On October 29, 1969, in this room at UCLA, a student programmer sent the first message using ARPANET, a precursor to the modern internet. The message didn’t go well. The programmer, Charley Kline, got halfway through the word login before the program crashed. It wasn’t a great start.
It would take a few more decades until the internet started entering our homes, but its impact is almost incalculable. It’s transformed nearly every facet of life, and whole human generations identify around its existence.
Irgendwie ist der neue Mitarbeiter doch ein Spinner, sichtbar tätowiert oder ein echter Comupter-Nerd? Gewöhnen Sie sich an das Ungewöhnliche, denn laut Experten sind gerade die sogenannten „Freaks“ die besten Führungskräfte und schon bald werden dies auch die deutschen Unternehmen erkennen. Da kann es gut sein, dass Ihr neuer Chef in Kürze irgendwie „anders“ ist. Doch was hat es eigentlich mit den Freaks auf sich und wieso taugen sie besser zur Führungskraft als der 08/15-Mitarbeiter?
Deutsche Unternehmen setzen auf den angepassten Durchschnitt
Bislang halten die deutschen Führungsetagen keine großen Überraschungen bereit: Angepasste Anzugträger tummeln sich in den leitenden Positionen, hier und da eine Frau – aber nicht zu viele. Tatsächlich suchen die meisten deutschen Unternehmen für ihre Führungspositionen nach angepassten und leistungswilligen Mitarbeitern. Wieso? Weil Sie kein Risiko darstellen, Beständigkeit versprechen und ein hohes Maß an Zuverlässigkeit. Der Durchschnitt bringt es deshalb im Beruf am weitesten.
Freaks hingegen feiern eher als Selbstständige ihre Erfolge und stellen da schon einmal die gewohnten Marktmechanismen auf den Kopf.
Doch wieso machen sich die deutschen Unternehmen eigentlich nichts aus eben dieser Fähigkeit? Aus den Querdenkern, Risikofreudigen und wahren Genies? Echte Talente und herausragende Stärken, das sollte eine Führungskraft mitbringen. Da sind sich zumindest viele Experten einig…
Wonach suchen deutsche Unternehmen ihre Führungskräfte aus?
Eine bei Statista veröffentlichte Umfrage gibt hierauf wenig überraschende Antworten: Demnach erachten 100 Prozent aller befragten Unternehmen die Kommunikationsfähigkeit als besonders wichtig für eine Führungskraft. 99 Prozent setzen zudem auf eine hohe Motivation, 98 Prozent auf bereits erbrachte Leistungen im Unternehmen.
Die Personalberaterin Uta von Boyen kennst sich bestens mit dem Thema aus: Nach Allroundern werde gesucht, Beständigkeit und Mittelmaß. Schul- und Hochschulnoten, Assessment-Center und normierte Lebensläufe seien die Auswahlkriterien für neue Mitarbeiter und Führungskräfte müssen in erster Linie leistungsbereit sein. Es ist das Prinzip „Befehl und Gehorsam“, das in vielen Unternehmen in den Führungsetagen ausgeübt wird – welches jedoch eigentlich in der modernen Wirtschaft nichts mehr verloren hätte. Denn in den immer schneller werdenden Zeiten der Globalisierung und Digitalisierung müssen Unternehmen auf neuartige Geschäftsstrategien setzen, um dauerhaft gegen die nunmehr weltweite Konkurrenz bestehen zu können. Und hierfür, so Uta von Boyen, seien gerade Freaks die besseren Führungskräfte.
Wer ist eigentlich ein „Freak“?
Als „Freak“ in diesem Sinne bezeichnen die Experten alle jene Mitarbeiter, die aus dem üblichen Rahmen fallen. Es handelt sich um Querdenker, Menschen mit Spezialbegabungen und ausgeprägter Persönlichkeit. Freaks bringen Unruhe in ein Unternehmen, fungieren als Visionäre und haben häufig Schwierigkeiten damit, sich in die gegebenen Strukturen einzufügen. Sie werden deshalb auch „Peak Performer“ oder „Spiky Leaders“ genannt. Es sind eben jene Menschen, die unangepasst arbeiten, neue Ideen hervorbringen und ebenso herausragende Stärken wie eben auch Schwächen mitbringen.
