{"id":10042,"date":"2015-06-18T10:51:50","date_gmt":"2015-06-26T16:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doubleyuu.com\/?p=10042"},"modified":"2020-07-28T15:08:21","modified_gmt":"2020-07-28T13:08:21","slug":"digital-mindset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doubleyuu.com\/en\/2015\/06\/18\/digital-mindset\/","title":{"rendered":"Operating like a startup: How a digital mindset can be established in traditional companies"},"content":{"rendered":"

What makes a startup successful? It has the right idea at the right time. And it implements this idea in the market before anyone else does. Nowadays, 90 percent of all innovations are controlled digitally. Thus, big traditional companies have to integrate the mechanisms of startups in their culture in order to keep up with the market. Otherwise someone else would build the emission-free luxury car. This calls for a digital mindset. But where does it come from? And what is it all about?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the last question: \u201cDigital mindset\u201c basically means that employees are familiar with digital applications and have a general digital literacy. The majority of employees \u2013 no matter in which department they work \u2013 have to understand how digital processes work and how they affect their business. Furthermore, processes need to be designed in a way that people can learn from mistakes very quickly. Continuous reflection loops and retrospectives, which are typical for startups, have to be implemented.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go on with the next question: Where does such a mindset come from? As our experience shows companies and especially development departments for human resources have to catch up. A digital mindset cannot be taught like an excel program, a language or product knowledge \u2013 it should develop just like the way it should be practiced: networked, open, participative and agile. (I have talked about the new management principles networking, openness, participation and agility \u2013 NOPA \u2013 in a previous article<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Leadership development goes BarCamp<\/h2>\n

Good personal development is able to convey a digital mindset according to the principles of NOPA \u2013 just like I have currently witnessed in a publishing house in Hamburg, Germany. Through a BarCamp, an open and participative event, managers were enabled to understand what connected work feels like. (Whoever does not know what a BarCamp is: Here<\/a> are further information.) It was fascinating to see how digital and traditional minded leaders in a long-standing company work together to create and bring on a new, digital inspired management culture.<\/p>\n

Eight experts were part of the BarCamp \u2013 all of them are trainers and coaches from the internal management training program. Each participant got to choose workshops from four of the experts, experiencing how leadership in the digital age changes. The managers were allowed to bring in their own ideas which were integrated into the workshop. Topics like \u201cagile management\u201c or \u201cdigital leadership\u201c \u2013 a workshop that I moderated \u2013 attracted great interest, followed by exciting discussions and talks.<\/p>\n

Cooperation is gaining importance<\/h2>\n

The results from the workshop were interesting as well. Here are the essential results:<\/p>\n