North American companies, Wipro found that more than 85 percent anticipate EMAs will add ... Understand that your employ
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Driving Innovation for Transformation: How CIOs Can Capture the Opportunity in Mobile Business Applications
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Driving Innovation for Transformation: How CIOs Can Capture the Opportunity in Mobile Business Applications By Joe Zurawski
Popular business media is filled with articles hailing mobility and Enterprise Mobile Applications (EMAs) as the catalyst in the next wave of business transformation. It’s not hype. C-level executives are clearly intrigued by the possibilities. In a recent survey of 161 senior business and IT leaders in
But beyond that, the path is less clear. How do you advance
North American companies, Wipro found that more than 85
from off-the-shelf EMAs that replicate office processes to
percent anticipate EMAs will add value to the work performed
"Transformational EMAs" that will reinvent critical business
by employees—potentially providing a strategic business
processes and achieve the competitive advantages anticipated
differentiation. A whopping 93 percent expect EMAs will help
by the Wipro survey respondents? Who will create and
improve sales win rates, and 84 percent anticipate
develop these all-new EMAs, and what processes are needed
improvements in internal operations.
to get there?
Those are big expectations, and the early path to this
The key to unlocking this potential is to define how your
breakthrough seems clear. Enterprise software providers will
workers will use mobile devices in the years to come—and this
offer a stream of "Collaborative EMAs" that will extend
will happen by creating an internal approach in which your IT
current
workflow
and Product Development resources collaborate using
automation, and interactive product experiences—from the
innovation techniques and processes. Who should lead the
PC to mobile devices.
effort to fundamentally transform the way workers get things
business
applications—like
CRM,
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done? We believe it's an opportunity for CIOs to become
points to a quick dismissal of apps that may be visually appealing
organizational change agents.
but provide little real value. According to Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, 68 percent of
Mike Maddock, CEO of 'Agency of Innovation' Maddock
smartphone owners open only five or fewer apps at least once
Douglas, believes this is already starting to happen. "Chief
a week, and 80 to 90 percent of downloaded apps are
Information Officers are turning into Chief Innovation Officers
eventually deleted. In fact, an app that’s retained by 30 percent
simply by changing the way they approach challenges," he says.
of consumers is considered truly sticky.
"Today’s CIOs often look for ways to best apply their vast
That won’t fly with EMAs. You can’t afford to develop many
technical expertise. Essentially they are asking, 'What can I fix
apps in the hope of having a single hit. For EMAs to be
with this?' Conversely, innovators know to first look for a
adopted—and,
massive industry need and then try to find a technology that
transformational—you have to solve a real problem and add
will best serve the need. Even though this may seem like a
real value. To achieve that, IT organizations must operate like
subtle change in mindset, the resulting innovations can be
product teams.
most
important,
for
them
to
be
game changing.”
Adopting the Innovation Process The Consumer-Influenced EMA Mindset
How does this play out? Perhaps the most important
"Fast Cycle", "Collaborative", "Engaging", "Iterative". These are all
reworking of traditional IT thinking is to understand the
attributes of the new innovation process for IT if you’re to be
need to spend significant time with potential users before
successful in creating EMAs that employees will embrace in
even thinking about what to create. You want to understand
their work. It’s a radical departure from the traditional, "If we
what workers are trying to do in a mobile context, what
build it, users will have to adopt it" technology mindset. That's
challenges and frustrations they have with their current
why IT departments need help.
mobile and wired experience, and what could happen if they were truly untethered.
"Fast Cycle," "Collaborative," "Engaging," "Iterative." These are all attributes of the new innovation process for IT if you’re to be successful in creating EMAs that employees will embrace in their work.
In other words, you need a product development team layered into a traditional IT team—a combined effort consisting of people capable of gleaning customer insights about what they want to do, and translating those insights into high-value EMAs. For example, consider the challenge faced by a hospital whose nursing staff was frustrated by the inconvenience of having to use a variety of paper forms to manually collect data during
Understand that your employees are mobile app experts.They
treatment processes. An IT-led approach to the challenge
have consumer-oriented expectations, and consumer behavior
resulted in a "collaborative" smartphone app to automate the
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process. But since the app simply ported the data collection process from paper to a smartphone, it didn't transform the task or make much of an improvement. In a subsequent approach, IT and Product Development resources were combined, and the thinking was refocused around transforming data collection using tablets. Instead of assuming what the nurses needed, significant time was spent
"The serious innovators will challenge their teams to force-rank customer insights and then, and only then, have their teams create solutions for the biggest one they find."