Die Schwächen sind das Problem
Genau hierin liegt aber das Hauptproblem der Unternehmen mit den Peak Performern: Sie haben Schwächen. Und Schwächen werden in der modernen Arbeitswelt nicht geduldet. Der Sinn steht daher stets nach der möglichen Minimierung der Schwächen anstelle der Förderung von Stärken.
Die scheinbar besten Mitarbeiter sehen die Unternehmen deshalb in angepassten „General Managern“. Ein Prozess, der bereits in den Schulen beginnt, ja mancherorts sogar im Kindergarten oder der Vorschule. Wer aus dem Rahmen fällt, erhält Nachhilfeunterricht oder gilt als schwer erziehbar. Die scheinbaren ADHS-Fälle nehmen immer weiter zu, nur weil ein Kind keine acht Stunden ruhig in der Schulbank sitzt. Wer besondere Begabungen oder originelles Denken mitbringt wird nicht weiter gefördert. Stattdessen wird der Unterricht starr durchgezogen und die Schüler auf die goldene Mitte eingeebnet. Wieso? Weil der Durchschnitt den Weg des geringsten Widerstands bedeutet.
Spiky Leaders hingegen, müssen mit viel Aufwand in ein Unternehmen integriert werden, sollten diese nicht bereits desillusioniert und demotiviert aus der Schul- und Hochschullaufbahn herauskommen. Dabei hat uns die Geschichte immer wieder gelehrt, dass gerade diese Peak Performer einen hohen Wert für die Gesellschaft und Wirtschaft haben. Sie haben in der Vergangenheit gar immer wieder das Überleben der Menschheit gesichert, da sind sich Historiker und Evolutionsbiologen einig. Und hätten Sie Steve Jobs nicht auch zu Beginn seiner Laufbahn als echten Freak wahrgenommen?
Wie können Peak Performer integriert werden?
Das größte Problem darin, die außergewöhnlichen Begabungen der Peak Performer in einem Unternehmen zu nutzen, liegt also in ihrer erfolgreichen Integration in das Unternehmen. Hierfür muss es seine Führungsstrukturen überdenken und neue Konzepte erstellen. Spiky Leaders funktionieren meist in kleinen Teams am besten, wo sie mit dem angepassten Durchschnitt zusammenarbeiten können. Ein Unternehmen funktioniert nämlich ebenso wenig nur mit „Freaks“ als ganz ohne. Es geht also um eine effiziente Zusammenarbeit zwischen Peak Performer und 08/15-Mitarbeiter. Die Zusammensetzung dieser gemischten Teams ist eine wahre Herausforderung, zumal die Unangepassten häufig menschlich schwierig sind, als „stachelig“ wahrgenommen werden. Dadurch bringen sie aber eine positive Dynamik in jedes Team und eine produktivere Arbeitsatmosphäre. Dynamiken bringen schließlich Ergebnisse hervor – Stillstand nicht. Es gilt also, die Organisationsform eines Unternehmens der Integration von Peak Performern anzupassen:
Feste Strukturen müssen aufgelockert werden.
Der Spiky Leader muss individuelle Freiräume genießen.
Seine Talente und Stärken müssen effizient gefördert und gezielt eingesetzt werden.
Die Schwächen der Peak Performer gilt es frühzeitig aufzufangen.
Für welche Unternehmen eignen sich die Spiky Leaders?
Es geht nun nicht darum, dass jedes Unternehmen in jedem Team mindestens einen Spiky Leader besetzt. Im Gegenteil: Ob ein Peak Performer für Ihr Unternehmen geeignet ist, wer, wie viele und in welcher Position, das hängt von Ihrer jeweiligen Organisationsform sowie der strategischen Ausrichtung des Unternehmens ab. Häufig sind Peak Performer gerade in in geringer Anzahl auf wichtigen Schlüsselpositionen gut besetzt. Zudem sollte stets nur höchstens ein „Freak“ pro Team eingesetzt werden. Allerdings ist die Akzeptanz der Peak Performer in einem Team nicht immer einfach und sie stellen damit ein hohes Risiko dar. Ein Risiko, welches bislang nur die wenigsten Unternehmen bereit sind einzugehen. Wer jedoch bereits jetzt begreift, dass ganzheitliche Führung in Zukunft auch auf Querdenker nicht verzichten kann, ist der Konkurrenz in der Globalisierung einen großen Schritt voraus.
