As client demands grow all the more challenging, corporate leaders are having to shift gears in the way they develop and offer solutions.
In a panel discussion on transformational leadership at IBM's PartnerWorld Conference, in New Orleans, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty noted the focus on physical products will fall away. ”In future, it's going to be an outcome we provide to clients,” she said, noting that customers won't have or want to understand the ins and outs of the technology - merely what it delivers.
One of IBM's major new client audiences is the CMO. “If you live in a major market and need to grow, either you grow new markets or you take clients from another market,” said Rometty. “In both these instances, it's about marketing.” She added that these new clients will also want different outcomes than traditional audiences.
Other speakers on the panel shared some of their experiences in meeting the changing expectations of clients. Sanjiv Krishen, chairman of Indian IT distribution company Iris Computers, gave an example of his company's policy of being open from 9am to 9pm, seven days a week: “We need to be open when our partners need us.”
The practice began when a partner came to the company one evening in a panic because it needed 31 systems for its client, Bank of America in Calcutta, and Iris opened its warehouse and gave them the systems. The next day the bank called to say thank you, and the partner called to thank Iris for saving its reputation, explaining that “every other distributor said their warehouse closes at 6pm, come back tomorrow”. Krishen added that much of what happens in the field can be taken back to the lab. “We can learn from the client and it transforms our work as a result.”
For another take on transformational leadership, Tetsuo Yamamoto, representative director of Japanese firm Toppan M&I, said he holds a meeting with all his employees on the first day of every month, both to outline the plan for that month, and to share a success story of a service provider team. He also encourages employees to submit regular proposals to the company as a way of driving ownership for new ideas.
On the subject of ownership, Johann Coetzee, MD of South African reseller Datacentrix, said dividing up operations so people experience a sense of pride was important. “If we can break it up, we break it up and give ownership to smaller management teams. Sometimes we feel like we're more in the business of talent management than IT management.”
Finally, Amit R Sheth, MD of IT firm aurionPro, which focuses on financial applications, said he's seeing different trends in different markets. “In developed markets, it's all about efficiency, while in developing markets it's about expanding, innovation and trying to launch new products.
“In the past couple of years, we've also seen a shift in how people are investing in technology, which is becoming more ROI-focused. The key to success is understanding the customer's business vision.”
Rometty agrees with the final point, noting that the smarter planet concept is not just a marketing slogan. “What clients say is that it actually mirrors their aspirations. It gets to the heart of what they speak about. In a government or city setting, for example, it's about the safety of citizens.
“We've outlined an aspiration for the future and for a lot of people it's difficult to see how they wouldn't go down that route.”
(Lezette Engelbrecht is hosted in New Orleans by IBM SA.)
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