with them in their jobs understanding their work and how the overall process could be improved.The result was a tablet app that merged multiple paper forms and separate workflows,
But for this model to work, CIOs must nix long development
reduced data collection time, and improved the quality of data
cycles that are aligned with budget cycles and prepare for rapid
via built-in safeguards against incorrect and missing information.
change and even a little uncertainty about what’s coming
Moreover, the involvement of the nurses in the design process
next—not unlike technology itself. Plus, traditional metrics must
meant the app felt familiar and was easy to use—transforming
be revised. It’s no longer about control and governance.
their work experience.
Creating Transformational EMAs is about rapid experimentation and iteration.
Such insight-driven innovation processes and teams are common in industries that rely on new products. In his book, Brand New: Solving the Innovation Paradox, Mike Maddock
First Things First
outlines how such companies insist that their teams focus on
This approach is clearly a radical departure for IT departments
new insights first and technology second in order to
and CIOs, but it’s crucial. Being on the forefront of EMA
consistently hit the mark.
development in your business makes you a key organizational strategist. It’s up to you to take the lead in this initiative, but you
Says Maddock, "The serious innovators will challenge their
can’t do it alone and you can’t do it without C-Suite support.
teams to force-rank customer insights and then, and only then, have their teams create solutions for the biggest one they find.
To get that support you’ll need to link change to business
While this isn’t how many of us imagine big ideas happening,
strategy. What is the transformation you’re aspiring to? What
it is the most efficient way to consistently develop valuable
are some modest approaches you can start with? You'll need to
new products."
identify the functional areas that affect these goals and how EMAs—and what kinds of EMAs—can help achieve the targets.
Keep in mind that your employees don’t necessarily know what they want or what will help them. Your team must take
With C-Suite support and your team in place, you’ll start the
the time to walk in their shoes, closely observing them and
innovation process a step at a time. Get feedback, learn, iterate.
asking question after question to understand why they do
Repeat. It’s a cycle that requires patience—even with success—
what they do so they can identify the function and value that
and perseverance. Inevitably something won’t work and you’ll
can lead to transformation.
have to backtrack.That’s the new normal.
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Once you have an EMA to deliver to your internal "customers,"
Collaborative EMAs from third-party providers can offer
you will have to communicate its benefits and "sell" it. Your
incremental improvements in your business—but that's not
marketing team can assist with that by leveraging the insights
transformational. To achieve the full potential of mobility to
you originally gleaned from potential users as a guide to
reinvent your business, you must evolve your IT development
communicate the benefits of this new "product."
process into one based on innovation and user insights.
As with any new product, you may need to incentivize potential
Today’s C-Suite is looking for that crucial competitive edge, and
users to download and try it—and you must listen to their
they believe Transformational EMAs are the answer. It’s up to
feedback to improve it, replicate it in another context, or be
CIOs to deliver.
ruthless about retiring it if it winds up with low perceived value. Mobility is in the process of changing the way we work and run
Joe Zurawski is Global Practice Partner, Product Strategy and Innovation, for
our businesses, and creating Transformational EMAs is one of
Wipro Consulting Services. He is based in Chicago and may be reached at
the most absorbing challenges CIOs have ever faced. Yes,
[email protected].
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About Wipro Consulting Services Wipro Consulting Services helps companies solve today's business issues while thinking ahead to future challenges and opportunities.As a business unit of Wipro, one of the world's leading providers of integrated consulting, technology and outsourcing solutions, we bring value to our clients through end-to-end business transformation – think, build and operate. Our model for the includes implementing lean process transformation, exploiting new technology, optimizing human capital and physical assets, and structuring next generation partnering agreements that create value and win/win business outcomes for our clients. For information visit www.wipro.com/consulting or email
[email protected].
About Wipro Technologies Wipro Technologies, the global IT business of Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT) is a leading Information Technology, Consulting and Outsourcing company, that delivers solutions to enable its clients to do business better. Wipro Technologies delivers winning business outcomes through its deep industry experience and a 360° view of "Business through Technology" – helping clients create successful and adaptive businesses. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, a practitioner's approach to delivering innovation, and an organization-wide commitment to sustainability. Wipro Technologies has 130,000 employees and operates in 54 countries. For information visit www.wipro.com or email
[email protected].
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