Was denken Sie von den Peak Performern? Haben Sie bereits Erfahrungen mit ihnen gemacht oder würden Sie sich vielleicht sogar selbst als einen solchen bezeichnen? Es ist und bleibt ein spannendes Thema…
McKinsey & Company estimates that as much as 45% of the tasks currently performed by people can be automated using existing technologies. If you haven’t made an effort to understand how artificial intelligence will affect your company, now is the time to start.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is gaining momentum across industries with the help of companies such as IBM, Google, and Microsoft. McKinsey & Company estimates that as much as 45% of the tasks currently performed by people can be automated using current technologies — not only low-level rote tasks, but high-level knowledge work as well.
„Our point of view is that there is no function, no industry, almost no role that won’t potentially be affected by this set of technologies — not just every occupation, but every activity within each occupation,“ said Michael Chui, a partner with McKinsey Global Institute, in an interview. „It’s not just automating the labor that’s being done, but the work people do will have to change as well. Understanding how to take advantage of these technologies is going to be critically important.“
Even if your company isn’t actively experimenting with it, AI is finding its way in via online transactions and modern cyber-security systems, among other examples. As AI technologies and their use-cases start to take hold across industries, it’s time for the C-suite to pay attention.
If you haven’t made an effort to understand how AI will affect your company, now is the time to start.
Of course, the impact of AI is not limited to technological change and innovation. It also involves cultural evolution and, in some cases, revolution.
„Today’s leaders have time, as well as a responsibility, to understand what’s ahead of them before acting,“ said Deborah Westphal, CEO of strategic consulting and advisory firm Toffler Associates, in an interview. „It’s important to ask the hard questions, and then, using those insights, determine the best action for an organization.“
In short, AI is going to affect a lot of things in the near future, some of which have not yet been anticipated.
Organizational Intelligence Explodes
Organizations are using AI to solve problems at scale. Michele Goetz, a principal analyst at Forrester Research, estimates that most organizations only take advantage of 10% to 30% of their data, with most of that still being structured, transactional information.
„There’s a difference in what AI technology is going to bring to the organization compared to what other technologies have brought,“ said Goetz, in an interview. „[The C-suite executives] will have better visibility into market opportunities and [become aware of] threats faster. Because they can see their environment more holistically and clearly, they’ll understand partners and customers better. It’s [also] going to change the way employees work.“
First-Mover Advantage
The seeds of what some are calling The Exponential Age were planted long ago, manifesting themselves as exponential increases in processing power, storage capacity, bandwidth utilization, and — as a result of all of that — digital information. The same rule applies to machine learning.
„True AI learns at an exponential rate, evolves and sometimes even rewrites better versions of itself,“ said Walter O’Brien, founder and CEO of Scorpion Computer Services, in an interview. „Because of this factor, the first company to market can also be the first to gather the most training data material — for example, Google’s Voice recognition on cell phones. The lessons learned can be encoded as heuristics or subtle guidelines which become the IP of the company — for example, the definition of Google’s relevance scores. This all creates a barrier to competition.“
Imagine cramming 250 years of human thinking into 90 minutes. Scorpion Computer Services‘ AI platform does that.
Employees May Lead The Charge
AI is creeping into organizations in various ways, online and embedded in enterprise applications. The trend is accelerating, necessitating the C-suite’s attention, since it will at some point noticeably affect corporate culture and business strategy.
„The tipping point for the acceptance and widespread application of AI will not come from the C-suite, but from employees seeing the benefits of AI in their daily lives through applications like intelligent personal assistants and smart devices,“ said Robert DeMaine, lead technology sector analyst at global advisory service company Ernst & Young (EY), in an interview. „Like the [bring your own device] trend, employees will begin to use their own ’smart‘ personal productivity applications in the office, challenging the organization to reassess its policies. AI will change corporate culture from the bottom up, not the top down.“
Organizational Structures Will Shift
Hierarchical organizational structures adversely affect business agility and the ability to drive value from data. Similarly, the lingering barriers between departments and business units limit a company’s ability to derive additional types of value from data because data remains trapped in silos.
