If designed, implemented, and executed effectively, mobility will not only complement an existing business strategy, but it will enable organizations to drive growth and profitability. In my last three blog posts, I articulated the case for mobility and the role that an integrated mobility strategy should play. For the next several posts, I want to highlight the key elements for success with mobility that you should consider before embarking on your mobility journey.
I believe that many of these soft elements play a crucial role in our success and are akin to the soft skills that we look for in a talent search—even when we recruit for the most technical roles. Moreover, these soft elements are critical in validating your execution readiness, whether you are part of a Fortune 500 company, a small-to-medium enterprise, or a small team within a large enterprise.
Mobility Leadership Starts With Leading By Example
Before anything else, mobility leadership requires passionate commitment and clear-cut direction on the value and use of the mobile technology. As champions of the mobile cause, they lead by example. Their wholehearted adoption sets an example for the rest of the organization to follow.
This means that they are keen not only to consume the data on mobile devices, but also to apply the insights derived from these mobile assets to the decisions that matter. Using mobile solutions demonstrates firsthand the business value of mobility. This clear and consistent message for everyone to follow provides the necessary raw material that will drive adoption.
Mobility Leadership Is Not Optional
We need leadership because, unlike grassroots efforts, business and technology projects require a top-down approach. Mobility is no different. Whether your mobility strategy is developed as part of a structured corporate project or as a standalone engagement, leadership must deliver three critical ingredients:
- The mobility strategy is in line with the overall business and technology strategy.
- The required resources are made available.
- Necessary guidance is provided in order to stay the course.
Mobility Demands A Different Kind Of Leadership
The need for leadership is not unique to mobility projects. However, strong leadership is especially important in the realm of mobility because of how new this technology is and how rapidly the technology continues to change. The leadership commitment is, without a doubt, the single element that will have the most direct impact on the success of mobile initiatives. Thus, the ideal leader of a mobility initiative is a champion of the cause, a mobile transformer” and the most active consumer of its solutions.
Moreover, the nature of mobile technology—unparalleled convenience, speed, and ease of use—makes it easy for executive management to be involved closely and play a unique role. Unlike those in the PC era, the new mobile-driven business models provide a perfect combination of speed, access and convenience. This ease of use makes mobile devices an ideal candidate in winning over even those executives who may have been initially uneasy to consider mobility or to use it in their daily decision-making activities.
Finally, when we discuss mobility leadership, we are talking not just about the typical technology leadership roles such as the CIO or CTO, but also other members of the executive suite to provide the right level of partnership with the business community.
Bottom Line: Leadership matters because in its absence of it, even with the most advanced technology in place, we will face an uphill battle.
What other aspects of leadership do you see playing a role in success with mobility?
Kaan Turnali is Global Senior Director, Business Intelligence (BI) at SAP. He is responsible for the development, oversight, and execution of strategy for the BI platform across SAP’s Global Customer Operations (GCO) Reporting & Analytics Platform. In addition, he manages special mobile BI projects for the Office of the CEO and the GCO senior management team.
Prior to joining SAP in 2006, Kaan worked as a senior BI consultant specializing in strategy, design, and development of enterprise BI solutions for SMB and Fortune 500 companies. His background and experience in the integration of business and technology span over two decades. He is an adjunct professor, teaching BI in the doctor of business administration program at Wilmington University.
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