance is baked into the status quo.
Transformation doesn’t usually begin with a lightning bolt of inspiration. More often, it’s the byproduct of dozens of distributed insights, ideas buried inside business cases, tucked into pilot initiatives, or championed quietly by teams working in parallel. The challenge isn’t a lack of ambition; it’s a lack of integration.
That’s where cross-functional visioning becomes a powerful unlock.
Take one Fortune 500 organization I worked with: They were doubling down on AI, with multiple teams launching bold, well-scoped initiatives. Each one promised value, but no one had connected the dots across efforts. The result? Leaders struggled to describe what the transformed enterprise might look like, let alone align the workforce behind it.
A unified vision came to be when nearly 100 stakeholders convened for a two-day offsite. Using a shared journey map, they reimagined how customers and employees would experience the business once the AI-driven projects landed. What emerged wasn’t just a slide deck; it was a co-authored narrative, capturing the collective intent of the organization.
That vision became more than an artifact. It became a catalyst to garner buy-in. And the organization gained a north star to accelerate towards execution.
When you’re leading the transformation, you live and breathe the strategy long before the rest of the company catches wind of it. You’ve socialized it with peers, refined it with consultants, and reviewed it through the budgeting process. It’s easy to assume everyone else understands it too. They don’t.
That’s why, after strategy and budget are locked, the real work begins. Go on a roadshow. Segment your audiences — by initiative, function, business unit, whatever makes sense — and engage them in smaller groups. Create a common pitch deck that starts with the “why,” clearly outlines what’s in it for them, and defines what success will require. Rinse and repeat. Send newsletters. Run surveys. Share progress updates.
A Fortune 500 energy client did this particularly well during an operating model transformation. They rolled out the new model in phases, by cohort. Every cohort began with a two-day, in-person training that connected the dots between enterprise strategy, their role, and the new way of working. It featured industry case studies, tactical role-specific training, and a clear explanation of what was changing and why.
It worked because it honored people’s time and perspective. Most of the folks you need to execute the transformation already have full-time jobs. Their mindshare is limited. And if you don’t give them the tools and context to understand what’s happening and why, it will take far longer than you think to get traction.
Last, but maybe most important: transformations require full-time attention. Someone needs to own the work. When everyone is in charge, no one is. Structural redesign, process mapping, change management — these aren’t things that happen in the margins.
I once heard a chief digital officer describe transformation as “not a part-time job.” I couldn’t agree more.
Doing the “missing middle” well, the work that turns vision into reality, often means hiring for it. A technology client staffed 6 full-time resources solely focused on transformation. They built the experience and technical architecture, facilitated process design, and drove change management. These weren’t temporary assignments. These were permanent roles, dedicated to helping the fire catch. Cross-functional transformation requires structure, continuity, and ownership. Give it what it needs.
Remember this: the spark alone isn’t enough. Whether you’re lighting a campfire or launching a transformation, what matters most is what comes next.
Are your materials dry? Is the wind at your back or in your face? Do you have people tending to it while you step away?
Transformation requires the same care. Plan carefully. Surround yourself with the right people. Get others to buy in, not just sign off. And when you feel the heat rising, lean in. Because once the fire catches, it’s a thing to behold.
This article was written by Manvi Seth, Senior Associate, Ben Calder, Senior Associate, and Zander Lopez, Media Producer at Metis Strategy.
In a milestone moment for Metis Strategy, our entire firm recently gathered in Washington, DC—the city where our story began—for our first all-hands offsite since 2019. The energy was electric as team members from across our offices came together, many meeting face-to-face for the first time. “We’ve grown so much in recent years, and meeting in person made that growth feel real,” reflected Mike, highlighting our firm’s remarkable journey of doubling in size since our last gathering. “Spending time together outside of our day-to-day consulting work has been a game changer for strengthening relationships, especially between our different offices.”