„Projectized“ organizations, which operate in a matrix environment, are better positioned to take full advantage of AI systems [than] vertical organizations are,“ said Armen Kherlopian, VP of analytics and research at business process transformation company Genpact, in an interview. „This is because these so-called projectized organizations can more readily gain access to resources and key business channels across the enterprise. Additionally, the levers associated with [business] value do not fit neatly into vertical groups.“
Genpact estimates nearly $400 billion of digital investments were wasted globally in 2015 because of a failure to align expected results throughout organizations.
AI Requires Context
AI systems need a lot of input to produce the appropriate output. Since each company, its culture, and its objectives are unique, AI systems need to be trained on those details in order to assist employees effectively, and to serve the needs of the organization accurately. Unlike traditional analytics systems, which can be built without regard to some of the softer organizational issues, AI requires organizations to be aware of the information they’re bringing in and why they’re bringing it in.
„There is a clear trend towards machines becoming more intelligent so that humans can work more intelligently with them,“ said George Zarkadakis. „Although machines will increasingly gain more autonomy, they will do so within the human space and within human norms and ethics.“
Organizations Have To Adapt
AI automates some tasks and assists with others, both displacing and complementing the work employees do. The C-suite needs to think about how the shifting division of labor can influence the way a company is managed and how it’s organized.
„AI is impacting many aspects of the business, from workflow management to advertising strategy. It can enable executives to make better, faster, and more accurate business decisions to streamline operations, allocate resources, understand market trends, and connect with customers,“ said Robert DeMaine, lead technology sector analyst at EY. „As a result, executives will need to be prepared to address a number of business issues, including reassessing internal operations, a changing workforce, sales and marketing strategies, and shifting investment priorities.“
It’s Not All About Technology
AI is gaining momentum as entrepreneurs, industry behemoths, and companies in-between bring AI products, tools, APIs, and services to market. However, as always, the successful application of technology isn’t simply about technology. It’s about technology, people, and processes.
„A company will be distinguished by how well it works using AI, and increasingly human-digital convergence, rather than by which specific AI technologies it chooses to deploy,“ said Deborah Westphal, CEO of strategic consulting and advisory firm Toffler Associates. „If a company only addresses the technological elements, without addressing the organizational people and process aspects, it may see a short-term gain, but will suffer in the longer term and likely be [sur]passed by those companies that addressed the internal questions first.“
Employee Empowerment Is Necessary
Companies have worked toward democratizing the use of data analytics, enabling managers and employees to make better decisions faster. As the velocity of business continues to accelerate at scale with the help of AI, even more employee empowerment will be necessary.
„AI and greater human-digital convergence magnify the strengths and weaknesses of an existing corporate culture, particularly with respect to how much autonomy is afforded to an organization’s people,“ said Deborah Westphal of Toffler Associates. „Given a faster rate of change and near real-time environment in which to make decisions, an organization’s people who don’t have the necessary autonomy will find that its processes, no matter how good, will break down quickly and its ability to serve its customers [will be] compromised.“
Learn By Doing
Companies successfully using AI make a point of investing in people and talent. They also actively encourage innovation and experimentation so they can learn quickly from mistakes and capitalize on opportunities, hopefully faster than their competitors.
„Hire talent that knows how to do this. Start experimenting with it and learn how to use it,“ said Michael Chui, a partner with McKinsey Global Institute. „I don’t think this is something you plan for five years and then get started. It’s something you learn by doing. When you see something working, the ability to scale is important.“
Expect The Unexpected
AI should not be viewed as simply another technology acquisition, because different things are required to get it up and running successfully. Because the purpose of AI is to provide a superhuman analytic or problem-solving capacity, its training cannot be limited to executing mindlessly on a task.
