Steve Peltzman - How Forrester used its own research to turn digital disruption onto itself

transcript

Forrester Labs

Steve Peltzman, Chief Business Technology Officer@stevenpeltzman

November, 2015

speltzman@forrester.com

We work with business and technology leaders to develop customer-obsessed strategies that drive growth.

Why can’t big companies see it coming, or do anything about it?

“I’ve had a front-row seat to the failure of many companies … In the dwindling years of these enterprises, … even as the organization continues funding customer research, its executives pay less attention to that research. Why? Because they are distracted by internal problems and capacity issues.”

“The irony of this shift in executive attention away from generating value for customers to salvaging internal processes is that it is the ideal way to ensure that the company won’t innovate its way to a solution. Instead, it will self-obsess into oblivion.”

Typical company innovators ask, “How can we make a new product like the ones we already make, that we can successfully sell to customers we know, in the way we already sell it?”

But the disruptor asks, “How can we give people something they really want?

Innovation & Digital Transformation:

Your budget won’t allow it.Your legacy prevents it.

Your company’s culture isn’t ready.

But magic can still happen:You can copy those Digital

Disruptors, and you can be better, stronger, and faster

1. Make it “a thing”

Name itGet a C-level mandate

Establish process with insulationEnable & push an innovation pipeline

2. Change the Culture

Lower the barCrude.. Is good.Concrete vs. AbstractSmall teams - “the 2 pizza rule”The goal is “merely” to learnCreate customer connections

3. Use disruptors’ methods

Crowd-sourced design & developmentDigital platformsFree/cheap tools “Partner promiscuously”Make a sandbox & play in it

1. Is not meant for production2. Is scrappable 3. Is low/no cost4. Can’t use main resources5. Doesn’t undermine 6. Is simple and concrete7. Has a very small team8. Favors partnerships9. Is driven by clients’ goals10.Teaches us something

A Forrester Lab Project:

See Acme Security’s approach to avoiding implicit trust assumptions. Acme Product Page

Crowdsourced Wave App Design: 2 Days, $2K

Technology

Business

Culture

Thank you

forrester.com

Thank you

forrester.com

Steve Peltzman, Chief Business Technology Officerspeltzman@forrester.com@stevenpeltzman

Steve Peltzman - How Forrester used its own research to turn digital disruption onto itself

Leadership & Management