The offsite’s professional development agenda struck an ideal balance between forward-looking innovation and practical skill-building. Our teams dove deep into an AI workshop, exploring cutting-edge technologies shaping our industry’s future. We also collaborated on refining our management playbook, sharing best practices and insights across experience levels. A particular highlight was the “PowerPoint Karaoke” session, which proved to be both challenging and entertaining. As Amy, one of our newer team members, shared: “Although I was initially daunted by the idea of PowerPoint Karaoke and speaking in front of the entire firm, the encouragement I received eased my nerves and allowed me to just focus on laughing at myself (and everyone else).”
Team bonding took center stage through carefully crafted activities that showcased DC’s historic charm while fostering collaboration. Teams competed in an exciting scavenger hunt around the National Mall, followed by a spirited field day that brought out everyone’s competitive spirit. “Meeting everyone across the firm in DC for the first time was incredible!” exclaimed Hamza. “I loved getting to connect, socialize, and team up with so many amazing people… And let’s not forget the scenic boat ride on the Potomac or the dance moves during our post-dinner adventures—it was the perfect mix of work and play!”
The impact of in-person connection was undeniable. Allyson captured this sentiment perfectly: “You can’t beat the energy of in-person collaboration. The offsite proved that the benefits of being present with the team, building essential connections and learning as a group is both powerful and energizing.” This energy translated into tangible benefits, with teams gaining deeper appreciation for their colleagues’ work across different offices and practice areas. As Tony noted, “Nothing quite beats the personal connection. People and relationships are foundational to work that we do and getting an opportunity to create, and recreate, those human connections with our growing team was not only a great pleasure, but a great investment in our team and our business.”
As we continue to grow and evolve, we’re more excited than ever about the future of Metis Strategy. The offsite reinforced what makes our firm special: our people and our commitment to collaboration, innovation, and excellence. Mike summed it up perfectly: “The boost in collaboration after the offsite is undeniable, and it’s one more reason to be excited about what’s ahead.” If you’re passionate about making an impact and working with an exceptional team, we’d love to hear from you. Join us as we continue to write the next chapter of our story.
Company culture forever changed when remote work became the norm. In a remote-first work environment, maintaining a sense of community and shared purpose can be challenging. However, at Metis Strategy, we believe in the importance of making time for in-person collaboration, even when we are miles apart. Our Day of Service exemplifies this commitment, as associates, managers, and partners from across the country gather regionally to make a positive impact in their local communities.
This year, teams in D.C., Houston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Miami, and more participated in service activities centered around the theme of sustainability. As we head back to our respective offices, we’re grateful for the opportunity to connect with colleagues, uniting behind the common goal of helping others.
The Bay Area Squad worked with Indigenous Permaculture, an urban farming group that uses regenerative farming practices to feed those in need across the San Francisco and East Bay Area. The team mulched, weeded, planted, and fixed irrigation lines on their Treasure Island plot. The day was both productive and educational, as the team learned about the importance of sustainable agriculture and community partnerships in empowering communities to develop self-sustainable ways of living.
“It was interesting learning about how pairing certain plants next to each other can act as a natural pesticide,” said Becca Salisbury, an associate on the West Coast team. “We also enjoyed learning how this group teams up with local farms and restaurants to distribute food about to go bad to those in need.”
Surrounded by nature, coworkers, and a spirit of collaboration, the team not only gave back to the community but also gained a deeper understanding of the crucial role local wildlife ecosystems play in supporting sustainable farming practices. It was a powerful reminder of the impact that collaboration, and just a little bit of mulch, can have in nurturing both the environment and the community.
Across the country, the D.C.-based Titans gathered in support of the Rock Creek Conservatory, a watershed organization aimed at restoring, protecting, and supporting the natural oasis of Rock Creek Park. This group, which included our President Peter High, took on the task of picking up trash around the parklands.
