How do we ensure renewal, innovation, and change in large companies? And can business models be changed to create new business opportunities? Here is how you can position your company to stay in front of the development.
Hilde Tonne has been working with technology and innovation somehow during her entire career. She’s now working as the Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) in Ramboll Group and has previously been a part of Telenor Group Executive Management, including Executive Vice President for Industrial Development and Deputy Head of Telenor Asia.
During her presentation on stage at Oslo Business Forum, Tonne shares her insights regarding the importance of digital transformation of large corporations.
Change is Coming From Technology
According to Tonne, larger companies must focus on change coming from technology. “There is a challenge due to changes in the technology. The digital transformation in the world of large corporates is conservative and it challenges the engineering consulting industry. Delivering a business model is no longer sustainable. We have to find new ways to deliver technology. We need to work on new business models, engage and work with clients.”
Tonne delivered a story about a project she worked on with her previous job in Telenor, in Bangladesh. What she learned from the project is that customers are driving development. They forgot to listen to the clients. The people living in Bangladesh wanted access to use phones with fast 4G, but Telenor only provided 2G phones that could only be used for text and calls.
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Business Done Right can Change and Develop the World
Tonne explains that “Digital technology ignores country borders. It goes across everything and crosses kingdoms. This is the nature of what the clients actually see. Customers are driving the development, putting themselves on the agenda now, much more than they did before.”
We are in a need of a change in the mindset, a new way of working and sharing competence, and according to Tonne, we need to work on mobilizing competence. Currently, 15,000 engineers are being exposed to automation. We need a change of competence and work on a value chain close to the clients and customers. We have to deliver what the customers want. To manage this we have to be relations orientated, open, structured and prepared, explains Tonne.
When We Open Up, the Best People Want to Work for Us
Tonne explains that companies need to open themselves up to be able to attract the best people from the entire globe.
“If we restrict ourselves, do you think we are going to win? We need to be open to diversity, different ages, women, brown skin and non-Scandinavians. If we are not doing that it will hurt us." -Hilde Tonne
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