Post on 12-Apr-2017
transcript
Conversations from BarcelonaAll (transformative) roads lead to Digital
“Conversations from Barcelona” features my takeaways from all my conversations with the top decision makers in the world of Telecoms and Digital Transformation at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona…
15040398-hs-00090-Barcelona MWC 2015 DRAFT 04.indd 1 16/04/2015 17:16
Conversations from Barcelona
All (trAnsformAtive) roAds leAd to digitAlA few years ago I reported on the start of virtualization
and anticipated Cloud deployments (even if we could not
have imagined how widespread they would become), on
Mobility (nor could we have anticipated the ubiquity
of smartphone usage), and the inevitable need for
Cyber Security (which has become even more critical).
After a few days of overdosing on coffee
and meetings, and a lot more listening,
several observations come to mind:
More and more of the same
Tablets, Phablets & Smartphone suppliers were in
full force, with a multitude of extremely similar
and un-differentiated products! There might have
been a better camera here or a faster processor
there, but I challenge a reasonably informed user
to tell the difference if we removed the logos! It
is now back to basics: differentiating products
by offering a smoother user experience, linking
devices and applications, using reverse logic
translate the consumer experience to a more robust
professional experience (with additional security,
consistent response rates and availability).
The move towards the edge
The huge drive to virtualize almost everything
in the network, had brought to the forefront
the basic network capabilities (and their
Achilles heel: access), bringing more
processing power closer to antennas. Quite
a few solution providers were talking less
about backhaul (network efficiency) and
more about front haul (that is the end-user
experience) and moving some of the network
intelligence from the core to the edge.
2 Conversations from Barcelona
15040398-hs-00090-Barcelona MWC 2015 DRAFT 04.indd 2 16/04/2015 17:16
Innovation vs Integration (and potential asphyxiation)
Many of my contacts at the established players
(irrespective of size, maturity or business model) seemed
to be more focused on delivering existing business or
product plans, rather than on breakthrough change.
This led to my question “when does a company stop
driving disruptive change?”, and the responses that
were either very defensive or extremely frustrated! Even
if our industry thrives on disruptive innovation, most
established players (with a few possible exceptions) are
committed to deliver on current products and have less
of an inclination to disrupt the current business. So if
we agree that it is the startups & spinoffs that champion
disruptive innovation, then maybe the success or failure
of larger companies will be dependent on their ability
to acquire and integrate new businesses than about
inventing the new innovative business themselves!
For an innovative industry, too many players deliver on existing products, and are less inclined to disrupt the current market model.Bigger, Better, Faster Data, and a lot more of it!
There were too many cars on the stands, connected
cars bien sure! Intel and Ford have had a consistent
message for years, Peugeot said that they have around
100 sensors in 800,000 of their new cars generating
(Terabytes of data,) Visa even had a demo of how to
order and pay for pizza without leaving the car! Novelty
aside, small companies like Sigfox (connected objects),
announced the closing of over 100 million Euros of
funding to deploy their networks internationally, IoT is
no longer a nice concept, it is actually happening! With
it will be the need for newer and cheaper networks,
for security, and also for the capacity to collect
and analyse an unimaginable amount of data.
There is an emerging need for cheaper networks, higher security and the ability to collect and analyse huge amounts of data
Human Capital Implications
It is inevitable that there will be a talent crunch for
leaders with the following skills and experience:
Big Data: choose what you need
Obviously there will be a strong need for deep
technical and analytical skills to crunch and analyse
the data, however at the leadership level, there
will also be a need for the combination of business
and logical/analytical skills to choose the relevant
criteria to create actionable & business impacting
information from the mountains of raw data.
Will the next new role will be that of the Chief Data Officer, one who can turn (silver into gold) data into information ?
Innovation: integrate but don’t asphyxiate
Other than the transformational leadership skills
that many companies have been trying to develop
over the past few years, as well as the ability to
adapt their organisational culture to agile and
innovative, the collective skill that now comes
to mind is the ability to acquire and integrate
companies without losing the skills, products or
innovative momentum of the acquired companies!
Execution: Own the process not the resources
Organisational silos are still there and need to be
worked across, there is more complexity than ever
before, and there is a much faster pace & a sense
of urgency. Companies will not be able to develop
everything in-house, and will need to partner with
others. Success will be a function of their ability to
partner with the best in class solution providers
than try to reinvent the wheel on their own. n
Heidrick & Struggles 3
15040398-hs-00090-Barcelona MWC 2015 DRAFT 04.indd 3 16/04/2015 17:16
Heidrick & Struggles is the premier provider of senior-level Executive Search,
Culture Shaping and Leadership Consulting services. For more than 60
years we have focused on quality service and built strong relationships
with clients and individuals worldwide. Today, Heidrick & Struggles
leadership experts operate from principal business centers globally.
www.heidrick.com
The insight and intelligence is from my conversations
with the key decision makers in our industry,
and I am grateful for their time and insight. Any
potential errors in interpretation or in “connecting
the dots” are mine! Readers’ comments and
suggestions areas as always are most welcome.
Ahmad HassanPartner, Technology & Digital Transformation
ahassan@heidrick.com
Copyright ©2015 Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without
permission is prohibited. Trademarks and logos are copyrights of their respective owners.
hs-00090
15040398-hs-00090-Barcelona MWC 2015 DRAFT 04.indd 4 16/04/2015 17:16