“D.C. is such a beautiful city, and it felt good to contribute to that maintenance effort for a few hours,” said Jillian Fielder, an associate from the East Coast team who organized the event. “At the end of the day, we had a few decently full bags of trash which included everything from Styrofoam packing materials to beer bottles to candy bar wrappers. I’m really proud that Metis Strategy continues to make community engagement and service a firm-wide focus.”
The day was marked by teamwork and a shared sense of purpose, showcasing these Titans’ commitment to environmental stewardship and community engagement. Following the event, the team gathered in the park to celebrate with a Capo Deli lunch.
Our Titans in Texas made a strong impact, representing Metis Strategy across Dallas, Houston, and Austin. Kelley Dougherty, Eva Maxcy, and Katherine Kennedy spent the day sorting food donations with Meals for Kids Houston, an organization whose mission is to end childhood hunger by delivering healthy meals directly to the homes of children in the Houston area facing extreme hunger.
In recent weeks, the Houston area experienced unprecedented severe weather, which caused the Meals for Kids warehouse to lose power and forced the organization to discard a significant amount of perishable goods that had gone bad without refrigeration. “You could tell the organization was very worried that the weather issues would impact their ability to provide food for these kids,” said Kelley. “It felt great to be part of the community that stepped up to make sure that wouldn’t happen.”
The Houston-based trio couldn’t have stepped in at a better time, joining a community-wide effort to support an organization in a time of need. While everyone was united in the common purpose of community service, a friendly sorting competition also served as an exercise in teamwork.
The Day of Service was a major success across Metis Strategy. In addition to the stories shared above, Titans in other parts of the country also found ways to meet up, volunteer, and spend valuable time together without a screen in between.
At Metis Strategy, the Day of Service is more than just another company event; it serves as a reminder for us all to give back to our communities and strengthen our interpersonal relationships at work and beyond. We are proud of the dedication and hard work displayed by all of our teams and look forward to continuing this tradition of service and collaboration for years to come.
CHEVY CHASE, MD., April 4, 2024 – Metis Strategy, a strategy and management consulting firm purpose-built for digital and technology leaders, has been recognized by the Financial Times as one of the Fastest-Growing Companies in the Americas for the second consecutive year.
The prestigious award recognizes Metis Strategy among 500 companies that achieved the highest compound annual growth (CAGR) between 2019 and 2022. Metis Strategy’s organic growth speaks to the firm’s ability to truly partner with executives in advancing their organizations and personal ambitions through pragmatic solutions, powerful insights, and networking opportunities. Teams primarily based in the Washington, D.C. area, Dallas, TX and the San Francisco Bay Area enable the firm to serve clients throughout the United States and internationally.
“We are proud to be recognized as one of The Americas’ Fastest-Growing Companies by the Financial Times for the second year in a row,” said Metis Strategy President Peter High. “This is a testament to our team’s impactful work in shaping digital transformation strategies across industries while remaining agile in a fast-changing environment. We are grateful to our clients and members of our broader ecosystem for their partnership.”
From premier C-level counsel to strategy-setting and execution, clients partner with Metis Strategy at critical points in their business journeys. With a focus on enriching business leadership through in-depth content and active relationships, Metis has earned a reputation as the trusted advisor to senior executives at the nexus of business, technology, and innovation. Metis Strategy has also been recognized as one of the Top 50 Boutique Consulting Firms to Work for in North America by Vault and is certified as a Great Place To Work™.
About Metis Strategy: With more than two decades of experience, Metis Strategy is a boutique strategy and management consulting firm focused on the intersection of business, technology, and innovation. Serving mainly Fortune 500 and Forbes Global 2000 companies, areas of specialty include business strategy, digital transformation, technology strategy and operations, growth and scale strategy, and organizational change. We help define new products or services for clients, design improved customer and employee experiences through digital capabilities, and advise organizations on how they can achieve favorable business outcomes more efficiently and effectively.