„You can’t assume that how you train these systems is going to produce the results in the context you want them to be produced,“ said Michele Goetz, a Forrester principal analyst. „There has to be an emotional element [because] if you’re introducing AI in your call center, you don’t want to offend your customers.“
Because AI learns from itself, as well as from its human trainers, unexpected circumstances can arise which may be positive or negative.
Pay Attention To Possibilities
Data-driven companies, including IBM, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Netflix, are constantly pushing the envelope of what’s possible in order to accelerate innovation, differentiate themselves, and, in some cases, cultivate communities that can extend the breadth and depth of AI techniques and use-cases. It’s wise for C-suite executives to understand the kind of value AI can provide, and how that value might help the company achieve its strategic objectives.
„Machine learning techniques are what make a company like Amazon truly successful. Being able to learn from historical data in order to recommend to a given shopper what [she] may buy next is a key differentiator. Yet, the real ‚Deep Learning‘ techniques are still just emerging,“ said Mike Matchett, senior analyst and consultant at storage analysis and consulting firm Taneja Group, in an interview. „Google will not just win ‚Go‘ championships, but will drive cars with [AI], optimize their data center with [AI], and in my opinion, will try to own the global optimization clearing house for the Internet of Things.“
Change Is At Hand
The composition of the C-suite is changing to take better advantage of data. Data-savvy executives are replacing their traditional counterparts, new roles are being created, and leaders generally are finding themselves under pressure to understand the value and impact of data, analytics, and machine learning.
„As the C-suite becomes increasingly filled with analytical minds and more data scientists are hired, a cultural shift naturally takes place. Some of the new, fast-growing executive roles [include] chief data scientist, chief marketing technology officer, [and] chief digital officer. All are aligned with the growing demand and anticipation for AI,“ said David O’Flanagan, CEO and cofounder of cloud platform provider Boxever.
At many levels, non-traditional candidates are displacing traditional roles. For example, the Society of Actuarial Professionals is actively promoting the fact that although most actuaries work in the insurance industry, there are non-traditional employment opportunities, including data analytics and marketing. O’Flanagan expects more members of the workforce to have backgrounds in fields of study such as econometrics.
n the US 28% of cars are leased. While it is uncommon to lease inexpensive vehicles and family cars, close to half of all luxury cars are. That percentage is only higher in one other car-segment: electric vehicles (EVs): In the first 3 quarters of 2015 75% of new EVs have been leased!
The most common explanation is that EVs are still too expensive to buy. Another popular reason is that customers do not trust the durability of electric powertrains and lithium-ion battery technology. Finally, customers claim that driving range might be an issue and thus prefer leasing over buying (more on my thoughts on driving range anxiety)
All 3 reasons play a major role. All of them have been researched by J.D. Power back in 2010. However, they don’t sufficiently explain the high lease rates among EV customers today. Here are three insights why car leases are 3-4x more common in the EV segment and why car ownership is becoming rare among young customers.
GenY (Millennials) Adapts New Purchasing Habits
Average Earnings for Young Adults in $2013
Cars Sold in Millions per Generation
Car leases are already the most popular way of „purchasing“ a luxury and electric vehicle (EV). First, I documented why millennials/younger customers are more likely to lease. Second, I described why technology changes can lead to reduced interest in buying. Finally, I tried to proof that smartphones have given users the ability to experience freedom without owning a car.
These 3 points lead to an assumption: GenY, as the second largest car buying generation, is leading the ownership disruption in the car segment. They buy fewer cars per 1000 citizens, have the highest % of leases and have different expectations for cars (in terms of technologies and features). How can car manufacturers attract GenY and bring driving back?
Lets take a look outside the car industry. How are technology firms attracting young customers? The smartphone market, like the car market, has taken a hit in the last few years. The handset replacement cycle has slowed down significantly. It is the slowest since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007. In 2014, 143 million mobile phones were sold in the United States (-15%). Of them ~90% were smartphones. 2007 users upgraded their phones every ~19 months; today they upgrade every 26+ months.
Kaum eine Branche oder Traditions-Marke, die nicht vom Aufstieg neuer Wettbewerber betroffen ist. Marketing und Werbung dürfen die Innovationen des digitalen Zeitalters nicht weiter ignorieren. Es ist ihre letzte Chance, die Rolle des Vorreiters zu übernehmen.
