As the digital agency leader operating in a dynamic segment full of innovation, I have to educate myself to understand the trend constantly.
I focus not only on personal growth but especially on business. conference inspired me so much for its topicality and timelessness that I decided to share with you my thoughts and insights on the topic of different speeds in corporate teams.
Pandemic As An Accelerator of Innovation
The pandemic has dramatically forced us to accelerate corporate innovation, especially in digitization. If companies wanted to survive, they had to adapt their products, communication channels or the entire business model quickly and efficiently. The pandemic has set a new norm, and we must accept it. Companies had to react quickly, so a situation arose that innovation and change occurred very quickly, and the business itself often stagnated or innovated much more slowly. This widened the gap between companies, departments, or the boss and employees.
Linear vs Exponential Model
Every company has its “Run-the-business (RTB)”,, i.e. a stable, linear part of the business. It’s the daily work you have to do to make your business work. But also “Change-the-business (CTB)”,, i.e. an innovative, visionary, bold and progressive part of the business. It includes projects that have great potential to change your business’s growth dramatically.
These two worlds began to collide hard in companies. Even at our agency, not all employees understand the visionary boss, who comes up with crazy ideas for business change. And he, in turn, encounters a misunderstanding of employees who do not understand his thoughts and long for “boring” stability, security and regularity.
Both aspects of RTB and CTB have their irreplaceable position and importance for the company’s successful business, prosperity, and health. But they both need to connect. Any company that wants to succeed in the future will have to create the conditions for it to go both speeds at the same time.
Respecting Company Speeds
How to prevent the misunderstanding of a visionary leader who brings innovation like a treadmill and the employees who are distracted from their work and goals? Who will be the mediator between the two directions of each business? They called it a differential at the conference to ensure that both company parts could develop at different speeds. Like in a car, the differential changes when turning the wheels.
The boss of each company needs to realize that both directions are necessary and need to be linked. Find a suitable differential, mediator or manager with communication and relationship skills who will understand the need for stability and regularity and innovation and expansion. Because maintaining both speeds is essential for the health and efficiency of any company, and one does not work without the other.