{"id":142332,"date":"2021-05-13T08:22:03","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T08:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sap.com\/africa\/?p=142332"},"modified":"2021-05-13T10:19:09","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T10:19:09","slug":"african-enterprises-build-your-boat-now-before-the-next-tsunami-hits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.sap.com\/africa\/2021\/05\/african-enterprises-build-your-boat-now-before-the-next-tsunami-hits\/","title":{"rendered":"African Enterprises: Build Your Boat Now Before the Next Tsunami Hits"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
Much has been written about the pandemic\u2019s impact on business and its role as a once-in-a-generation catalyst for accelerated digital transformation. Across the continent – in enterprises large and small, and in every industry – business leaders have had to adapt with great urgency to survive the immediate disruption and ensure the long-term viability of their businesses.<\/p>\n
Organisations that had already embarked on the journey toward becoming intelligent enterprises \u2013 those enterprises that seamlessly blend data, technology, systems and processes to enable real-time insights and decision-making across the business – would have had the benefit of a warship when the pandemic tsunami first struck.<\/p>\n
Their greater resilience and adaptability not only cushioned them from the worst impact, but in many cases enabled quick pivots to new business models that secured their survival and accelerated their success.<\/p>\n
The less prepared would have been floundering in their makeshift canoes, often tossed and turned with little means to steer their organisations through stormy seas.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that we are sailing in uncharted waters and towards an uncertain future.<\/p>\n
Having the capability to quickly deploy new technologies – such as AI-assisted processes or scalable cloud applications – empowers organisations with agility and adaptability, both essential elements of success in our turbulent times. What\u2019s more, it lends a sense of certainty to the decisions they make, as such decisions are grounded in accurate data.<\/p>\n
The hybrid work environment most organisations have had to adopt has created new challenges for managers and leaders to effectively motivate, guide and manage their teams. While challenging, this fundamental cultural shift toward more flexible work holds the promise of finally unlocking the possibilities of the digital workplace, which holds the potential for more measurable and manageable ways of work<\/a>.<\/p>\n Organisations need real-time insight into employees’ current state of mind, their perception of their work, challenges keeping them from performing at their best and gaps in processes such as onboarding. This allows business leaders to make quick adjustments and maintain a positive and fulfilling employee experience at every step.<\/p>\n Using an experience management tool that produces measurable, data-driven insights can bring structure and consistency to how organisations respond to employee expectations. Technology is an invaluable tool here: only two in ten employees in one study strongly agreed<\/a> that their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work.<\/p>\n New modes of leadership are also needed. I strongly believe the time is over for one-dimensional organisations that focus purely on chasing quarterly revenue targets.<\/p>\n Analysts estimate that purpose-driven organisations have 30% higher levels of innovation<\/a> and 40% higher levels of talent retention. What’s more, one study found that purpose-driven organisations had a 13.1% average annual return on equity<\/a>, compared to a 4.1% average for the S&P 500 over a ten-year period.<\/p>\n