Learn more about Metis StrategyRead about our work Listen to the Technovation podcast, featuring interviews with top technology leadersExplore career opportunities
Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the 13th Metis Strategy Digital Symposium. As 2023 approaches the halfway point, leaders convened to discuss the rapidly changing economic, technological and geopolitical landscape and its impact on strategy in the months ahead.
Highlights from the event are below. Stay tuned to the Metis Strategy Youtube channel and Technovation podcast in the coming weeks for recordings of individual panel discussions.
As tensions continue to escalate around the world, technology leaders must understand and prepare for new geopolitical dynamics. Jared Cohen, Co-Head of the Office of Applied Innovation and President of Global Affairs at Goldman Sachs, argued that the notion of hyperglobalization ended before the COVID pandemic and that the world now faces a reorientation of supply chains and capital flows.
Technology executives are playing close attention to changing value chains and alliances. “Technology is changing geopolitics, and geopolitics is changing technology,” said Cohen. One of the biggest areas where technology is currently influencing geopolitics is in the area of generative AI, which Cohen dubbed as the “most disruptive experiment in anarchy” since the internet. He warned about the risk of people deploying large language models for “bad use cases” to cause real problems in international systems. While there is significant discussion around which companies have superior large language models, he noted a desire for the conversation to focus more on the implications of generative AI for the world.
George Lee, another Co-Head of the Applied Innovation Office at Goldman Sachs, said generative AI is dominating discussions with boards and management teams around the world. While its rapid growth offers many fascinating possibilities, it has also disturbed the human desire for order and linearity. Lee noted how creators are being constantly surprised as the emerging technology develops. “Anyone who tells you they know where this is going, how fast it’s going, and what our destination is, is just wrong.”
While conversations around generative AI have taken the world by storm, technology leaders today play a key role in translating the hype into reality. That means not only vetting new use cases for the technology, but also educating their teams about the benefits and risks of generative AI and creating policies that encourage innovation while ensuring responsible use.
“It takes courage to take a step back and say, maybe let’s not fall into the hype, let’s go about this in a methodical way,” said Digi-Key Electronics CIO Ramesh Babu. Babu created a community of practice around AI that includes stakeholders from across the organization and a list of key terms with consistent definitions to keep everyone on the same page. He also created a network of influencers within the company that serve as “education ambassadors” for the organization.
Allen Smith, CIO at Baker Tilly, recommended leaders approach generative AI like they would any other technology. “There is a difference between home runs and singles. Singles in this case are your front. Go do something, show it, have a tangible example,” he said. “Now, it can be used to fuel the really good ideas.” He also expressed concerns about the security and privacy risks that generative AI poses, noting the dangers that may arise from inputting sensitive data into services like ChatGPT and the need to identify and mitigate potential bias.
As companies continue to navigate an increasingly complex and competitive landscape alongside shifting customer demands, innovation will be a key source of differentiation for industry leaders. Many organizations find that design thinking frameworks help to formulate the strategy and direction that will help ensure they can harness that innovation effectively.
Michael Newcity, Chief Innovation Officer at ArcBest and President of ArcBest Technologies, highlighted the importance of empathy and deep listening to uncover unsaid user needs. To advance design thinking, Newcity has sponsors responsible for thinking through ROI, teams, timing, and other tactical factors that will help gain executive sponsorship and drive innovation initiatives forward.
Rob Krugman, Chief Digital Officer at Broadridge Financial Solutions, discussed the importance of understanding the value proposition for their customers’ customers, then working backwards to deliver value for Broadridge clients. “If we can solve the needs of that end customer, our client’s customer, the likelihood of us being correct is more likely than not,” he said. Across the ecosystem, “we’re all generating value, and we have a much better understanding of how to actually present and tell that story around value.” His team also works with the VC community to stay on top of emerging technologies and asks hypothetical questions to try and understand their impact on Broadridge.
