When we built the Alias Visualization Studio, our quest was the best blend of space and technology. As work patterns continue to shift, this blend has never been more important.

The Viz Studio design remit was to create an environment which could simulate many forms. Think of it as a large room with movable walls lit by a dozen projectors. Our first guest was Mark Parker on the very day he was named CEO of NIKE. Despite his obvious workload, Mark chose to go ahead with the visit—including hours in the air—to come see us.

Planning and Acting are symbiotic. The best laid plans feed on information. Action creates information through learning.

This year, we’ve all been forced to take action without preparation. Fast iterations have won out.

Delighted for the opportunity to kick off the technology track at Transcending the Crisis last week in front of a global audience.

My takeaway—don’t outsource your own disruption.

… when I’ll be kicking off the tech track for the global virtual conference—Transcending the Crisis.

This is the 200th edition of my newsletter—every week since September 2016. A lot’s happened in that time, but I prefer to use these milestones to look ahead.

So—what’s coming up for you?

The term “Human factors” was invented by technologists to denote things that weren’t technology.  I sometimes fear—with all the talk of digital-this, AI-that, and remote-working-other—that we miss the point of going digital. 

Digital resilience is designed to help colleagues and customers thrive in the context of your business. Building a robust business with Digital Resilience offers 9 principles to help you envision, adopt and leverage the practice of technology in your future.

Disruption is one of those words—like innovation—that’s bandied around all too loosely. 

As both disruptor and disruptee, allow me to offer my definition.

Disruption(n)—a tectonic shift in your environment that changes fundamental assumptions about your market and/or your operating environment.

Way back last month, I wrote about the agile crash course that all businesses are living through.

The question now is how long can you sustain this way of working?

You partner with your customers, right? Do you lead them, do they lead you, or do you take turns?

Innovative businesses can spend years trying to lead the future. All of a sudden, customers are leapfrogging.

If you’ve ever run a startup, you’ve lived at the junction of opportunity and crisis every day. If you haven’t, thinking like a startup can help you overcome a crisis.

Constraint generates innovation. When supply outstrips demand, we try new solutions. Yet again, the virus is forcing a re-think and walls of resistance are tumbling

When we make new products, we test our theory of what the customer needs. Pivoting is the act of changing that theory in light of game-changing market feedback. The market’s been pretty loud these last 100 days, and more businesses are attempting the pivot than at any other point in history.

It’s a skill I write about in Trusting Technology, and one that will stand you in good stead for the recovery.

“You’re on mute” has been the phrase of the month as folks everywhere learn how to control their video call experience. If my mike is muted, you won’t hear me.

I’ve been preaching Agile as a means of Trusting Technology for decades. Suddenly, it’s all the rage.

Operating a remote business is different. Now that many co-located teams have been forced to disperse to home bases, the focus is how best to operate in a remote environment.

I’ve helped dozens of leaders roll out remote working programs—often despite initial reservations—and actually increase the productivity of their business. I’ve released a new paper to help you apply some best practices to your business

“Flattening the curve” and “physical isolation” are terms that have barged their way into our vernacular these last few weeks. Testing is complex, time consuming and costly. That’s why I love innovations that help us get ahead of the spread. Innovations like flatten.ca.

Look around your office or living room right now and consider how many objects can be traced back to the wave of innovation driven by the panic of World War II. We’re starting to see the same pattern play out again with COVID.

When I wrote Trusting Technology, I got to ask the question “where do ideas come from?”. I hope my answer was a good one, but we’re facing a much more immediate inspiration—the adversity of disease and a threat to the health of our families, friends and colleagues.

Trusting Technology is about bringing your ideas to life. Visioning is exciting and Launching is fun. It’s time to talk about the hard part—navigating the change as the rubber hits the road.

If you’ve ever planned and executed a major business upgrade, you’ll know that no plan survives first contact with reality. The work of staying on course—or changing course if circumstances dictate—is the hard part.

I devoted an entire Chapter of Trusting Technology to Building Confidence with change. A kind reader suggested that I share that with you all as a guide to dealing with the massive change management exercise that’s been dropped in our laps.

If you’ve never run a remote business, you've just faced a tough decision.

Decision made, it's time to support your team through a difficult change.