Bruno Berthon (Accenture): Getting a good understanding of data and an "agile culture" are the first digital capabilities to be developed!

As written before – the keynote sessions of this year’s Enterprise Digital SUMMIT are focussing very much on the essential shifts for the understanding of the operating models for the enterprise in the digital age. While we have already discussed the various new technology developments and currents like AI or messaging platforms that are impacting the operating models on various levels, we haven’t yet discussed the “people” and “process” part of the general “operating model frameworks”. As a key aspect for the “people” and “process” part of the operating model many though-leaders are defining the “capabilities” of the “people” and the “processes” to realize the defined strategy of the business model.

Therefore talking about the “key digital capabilities” helps sharpening the understanding of the future models for the enterprise. Aligning with this we have conducted a very interesting interview with Bruno Berthon, Managing Director of Accenture Strategy, back in September last year about the “Being Digital – Seven Essential No-Regret Capabilies” that he co-authored with some more Accenture colleagues. The key idea of the the paper was to explore the “things” that managers can do and prepare when they do not really know exactly what to do for becoming digital.

The key recommendations Bruno Berthon brought up in the interview – on the question where to start – was the understanding of company’s own “data” and the establishment of an “agile culture” – that allows the company to move faster and experiment with new digital opportunities. In regards to the readiness of European companies he outlines the sectorial differences and the different industry-related forces and constraints that deterine the different levels of “digital readiness”. As the enabling role for the “digital transformation within the organization he is not really convinced of the one and only “Chief Digital Officer” that is the new “top change agent” for the enterprise but sees evenly for centralized as decentralized organisation the success in the team efforts of CEO, CMO and CIO for becoming “digital. This also aligns very nicely with a recent post by Dion Hinchcliffe.