Krugman laid out two different types of innovation: sustainable innovation, led by the product organization, and disruptive innovation. The key to both: “iteration, iteration, iteration, all based on validation.”
No matter the scope of a change initiative, whether adopting an emerging technology or implementing agile ways of working, leaders must act as role models for change within their companies and drive cultural transformation from the top down.
Hyatt Hotel Corporation’s CIO Eben Hewitt, who is working to nurture a product mindset and drive enterprise-wide behavior change, said engagement starts with the CEO and executive board. “When you see a boss acting that way, then you act that way,” he said. “You have to model it.” Hyatt also uses a “people playbook” to easily guide teams to resources they need for specific use cases, and Hewitt has encouraged the development of high-level cultural principles that inform behaviors throughout the organization.
Ultimately, culture is the most important driver of any organizational change. While many are familiar with Peter Drucker’s quote,“culture eats strategy for breakfast,” Ascension Chief Digital Officer Rajan Mohan added that “culture eats transformation for lunch.” At Ascension, Mohan has helped lead a transformation that includes a digital product orientation, end-to-end accountability and a focus on Ascension’s mission to reach underserved communities. With that shift has come a new mindset, as well as metrics that are more closely tied to business outcomes. “We’re not just measuring for measurement’s sake,” he said. “It is to demonstrate and deliver continuous value.”
Kathy Kay, CIO at Principal Financial Group, said driving cultural change requires leaders first and foremost to be their authentic selves. That includes a willingness to be vulnerable. “If you can’t show vulnerability…I think it sets a tone for people feeling less open,” she said. In addition to bringing that openness to her role, she works with peers at Principal to ensure leaders are giving teams necessary support, removing blockers, and helping them understand how their contributions matter. Kay also discussed the importance of adapting communications to local norms, particularly when working with teams across the globe.
Building a high-performance culture is of course linked to finding and developing the best talent. World Fuel Services CIO Josh McLean said some of the best people typically look for three things in their work: aspirational goals that give a sense of purpose; challenging work that helps them learn and grow; and being surrounded by other highly talented people. “I try to make sure those things are all present and in harmony, or a work in progress to get there.”
Not long ago, Target’s legendary chief information officer Mike McNamara announced his intent to retire. He would stay on through the naming of his successor. That successor has been found, as Brett Craig has been elevated to the executive vice president and CIO role at the company. He has been with the company for roughly 14 years, and he has held roles in technology and in merchandising among other business areas. His penultimate role was as the senior vice president of digital.
“The updates we’re making to our leadership team reflect the size and scale of our more than $100 billion business, while also positioning the company for continued momentum well into the future,” Target’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian Cornell noted. “I have tremendous confidence in [the company’s new leaders, Craig among them] and the value they bring to our organization as we work together to meet the needs of current and new Target guests.”
“This is a chance to work with thousands of world-class technologists building products and platforms that impact millions of people every day,” said Craig. “Our tech, data sciences and cybersecurity teams are simply doing an incredible job enabling Target’s strategy and advancing everything we do in service to our purpose. That’s a journey we’re going to accelerate, and Target’s culture of care, grow and win together will lead the way. How Target tech and our teams work together across the company is one of the most unique differentiators of our success.”
When reflecting on some of the areas that he will push hard to accelerate in the near term, Craig noted more personalized, relevant and seamless experiences for Target’s guests and creating new offerings that will drive more business to the company’s stores, Target.com and the Target app.
McNamara will stay on board as a strategic advisor to the company through the end of January 2023.
Peter High is President of Metis Strategy, a business and IT advisory firm. He has written two bestselling books, and his third, Getting to Nimble, was recently released. He also moderates the Technovation podcast series and speaks at conferences around the world. Follow him on Twitter @PeterAHigh.
As we recently passed the two anniversary of the pandemic, necessitating those of us who could work remotely to primarily do so, quite a bit has changed. Some companies have begun to return to office work on a hybrid basis, and roughly three-quarters of companies suggest that the path forward will be hybrid.
