Shannon Ryan is the CEO of Nonlinear, a global digital solutions company. Nonlinear helps companies understand and navigate changes in the workplace brought about by new digital technologies. Nonlinear provides consulting, strategy, tools, and digital workplaces to prepare companies and employees for 21st century work. Ryan discusses how technologies like big data, mobility, cloud computing, and social networks are changing business and the importance of adapting law firms to remain successful in disruptive times.

1. Shannon Ryan
CEO
@shannonryan
TORONTO | LOS ANGELES | OTTAWA | LONDON | SAO PAULO | FLORIANOPOLIS
EVOLVING THE LAW FIRM FOR THE DIGITAL AGE
HOW TO BUILD A PRACTICE TO THRIVE IN DISRUPTIVE TIMES

2. Nonlinear is a global digital solutions company. Our work
sits at the intersection of new digital technologies and
the new organizational possibilities they create.
Nonlinear Enterprise does consulting and strategy to help companies
understand and navigate the changing world of work, and we build the tools
and digital workplaces to prepare both the company, and the employee, for
work in the 21st century.

3. If I gave you a blank sheet of paper to
create the “next generation law firm” would
it look similar to your current firm?

4. Big Data
Mobility
Business
Networks
Social
Networks
Internet of
Things
Technology
Cloud
81%
of CEOs think mobile technologies
are strategically important
for their business. 4
Of the world data
has been generated
during the last 2 years 1
Things will be connected
by the end of 2020 3
90%
212B
Over 2 billion people
now on social
networks.
of CEOs think socially
enabled business
processes are
strategically important
for their business. 4
61%
$85
billion
Growth in cloud-based
software as a service
(SaaS) will continue at
20% each year through
2018, when the global
market could reach
nearly $85 billion. 5
Growth in adoption of
business networks in
next 2 years 240%
Rise of
the Machines
Moore’s Law

5. I would like you to think about this axiom:
Anything that can reasonably be done more than once can be commoditized
Anything that can be commoditized, can be computerized
Anything that computerized, can be given away for free.

6. 7 KEY
QUESTIONS
FOR YOUR
USERS
TO BE
SUCCESSFUL.
7 KEY
QUESTIONS
FOR THE
COMPANY
TO BE
SUCCESSFUL.
HOW DO WE
ENGAGE &
ALIGN
Understand
what is
happening in
the workplace.
How is the current
change
management
program
proceeding? What
are my co-workers
doing?
HOW DO WE
FIND & RE-USE
INFORMATION?
Find information
that has been
shared within the
organization.
Find information
that has been
shared within the
organization. I
need to find the
Financial report. I
need to find
information about
a previous project.
HOW DO WE
FIND PEOPLE &
EXPERTISE?
Find people and
subject matter
experts.
I need to find and
contact Mark
Lockhart. I need to
find someone who
knows PowerPivot.
HOW DO WE
SHARE
INFORMATION?
Share
information
with one or
more people.
I need to share
project status with
project
stakeholders.
HOW DO WE
COMMUNICATE
Exchange
information
with one or
more people.
I need to inform a
colleague about
the status of my
work.
HOW DO WE
COLLABORATE
& NETWORK?
Create
information
and knowledge
with other
people.
It would be good if
I knew some
people in the other
teams.
HOW DO WE
MEET &
COORDINATE?
Interact with
other people at
a specific time
and place or
align activities
between two or
more people.
I need to meet with
my team members
to discuss how to
address a problem.
HOW DO WE
GET OUR
PEOPLE
WORKING
ANYTIME /
ANYPLACE?
Mobile, mobile
mobile.
Can I work as
easily at home and
on the road as at
my desk?
HOW DO WE
GOVERN OUR
DECISION
MAKING
PROCESS?
How do we
make decisions
about what to
do next.
What is next –
upgrade our search
engine or new
enterprise social
deployment.
HOW DO WE
CAPTURE AND
REUSE
KNOWLEDGE?
It is not enough
to create
knowledge, it
needs to be
stored and
available for
the rest of the
company.
What is been done
by engineering for
this project?
HOW DO WE
DRIVE
CONTINUOUS
FLOW OF
INNOVATION?
New ideas to
existing and
potential
problems.
Open innovation
with a structured
process for making
it all real.
HOW DO WE
MEASURE
SUCCESS AND
FAILURE?
A culture of
measurement
and KPIs
How are we doing
as a company on
the metrics that
matter?
HOW DO WE
DERIVE
INSIGHT AND
ACTION FROM
DATA?
Data is the new
oil. How do we
drive capture
and drive
insight from
our data
How can we
leverage what our
customers are
saying to drive
product
innovation?
HOW DO WE
DRIVE
CORPORATE
CHANGE?
Business is
moving at a
blistering pace,
how do we
keep pace
How does the
company take
changing tactics
and approaches
and turn them into
processes and
tactics.
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