The Existential Threat of Irrelevance
Becoming “Irrelevant” in a changing world is an existential threat.
For GBS, for sure, as well as many other organisation units . . .
More than ever . .
Just stop and think about those global brands that became irrelevant almost overnight – Blockbuster, Kodak, Borders, Blackberry, Toys “R” Us . . . .
Great businesses in their own way.
There is now a new energy in boardroom discussions on reshaping the future of work itself, and the future and structure of the enterprise.
Every conversation ends with the same question.
“How Do We Prepare for What’s Next?”
Becky Frankiewicz, President and Chief Strategy Officer at ManpowerGroup describes this question that even CEOs can’t answer.
Leaders know AI is reshaping work. They’re investing in technology, AI and Agentic, experimenting with new tools, and moving quickly to create incremental value.
What they’re trying to understand is what comes next. How are our consumers changing? How will our business change for the long term? Which skills will matter most? How do you prepare your people for a future that is still unfolding?
If you are an enterprise leader reporting into the C-Suite, in GBS, Technology, Procurement, Marketing, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Sales, HR, Finance . . . . think hard.
Ask the same questions of your own leaders and get engaged in the discussion with your executive stakeholders.
If we are not thinking out of the box beyond refining our own efficient operating models, about our “WHY?”, about enterprise value, driving top and bottom line impact for the business, we may just wake up one day and find the world has passed us by.
“Only the paranoid survive!” was the iconic call to action from Andy Grove, founder and former CEO of Intel, under whose leadership became the world’s largest chip maker and one of the most admired companies.
Probably worth taking a leaf out of his book (he wrote the book 😉 !)
I suspect there are 6 parallel “Calls to Action” for us . . .
- Think like a CFO, “Outside In” . . .
- Be clear on the enterprise value, the sustainable growth, P&L and Working Capital you can directly contribute to, as well as support . . .
- Focus on the core enterprise Value Streams, those true end-to-end processes . .
- Be part of the conversation
- Avoid complacency of past successes – be like Andy, be paranoid . . . .
- Be ready to chart the future of your enterprise, your organisation and your people . . .
“Human Potential Is Becoming More Valuable, Not Less”
You can read “Only The Paranoid Survive” by Andy Grove here . . .
Thanks for reading . . .
The Existential Threat of Irrelevance