Whereas in 2019 and years prior, all work was assumed to primarily take place in an office, now there is optionality. Employees have different visions for what works best for them. Whereas one employee may long for more work in the office, others never wish to step foot in an office again, avoiding commutes and maximizing time with family in the process. These differences of opinion run the risk of creating conflict. To alleviate that possibility, a framework can be helpful. That framework can guide employees to determine together when to work in an office. With that in mind, here are five Cs to determine when work is best done together in an office:
A team may choose to connect when team members from different cities happen to be in the same city. This offers opportunities to bond, to break bread and to share experiences.
Connection may also come in the form of a firm gathering. Especially for firms where most work will be done virtually, outside of the confines of an office, some have elected to have all firm gatherings or department gatherings either in a city where an office hub exists or at a destination, such a Miami during the winter or a hiking destination during the summer. These are opportunities for connection that bond teams together. Colleagues can get to know each other outside of the work setting, and the next gathering may be the light at the end of the tunnel that keeps them looking forward to time with the firm.
Given the emphasis on virtual work over the past two years, there has been much call to evaluate where creative collaboration is best done. Most research suggests that when teams are called upon to create they do so best in person. Though online tools such as Miro and Mural offer worthy alternatives to the traditional white board, brainstorming in the same room together continues to offer greater chances to catch lightning in a bottle and draw out the best ideas for the company. True creation often entails developing something new. This might be a new innovative product, for example. Again, bringing together a cross-functional team in the same room where each can easily hear from each other, note all that is happening, and the like is the fastest path to success.
The office setting is often best suited for collaboration beyond creation, as well. One can think about a linear path in the collaboration process. As a new project or initiative is identified, the kickoff may best done in person. This collaboration can help mete out a plan, determine who will be responsible for what, and what sub-teams might collaborate on which details. There will likely be a period where individuals will have solo work to accomplish before the next collaboration is necessary. Thus, through the life of the initiative, it will be appropriate to work independently for a period and then to collaborate in person together. This can be a force multiplier to productivity, as during periods where independent work is appropriate, one can avoid the commute, perhaps leveraging a bit of the time that would have been spent doing so to drive the independent work to its conclusion.
At a time when so many people are leaving jobs as part of the so-called great resignation, it is all the more important to invest in one’s people. Better coaching, counseling, and career planning are key investments to make. An in person meeting is often best to read reactions to guidance provided, praise given, and constructive criticism proffered. These are conversations where trust can be won or lost, and it is best to be in person for more of them, if possible. Ironically, it is often the youngest members of our teams who appreciate the importance of in person career planning least but benefit the most from such guidance. It must be proven to them that these conversations are worth their while with the results that they might garner from more explicit planning sessions.
Last among these factors is the need to celebrate together. During the period of virtual work primarily, where meetings tended to stick to agendas that fit in 30 or 60 minute windows and then each team member spread like seeds to the next series of meetings with other people, many took for granted the need to celebrate all that we accomplish along the way. When a project concludes, when promotions are announced, when quarterly earnings are made public, among many reasons to possibly celebrate, taking the opportunity to do so forges bonds, while also making explicit the accomplishments of the team.
None of this is to say that these five activities can only happen in offices. None should wait for everyone to be in the same place at the same time to happen, of course, but in the balance, these are activities that are best done in the office. The framework is clarifying. It articulates a means of cutting through conflicting opinions of whether to meet in person or not. One can imagine colleagues debating whether an activity should be done virtually or if it rises to the level to warrant a trip into the office. One could determine if the activity aligns with the categories given, and if so, make the call to do so. Hybrid work is tricky as we have the unleveling of the playing field in earnest, but by setting up some simple ground rules together with sound explanations of why the path has been chosen will ensure that you are building trust across the team for the long term.
