Digital technologies are heralded as enablers of change... but how exactly can they help us solve tricky problems? Find out more here: http://bit.ly/Wg58QW

1. In partnership with

5. Information helps people make decisions.
Providing fresh information in innovative formats to new audiences
at different times drives new decisions.
Digital technologies are unparalleled in their ability to simplify and
optimise complex data into usable information.
So by changing how information flows, you can change how, when
and why people act, and help organisations operate better and
smarter.
Operations | Product tracking
Online-Offline | Dematerialisation

6. People are amazing. Each of us has a set of unique resources,
talents, creativity, skills and ideas.
We used to be limited to sharing these with those we came into
direct contact with – our families, friends and work-colleagues.
But modern communication technologies and tools are allowing us
to share more widely, in real time.
Digital technologies not only make it easier to have a global reach
– but also give us the tools share more useful, relevant and applied
information
Collaborative consumption | Collaborative creation
Open data | New connections, new communities

7. What does this mean for you? We think there are four
principles you could adopt to you embrace digital
technology for sustainable change

8. Encourage Agility
Given the speed of social, market and environmental changes,
businesses need to allow their operations, products, services and
revenue streams to evolve quickly.
Partner this with a culture that embraces this change, responding
quickly to market, environmental and customer shifts.
Do:
Allocate resource to develop disruptive concepts – otherwise you’ll only make incremental
improvements and competitors will grab the opportunity
Don’t:
Delay – sustainability issues will shape your business drivers for the coming decade, and
you need to start now

9. Embrace Ambiguity
Because of the pace of change, planning outcomes is increasingly difficult.
Build a culture that can create velocity and deal with a less clear business
case or tangible outcomes. Believe in hunches again, learn by doing and
learn from failure. It's also about moving in a direction quickly without figuring
out all of the risks and outcomes.
Do:
Understand that innovation sometimes means ‘good’ failure – fast, cheap, and
with new insights for next time
Don’t:
Assume you know everything already – you need to step out of your routine
assumptions, and that needs external stimulus, insights, and experience

10. Measure differently
As you move to be more sustainable you need to measure and reward people
differently based on the new direction. Spending more time emphasizing the
importance of different factors help push your culture in a new direction and
widen the notion of value to your stakeholders / clients / customers.
Do:
Protect disruptive ideas from the day-to day requirements of the core business
– nurture your ideas and give them a chance to succeed
Don’t:
Use the financial KPIs of a mature business to measure early-stage concept
progress

11. Collaborate
Open up your data, ideas, and resources. Make the walls of your organization
more porous. Get start-up DNA into your operations. Empower teams.
Prioritise collaborations over competition.
Do:
Ensure you have relevant sustainability expertise within the development team
Don’t:
Define your business so narrowly that you go out of business

12. This is a work in progress and the start of our discussion about how the powerful and fast-
moving digital sector can be used to create successful and sustainable change. We’d love to
work with you & make change happen.