The document discusses how organizations can think more digitally by embracing constant change, abandoning perfection, automating routine tasks, challenging old ways of doing things, and empowering employees to make decisions autonomously within a clear shared vision and strategic goals. It provides examples of how to support digital thinking through abandoning perfection in content, disrupting old ways, automating processes, and embracing ideas from unrelated fields. Recommendations include evaluating tasks based on their value and automation potential, testing new tools, and asking questions to challenge the status quo.

1. Thinking digitally.
May 2012

2. Contents
• Change is in the air
• Trends
• How to think digitally
• Supporting digital thinking
• Thought starters
• Recommended reading list

3. Change is in the air.

4. Evolution
Digital Camera in
Camera camera phone
Bookstores Amazon.com eBooks
Facebook
Letter Email
Post

5. Evolve or die
Evolve or die
No other industry lives by this credo
more than digital.
But it’s not really about being “digital”.
It’s about being open to change.

6. reject status quo
Evolve or die
Free video calls

7. reject status quo
Evolve or die
Free video calls
Strangers investing in your business
Everything Richard Branson has done,
Strangers giving you money
ever,

8. reject status quo
Everything Richard Branson does

9. Trends.

10. Social is everywhere
• More brand touchpoints than ever before
• People and companies interact directly
Which means:
We expect immediate responses & issue
resolution

11. Infinite networks
•It was never what you knew.
•But it’s no longer who you know…
… but who your friend of a friend knows.
Which means: It’s essential to be
“findable” online and everywhere.

12. Everything always available
• Cloud networks mean we have access to
everything, anywhere, anytime
• Contacts, eBooks, music, sales databases,
documents
Which means: Info & systems need to be
available so teams can meet expectations

13. Good enogh revolution
• Mp3’s trump CD’s
• Fast + good idea > perfection
Which means: We need to value sharing
info over perfection

14. Why embrace digital thinking?
• Travel is a digital pioneer
• It’s how business is done today
It’s not *just* about embracing digital.
It’s about embracing what digital stands
for.

15. Ok, fine.
But how do you think “digitally”?

16. Abandon perfection
“[Moving towards] less polished
content and faster production times.
In the past, all marketing materials
were placed under intense scrutiny
before anything was put online.”

17. Abandon perfection
"[The content] might even have
spelling mistakes in it.
If it's a video, it might just be a very
quick, ‘hey, here is how I tackle this
problem…”

18. Abandon perfection

19. One bite at time
It doesn’t have to be “finished”

20. Disrupt old ways
Just because it’s always been done
that way, doesn’t mean it’s right.
Challenge old processes by offering a
leaner solution.

21. Automate
Automate & streamline routine or
labour intensive processes.
Frees up your time to do the high
value stuff.
Frees up your time to do the fun stuff.

22. Steal ideas
Look at what other organizations are
doing and test ideas here.
Think about what “unrelated”
technologies could make life easier.

23. ROI on your effort
How much time are you putting into a
task?
Is the payoff worth that time?
Is there something more valuable you
could be doing?

24. Tech is everyone’s job
Technology has seeped into
everyone’s job.
Take ownership of it and how it
impacts your work and department.

25. Openness breeds innovation
Open up the system.
You lose some control, but you gain
ideas that you never would have
thought of.

26. Openness breeds innovation
Sample US Gov open data projects:
•Tool to allow U.S. citizens to access their
own health data
•RFP-EZ: allows startups to have access to
compete for government projects
•Open access to data from industries such
as energy, education, non-profits and
safety

27. Get used to constant change
By the time the strategic annual plan
is presented and approved, at least 3
things have changed in our operating
environment.
Need to be nimble, flexible, and ready.

28. Innovation is everyone’s job
Embracing technology and taking
ownership is table stakes.
There is no ”it’s not my job” or “that’s
not for my department” when it
comes to improvement.

29. So how do we do this?

30. The fundamental requirement to
support digital thinking at an
organizational level is not a “clear
shared vision”.

31. But is a clear, shared vision that is so
ingrained that it’s rote.

32. Autonomous strategic direction
Think about what happens when you
drive.
When driving on the highway, how
much of your conscious thought is
actually focused on driving?

33. Autonomous strategic direction
The nervous system determines the
body’s response to thousands upon
thousands of simultaneous inputs
received from our environment.
.
The brain has little say in how our
body responds most of the time.
And this is a good thing.

34. Autonomous strategic direction
What if we were able to support goals
with the same degree of semi-
autonomous behavior as we do when
we drive a car?

35. Autonomous strategic direction
It would mean:
•Junior staff relieve workload from
mgmt team
•True empowerment
•OK to make mistakes
•Breed innovation
•Breeds improvement

36. Thought Starters –
How to start embracing digitally

37. What are your department’s routine
tasks – what can be automated?

38. What activities can be “good enough”
so they actually get out the door?

39. What activities are labour intensive?
Do they really produce a lot of value?
If not, stop doing them.

40. Test crazy new tools and see how it
might make your job easier.
If it doesn’t work – throw it out.
If it works – keep it.

41. Ask stupid questions and challenge
the way we’ve always been doing
things.

42. Reading list.