Das Ergebnis der diesjährigen Studie „Die Lieblingsmarken der Deutschen“ der Brandmeyer Markenberatung gleicht einer Sensation: Coca-Cola, im vergangenen Jahr noch die bestplatzierte Lebensmittelmarke, verliert elf Rangplätze. Die Marke – nunmehr auf Rang 25 – muss sich sogar von der Bio-Marke Alnatura schlagen lassen, die zum ersten Mal den Aufstieg in die Top 50 der beliebtesten Lebensmittelmarken schafft und gleich auf Rang 12 landet.
Bei Frauen steht Bionade sogar auf Platz sieben. Die klebrige US-Brause liegt inzwischen gleichauf mit dem Bio-Pionier Demeter, der es ebenfalls unter die bestplatzierten Marken schaffte. Bio schlägt Brause.
Selbst mit den Trend-Marken Apple und Samsung geht es bergab. Es stellt sich nun die Frage: Wann sind die Nächsten dran? Wann stürzen Nivea und womöglich auch BMW und Audi in der Gunst der Verbraucher ab? Tesla steht bereits in den Startlöchern.
An solche Sensationen werden sich die Traditionsmarken ebenso wie ganze Branchen gewöhnen müssen. Schuld daran ist die Digitalisierung. Sie macht die Märkte mitsamt ihrer tradierten Marken transparent wie noch nie. Sie gibt dem Verbraucher mehr Macht als je zuvor, seine Bedürfnisse zu formulieren und seine Gunst neu auf die Markenwelt zu verteilen. Vor allem aber macht sie es neuen Anbietern leichter denn je, sich in der neu formierenden Markenwelt zu platzieren – und die vormals unangreifbaren Größen des Marktes abzuhängen.
Disruption ersetzt business as usual
Ganze Märkte stehen vor ungeahnten Disruptionen. Jeder weiß, dass Amazon und Ebay den Einzelhandel verändern, gar die Existenz ganzer Branchen wie den Buchhandel gefährden; dass Buchungsplattformen wie Booking.com und HRS.de die Reisebüros überflüssig machen. Dafür sorgt jeder von uns täglich. Und nirgends wird der Kampf der stationären Einzelhandels-Bastionen deutlicher als bei den bislang fruchtlosen Bemühungen von MediaMarkt und Saturn, ihre Kunden zu halten und zurückzugewinnen.
iTunes revolutionierte den Musikmarkt. Zalando stellt den stationären Schuh- und Textilhandel in Frage. Der textile Fachhandel muss zudem mit ansehen, wie neue Anbieter namens Modomoto und Outfittery die individuelle Kundenberatung übernehmen und damit ebenso wie unzählige Fashion-Blogger an die Stelle der ehemaligen (meist ohnehin schlecht ausgebildeten) Fachverkäufer treten.
Sie übernehmen die Empfehlungsfunktion und verlinken gleich auf Online-Shops – allerdings eher auf net-a-porter.com als auf peek-cloppenburg.de. Keine Branche ist mehr sicher vor den Umwälzungen des digitalen Wandels. Business as usual kann sich niemand mehr erlauben.
Die „Share Economy“ lässt überall neue Online-Vermittlungsbörsen entstehen. Uber stellt das herkömmliche Taxi-Unternehmen in Frage, Airbnb greift erfolgreich nach Marktanteilen im Hotelgewerbe. Jeder fünfte Deutsche hat solche Angebote bereits wahrgenommen. Tendenz steigend. Vor allem aber: Diese innovativen Start-ups beschreiben und betreiben das neue, digitale Marketing in seiner reinsten Form.
Glaubte die Lufthansa bislang, Air Berlin sei der größte Wettbewerber, muss sie nun mit ansehen, wie der Billigflieger Easyjet die Streikphase der Kranich-Piloten ausnutzt und erstmals um deutsche Geschäftskunden wirbt. Das Unternehmen wildert ausgerechnet mit dem Thema Pünktlichkeit in der Kernzielgruppe des Noch-Marktführers. Das neue Motto im Marketing heißt „Jeder gegen Jeden“. Keine Marke ist mehr vor Angriffen sicher.
