The adage, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” though a cliché, holds an underlying truth. Collaboration often leads to more effective outcomes. An organization, whether temporary or long-standing, is a collective of individuals working toward a common goal, shaping various industries over time, like the centuries-old European breweries tracing back to the Middle Ages.
Throughout history, technology has significantly shaped private and public entities. The Industrial Revolution propelled factories into 24/7 production, sparking the need for diverse roles like procurement, inventory control, and accounting. Concurrently, governments expanded, responding to burgeoning public service needs and introducing new regulatory landscapes, consequently fostering consultancy, accountancy, and legal services.
In the past century, these transformations standardized organizational structures. Most businesses adopted typical departments like finance, HR, marketing, and sales. With the dawn of information technology, the IT department joined these ranks.
Initially experimental, information technology matured, paving the way for digital services. Emerging digital businesses leveraged multifunctional teams and minimal support staff, relying on generic IT systems. These disruptors, capable of rapid empire-building, set new organizational benchmarks.
However, many traditional companies superficially imitated these changes, incorporating ping-pong tables and scrum masters without addressing underlying cultural or hierarchical issues. Consultants thrived on these projects, delivering results without instigating substantial change due to management’s reluctance to cede control or alter behavior.
Traditional organizations operate with departmental information flow, whereas digital organizations foster a democratized, readily accessible information lake, enabling a shift toward less hierarchical, more people-oriented structures.
Within the concept of digital organizations, I’ve elaborated on the following:
Organizational Design
Today, technology is changing how companies work faster than ever before. The way teams are organized and how work gets done is shifting because of digital changes. This section explores how technology is shaking up the traditional ways businesses run, showing how it affects how people collaborate and succeed in a constantly changing world.
Digital Skills
In today’s tech-driven landscape, organizations require two skill sets to navigate evolving technology and IT applications: technical ICT skills, encompassing coding basics, and abstract digital skills focused on adeptly utilizing digital tools in a business context. While discussions often prioritize technical expertise, the overlooked yet crucial abstract skills wield substantial long-term value for organizations.
Business Ecosystems
Exploring the concept of business ecosystems reveals how organizations, intertwined within interconnected networks, can identify partnerships, unearth market opportunities, and contribute beyond shareholder interests to societal advancement and environmental enhancement.
Chief Digital Officer
The evolving landscape of IT leadership, encompassing diverse roles like CIO, CTO, and CISO, leads to the emergence of the Chief Digital Officer (CDO), tasked with integrating digital services into the business fabric, navigating the transitions from Automation to Information Technology and finally to Digital Services.
Service Broker
A ‘service broker’ is an intermediary entity or platform that facilitates the connection and interaction between service providers and service consumers within a network or ecosystem. It serves as a centralized point responsible for managing, coordinating, and sometimes even mediating the delivery of services between different parties.
Service Management
Exploring the evolving landscape of IT service management, this discussion navigates beyond ITIL and related frameworks, delving into customer-centric perspectives, complexities of service delivery, and the pivotal role of IT departments in balancing value and complexity.