How to Stay Agile in a Changing World

As the global pace of change continues to increase, organisations face the challenge of staying agile while still surpassing their objectives.

Over the past few years, the idea of an accelerated rate of change for business has become a common theme. Decades ago, it would have taken businesses years to bring new products to market. Now, as anyone who works in the supply chain knows, the pressure can be on to complete the same tasks in just a few months. 

And nothing has increased the pace of change recently as much as the pandemic, with research showing that COVID-19 accelerated digital transformation for businesses by a whopping seven years.

So how do procurement professionals and leaders stay agile in what is now a constantly changing world? 

One person who understands the need to be agile more than most is Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, Chairman of INGKA group (IKEA), and Former President and CEO of Tele2 AB. At the Big Ideas Summit London 2022, Lars will share highlights and advice from his illustrious career, as well as some of his top tips for staying agile. If you can’t wait until then, we have a sneak preview for you right here!

There is No Recipe for Success

The internet abounds with recipes for success. Whether it’s joining ‘The 5am Club’ (where you commit to waking up at 5am every day to practice meditation and mindfulness), or becoming what Forbes calls a “Conscious Hustler”, there is a huge variety of blueprints all claiming to be the secret to success.

People’s desire for a ‘recipe’ for success is so prolific that the world’s best-known business book, Peter Drucker’s ‘The Effective Executive’, has sold more than 10 million copies, and it’s estimated that the self-help industry will soon be worth a cool $14 million. But is success as easy as simply changing your habits or reading a book? 

Not quite, says Lars-Johan. In fact, to stay agile and succeed, he thinks that you constantly need to reinvent yourself, and doesn’t believe in following a “structured academic recipe” for success. 

Stay Close to the Customer 

One thing that many large, global corporations have not done well in the past is staying close to their customers. Many corporations feel they have become ‘too big to fail’ and, as such, don’t pay as much attention to their customer base as they should. 

There are many examples of this, where confusing policies and mixed messages have led to awkward situations that could just have easily been avoided. One such recent example involved an American Airlines customer being asked to exit a full plane due to the large musical instrument she was carrying. Although the flight attendant assured her she could board the next plane with it, she was soon told that she couldn’t carry it at all. 

Confusion over procedures and rules, from the front line right up to senior management, can lead to poor customer service experiences. This can have a knock-on effect on brand image and value, not something to be taken lightly in the era of faster dissemination of information in a 24-hour news cycle and on social media.

Despite the fact that technology exists, and is increasingly being implemented, that can monitor customer service experiences, it is still essential, regardless of your role, to stay close to your customer. This is a big part of staying agile, Lars-Johan says, as if there are issues in an organisation, your customers will experience it first. 

“In today’s era, where algorithms are monitoring our behaviour constantly, I’m convinced that being close to the customer, in person, is more important than ever.” 

The Environment Can’t Come Second 

When it comes to sourcing, focusing on ethical practises really needs to be a priority. This needs to be applied throughout the supply chain, encompassing everything from eliminating modern slavery, to setting, meeting, and hopefully exceeding, emissions targets. 

A large part of staying agile in today’s ever-changing world is ensuring that you stay ahead of the curve when it comes to ethical sourcing, including avoiding these common pitfalls. And, if you’re a major retailer (or, realistically, any type of organisation), Lars-Johan truly believes that the environment can’t come second. 

“The demand on you as a major retailer is to put environmental responsibility and ethical sourcing high on the agenda. It has become a hygiene factor.”

There is no escaping the spotlight, and transgressors in this area are frequently outed by the general public, with boycotts and B2B Activism eventually forcing companies into climb-downs or facing consequences of a financial or brand perception nature. 

However, many organisations are taking this message on board and not just stopping at compliance, but going beyond this to make a real and lasting positive change to the world. Companies like this are following in Lars-Johan’s footsteps and now it’s up to the remainder to get on the same path.

Want to hear more secrets to success and staying agile from Lars-Johan Jarnheimer? You need to register for the Big Ideas Summit London 2022! Our event takes place on the 16th of March, so you better hurry, as places are filling up fast.

Find out all you need to know right here.