Die Kleinen fressen die Großen. Die größten Marken werden zum Freiwild für die schier unüberschaubare Schar der neuen Kleinen, die die Vorzüge der digitalen Medienwelt nutzen, um sich fast mühelos Bekanntheit und Vertrauen in ihren immer größer werdenden Zielgruppen zu ergattern.
Alyssa McDonald lehrt mit Blyss die Schokoladen-Konzerne das Fürchten und zeigt vorbildlich, wie man echte Schokolade macht. Emmas Enkel definieren den Lebensmittel-Einkauf neu. Nur ihr Name ist noch eine Leihgabe aus der guten, alten Tante Emma-Zeit.
Immer mehr Marken greifen nach Marktanteilen, ohne sich dabei traditioneller Werbung zu bedienen. Sie bauen ihre Markenwelten mithilfe sozialer Netzwerke und YouTube-Kanälen auf. Dass dabei nicht alle Old-Economy-Unternehmen tatenlos zusehen, beweist die Otto-Gruppe mit ihrem Start-up „Collins“, das jüngst den neuen Online-Shop „About You“ startete. Auch Rewe ist inzwischen aufgewacht und stellt sich den neuen Marktanforderungen.
Wie sehr die jungen, digitalen Unternehmen bereits an den Märkten der Old Economy nagen, zeigt sich auch an der Erhebung der weltweit beliebtesten Arbeitgeber. Darin platzieren sich Uber, Adobe, Airbnb und Booking.com erstmals unter den Top 100, während Traditionsunternehmen wie Procter & Gamble, Shell, McKinsey, Boston Consulting und Danone zu den Verlierern zählen. BMW und Roche büßen innerhalb eines einzigen Jahres sogar 22 Rangplätze ein.
Sie alle verlieren im Kampf um die besten Arbeitnehmer zunehmend an Gunst und Rang. Vier der ersten fünf Plätze belegen ohnehin die Digital-Fürsten Google, Apple, Microsoft und Facebook. Wenn die Traditions-Unternehmen auch den Kampf um die besten Leute verlieren, sind sie in Zukunft nichts mehr wert.
![Organizational Intelligence Explodes
Organizations are using AI to solve problems at scale. Michele Goetz, a principal analyst at Forrester Research, estimates that most organizations only take advantage of 10% to 30% of their data, with most of that still being structured, transactional information.
'There's a difference in what AI technology is going to bring to the organization compared to what other technologies have brought,' said Goetz, in an interview. '[The C-suite executives] will have better visibility into market opportunities and [become aware of] threats faster. Because they can see their environment more holistically and clearly, they'll understand partners and customers better. It's [also] going to change the way employees work.'
(Image: geralt via Pixabay)](https://i0.wp.com/img.deusm.com/informationweek/2016/05/1325557/board-1364649_1280.jpg)
![Employees May Lead The Charge
AI is creeping into organizations in various ways, online and embedded in enterprise applications. The trend is accelerating, necessitating the C-suite's attention, since it will at some point noticeably affect corporate culture and business strategy.
'The tipping point for the acceptance and widespread application of AI will not come from the C-suite, but from employees seeing the benefits of AI in their daily lives through applications like intelligent personal assistants and smart devices,' said Robert DeMaine, lead technology sector analyst at global advisory service company Ernst & Young (EY), in an interview. 'Like the [bring your own device] trend, employees will begin to use their own 'smart' personal productivity applications in the office, challenging the organization to reassess its policies. AI will change corporate culture from the bottom up, not the top down.'
(Image: Broadmark via Pixabay)](https://i0.wp.com/img.deusm.com/informationweek/2016/05/1325557/demonstration-301529_1280.jpg)
![Organizational Structures Will Shift
Hierarchical organizational structures adversely affect business agility and the ability to drive value from data. Similarly, the lingering barriers between departments and business units limit a company's ability to derive additional types of value from data because data remains trapped in silos.
'Projectized' organizations, which operate in a matrix environment, are better positioned to take full advantage of AI systems [than] vertical organizations are,' said Armen Kherlopian, VP of analytics and research at business process transformation company Genpact, in an interview. 'This is because these so-called projectized organizations can more readily gain access to resources and key business channels across the enterprise. Additionally, the levers associated with [business] value do not fit neatly into vertical groups.'
