This document discusses 10 practices that traditional companies can adopt to avoid being disrupted by new market entrants like startups. These practices include putting creativity at the heart of the organization, encouraging risk-taking, developing a strong corporate culture, leveraging talent, ensuring cultural diversity, having a thriving generational mix, mastering digital technologies, granting space for all forms of intelligence, and giving meaning to actions. Adopting these practices would help traditional companies to respond more effectively to disruption and even benefit from startups.

1. Uberization is an opportunity !
My first two posts discussed new players reshuffling the cards of the
global economy - forcing traditional companies to reinvent themselves -
and their ability to become tomorrow's leaders. In this new post, I'll talk
about what to do to avoid being "disrupted" or "uberized".
Several prerequisite reminders are necessary: first, this isn't about the "good"
on one side - startups and the new economy, and the "bad" on the other - big
static businesses that are bogged down by their own complexity. CAC 40
companies and others, including SMEs, have profoundly transformed in
recent years by integrating the rules of the digital revolution. In all reality,
some are quite advanced. There aren't startups on one side, with their youth
and modernity, and traditional businesses on the other with their baby
boomers. Young people are active on both sides, and elders bring even more
value than some people at first thought. The solution is not to set the two
worlds apart, but rather make them work together. Startups and classical
economics can certainly offer something to each other.
Startups push traditional companies to adapt their business models in
order to avoid being out of the market. This is why "uberization" is an
opportunity ! An opportunity for those able to take it before it is too late.
“We must get out of clichés between the world of startups
and the one of the traditional economy.”

2. My intention is not to place the actors of the new economy that act very
quickly against those of more traditional business world, which have
sometimes been innovating for decades. I don't need to make an endless list.
However, it seems that certain practices allow companies overtaken by new
market entrants to not only react with greater responsiveness and efficiency,
but also benefit.
Without being exhaustive, here are those that I have identified over the past
two years.
Practice 1 : Put creativity at the heart of the organization, of all
processes and trades.
It should not only concern Research & Development, but naturally also
organizational, social, human, environmental and business matters. When
diffused, it can only change the state of mind of each person, hence more
broadly, the whole company. It becomes the best defense to deterring new
potential market entrants and avoiding brutal disruptions.
Practice 2 : Encourage teams to take measured risks.
It is therefore fit to accept the principle of the right to err or fail, according to
the saying attributed to Nelson Mandela: "I never lose. Either I win or I learn."
It's the rest that characterizes the operating method of startups. They take
risks - they do not have a choice. By disseminating a culture of engagement
and pushing managers to make decisions, classic businesses move into
position to more effectively deal with "disrupters" whose sole dream is to take
market share. Risk taking is by no means only reserved for startups.

3. Practice 3 : Develop a strong corporate culture.
It is the glue between teams. The values held by the company and its leaders
bond employees together and create a true collective identity. We must
remember that culture is the sole factor that is impossible to copy. It is what
differentiates two entities or two groups of people. This is one of the benefits
of older companies. They have history, and we know that in many cases,
mobilizing their energy at key moments can make all the difference.
Practice 4 : Leverage talent and skill.
One must have the "right people in the right positions taking the right actions
at the right time" and invest in the training of teams. Knowledge - even if it
changes very quickly these days - allows any company to create competitive
advantages, which are often determinant. In disregarding this, the company
may stall.
Practice 5
Ensure that cultural diversity is well represented within the company. We
are so used to work with stereotypical elites who enjoy co-opting amongst
themselves, that we haven’t always realized that the world has changed.
Integrating different profiles within a team is a tremendous asset to
diversifying the team and making it more agile, more able to react to external
attacks.
“We must capitalize on young people, the generational
mix, diversity, cultural diversity, talents, all forms of
intelligence and give meaning to our actions”
Practice 6
Make diversity a reality. Women and men will have to share positions of
responsibility for the good of both our company and economy. Equality -
especially in management positions - ultimately means better performance
and more creativity. On this last point, women undeniably offer a different
view. The theme of diversity is not new. We've spoken about it for a long time,
too long. We must now make it a reality. It's a battle, nothing else.
Practice 7 : Have a thriving generational mix.
We must first trust the younger generations. "Conventional" companies must
attract young developers, Generation Y - soon to be GEN Z - and ensure that
they are well integrated with quality roles. It is vital that they be coached by
the older employees who have experience and expertise. By successfully
implementing this collaboration, the company increases its chances of not
missing out on major business.

4. Practice 8 : Mastering the digital revolution
It tipped the world's balance into the 4th industrial revolution. Not
understanding the issues and its significance is sure to lead to great
turbulence. This means that management committees should take on major
future challenges and assimilate the "mechanics" and procedures. This will
have an obvious impact on employment and talent management.
Practice 9 : Grant space for all forms of intelligence.
Do not select job applicants solely on the usual criteria, such as the famous
IQ scores. Emotional intelligence seems to be of the utmost importance in
order to progress in the world of tomorrow, as does relational intelligence, i.e.
the ability to form networks, support them and use them effectively.
Practice 10 : Give meaning to everything we do, our actions.
The younger generations are very sensitive. But in reality everyone is. We
want an answer to the question "why". It's a bit like when we were kids, and
we wanted to understand everything. We have lost the habit, trapped in the
cycle of our daily lives.
I think these are the major actions to be taken in order to gain a prime position
in this rocky digital world, and emerge a winner.
Lastly, startups allow definitely classical economics to reinvent itself.
They should be praised for it!