This past weekend marked the two-year anniversary of our living in quarantine. For those who had the option to work remotely, most made the move on roughly March 13 or 16. For a while, many executives bruised their shoulders as they vigorously patted themselves on the back for having successfully transitioned from in-office work to virtual work in March of 2020. They expected major issues, but fewer than expected arose. Of course, this is not to minimize the dramatic increase in cyberattacks that spawned as the threat landscape moved from offices to people’s homes, for example, but most businesses had employees who traveled, working from client sites, hotel rooms, on flights, and in a variety of other settings. This had been the case for years, and companies’ tools supported this model, for the most part.
What has begun to emerge as hybrid work begins in earnest for many companies will be much more difficult. Let’s begin with optionality. Prior to March 2020, 95% or more of all work was done in offices. Though business trips were a regularity for many, one’s primary work was done in an office. Therefore, switching jobs meant switching from one office to another and it would often necessitate moving from one city to another. There was not a lot of optionality in that scenario. Requests to primarily work remotely were easily rebuffed because it was not the norm.
In March of 2020, if you were in a job that could be done remotely, you did not have an option. You worked remotely for your own safety, the safety of your loved ones and the safety of your colleagues. Therefore, the playing field went from being largely even to, in some cases, more even, as everyone was remote rather than having some straggler business travelers dialing in to a group meeting in a conference room, say.
What has begun and will continue in earnest in 2022 will be the unleveling of the playing field. As offices open up, some are drawn to them and others are repelled from them. The employee in an efficient apartment with a spouse and a young child cannot wait to get back to an office full-time. The colleague who has a large house with a dedicated workspace separate from distractions may not ever want to commute again. Every flavor in between can also be found among an employee base. What approach will work best for productivity? What approach will work best for employee morale? What approach will amplify culture in the right way?
The future is likely to be hybrid. Most companies agree with this, and most are acting upon that hypothesis. That said, as a leader, whatever the going in hypotheses you have about the complexion of the future of work, it is critical to note that some will be wrong. Prepare your team for this inevitable conclusion. Two disciplines that must be focal are change management and communications. The former recognizes that changes will need to continue to happen and have a strong discipline in place to facilitate that change will be necessary. The latter ensures that formal and informal communications are in place to continue to provide updates to employees on what is working, what is not, what might be tested next, why, and so forth. It is best to err on the side of more rather than less communication during times of great change and uncertainty.
The last thing you want to do is go through any one-way doors in the decisions you make. If you tell employees that they will never have to come back into an office again, this will be difficult to walk back if the data and your company’s performance languish because of this decision. You will have given your employees a right that they will not take kindly to losing. Even if you are inclined to try virtual-only work beyond the period in which it is necessary for health reasons, best not to call it out as the solution for the long-term but rather that the company reserves the right to tinker with the model as time passes if the situation dictates.
Employees’ opinions should also be weighed throughout, of course. Many executives did not adequately take this point into consideration as initial plans were laid out relative to what the future of work might entail, and many paid the consequences in higher attrition rates. Engaging employees to understand what works best for them and why is a prudent measure to take, even if it is impossible to make everyone happy with the conclusions that will be made. The extent to which the communications plans can be frequent, transparent and bi-directional, all the better.
One must also lean on one’s ecosystem for insight. We are all going through these experiments at present, and if you poll ten executives at ten different firms about what the future of work will entail, no two will be exactly alike and some will be dramatically different. Remain in close contact with your ecosystem to understand what is working and why, what is not, and why, and judge your plans against what you learn. You may stick to your plans in the face of some of this data, but it is important to be open to changing your mind.
Lastly, as employees leave, and they will, of course, evaluate why they are doing so. Are your policies at all a consideration? Is the company an employee is leaving to join offering some sort of benefit or way of working that you might consider. This data is crucial to ensure that a trickle of departures does not become a flood.
The months ahead will be treacherous, but by forming a plan, continuing to test plans and developing open and honest dialogues with employees, a better future can be defined.