Genpact estimates nearly $400 billion of digital investments were wasted globally in 2015 because of a failure to align expected results throughout organizations.
(Image: geralt via Pixabay)](https://i0.wp.com/img.deusm.com/informationweek/2016/05/1325557/mark-516278_1280.jpg)
![It's Not All About Technology
AI is gaining momentum as entrepreneurs, industry behemoths, and companies in-between bring AI products, tools, APIs, and services to market. However, as always, the successful application of technology isn't simply about technology. It's about technology, people, and processes.
'A company will be distinguished by how well it works using AI, and increasingly human-digital convergence, rather than by which specific AI technologies it chooses to deploy,' said Deborah Westphal, CEO of strategic consulting and advisory firm Toffler Associates. 'If a company only addresses the technological elements, without addressing the organizational people and process aspects, it may see a short-term gain, but will suffer in the longer term and likely be [sur]passed by those companies that addressed the internal questions first.'
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![Employee Empowerment Is Necessary
Companies have worked toward democratizing the use of data analytics, enabling managers and employees to make better decisions faster. As the velocity of business continues to accelerate at scale with the help of AI, even more employee empowerment will be necessary.
'AI and greater human-digital convergence magnify the strengths and weaknesses of an existing corporate culture, particularly with respect to how much autonomy is afforded to an organization's people,' said Deborah Westphal of Toffler Associates. 'Given a faster rate of change and near real-time environment in which to make decisions, an organization's people who don't have the necessary autonomy will find that its processes, no matter how good, will break down quickly and its ability to serve its customers [will be] compromised.'
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![Expect The Unexpected
AI should not be viewed as simply another technology acquisition, because different things are required to get it up and running successfully. Because the purpose of AI is to provide a superhuman analytic or problem-solving capacity, its training cannot be limited to executing mindlessly on a task.
'You can't assume that how you train these systems is going to produce the results in the context you want them to be produced,' said Michele Goetz, a Forrester principal analyst. 'There has to be an emotional element [because] if you're introducing AI in your call center, you don't want to offend your customers.'
Because AI learns from itself, as well as from its human trainers, unexpected circumstances can arise which may be positive or negative.
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![Pay Attention To Possibilities
Data-driven companies, including IBM, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Netflix, are constantly pushing the envelope of what's possible in order to accelerate innovation, differentiate themselves, and, in some cases, cultivate communities that can extend the breadth and depth of AI techniques and use-cases. It's wise for C-suite executives to understand the kind of value AI can provide, and how that value might help the company achieve its strategic objectives.
'Machine learning techniques are what make a company like Amazon truly successful. Being able to learn from historical data in order to recommend to a given shopper what [she] may buy next is a key differentiator. Yet, the real 'Deep Learning' techniques are still just emerging,' said Mike Matchett, senior analyst and consultant at storage analysis and consulting firm Taneja Group, in an interview. 'Google will not just win 'Go' championships, but will drive cars with [AI], optimize their data center with [AI], and in my opinion, will try to own the global optimization clearing house for the Internet of Things.'
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![Change Is At Hand
The composition of the C-suite is changing to take better advantage of data. Data-savvy executives are replacing their traditional counterparts, new roles are being created, and leaders generally are finding themselves under pressure to understand the value and impact of data, analytics, and machine learning.
'As the C-suite becomes increasingly filled with analytical minds and more data scientists are hired, a cultural shift naturally takes place. Some of the new, fast-growing executive roles [include] chief data scientist, chief marketing technology officer, [and] chief digital officer. All are aligned with the growing demand and anticipation for AI,' said David O'Flanagan, CEO and cofounder of cloud platform provider Boxever.
At many levels, non-traditional candidates are displacing traditional roles. For example, the Society of Actuarial Professionals is actively promoting the fact that although most actuaries work in the insurance industry, there are non-traditional employment opportunities, including data analytics and marketing. O'Flanagan expects more members of the workforce to have backgrounds in fields of study such as econometrics.
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TheIdea – The Innovation Agency 
