When the Apple Macintosh hit the market, analysts were not impressed. But Steve Jobs’ vision ended up transforming our lives. Apple is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and has become a global household name. Jobs’ ability to direct his organization to develop easy to use products not only met users’ expectations, but also introduced new ways to use phones, tablets and computers, and set new standards for the industry.
While individual efforts by business units may produce new efficiencies and incremental revenue gains, only leaders can launch and guide coordinated enterprise-wide organizational and business transformation. Leaders use experience and resources to understand their organization’s value chain and their industries. They develop business insight, and use analytics to guide decisions and set strategies.
To start, organizations need to evaluate their current capabilities across four organizational pillars: people, processes, infrastructure and culture. Effective leaders develop strategies to leverage and redirect existing capabilities to achieve their vision.
As we celebrate President’s Day in the USA this week, we’re reminded of and inspired by leaders like Washington and Lincoln who shaped the history of the country. Genuine organizational transformation also requires committed and visionary leaders. The application of analytics to derive business insight helps these leaders fine-tune their vision, validate their assumptions, and develop sound business transformation strategies.
Aiman Zeid has spent years working with C-level executives promoting and developing strategies to encourage the use of analytics throughout the enterprise. His book, Business Transformation: A Roadmap for Maximizing Organizational Insights, will be published by the Wiley and SAS Business Series this March.
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