How to build organisations that change the game

Steve Jobs was the ultimate purist – but whether it was members of Jony Ive’s design team or members of the board, would Apple have been as successful without the pragmatists who balanced him? On the other hand, pragmatism and consensus alone rarely changes the game; as the saying goes, if you search every park in every city in the world, you’ll find no statues of committees.

So when it comes to designing organisations, what is the right balance of purism vs. pragmatism?

Like an elastic band, only when we have two equally opposing forces do we stretch the possibilities. Only when we create tension in the right balance do we generate energy that can be harnessed into corporate innovation. Digital disruptors have created disproportionate impact across numerous industries by finding this balance. What can large corporates learn from the startup world and how can leaders organise their teams for success in a digital economy?

• Presented at Strategy Community event at Facebook

• Presented at HR Tech Festival Asia

• Presented at numerous internal corporate events

• “Strategic generalist or specialist? It depends” Article published by WARC 5th March 2020