The new year has always been a time for reading and reflection. It’s also been an opportunity to pause and think about the disruption of the past two years: at work, in tech, and in our day to day lives. For this reason we asked our Upstart colleagues to recommend their current reading on the …
The CogX Festival 2021 was as thought-provoking and dynamic as ever. But with dozens of sessions every day, and hundreds of speakers, how do you stay on top of technology and innovation in sectors as diverse as healthcare, mobility, smart cities, and construction?
So? Upstart’s approach to strategy starts by defining and framing a problem statement – we then look at how we can solve that. Almost always that involves a change in behaviour of those involved in addressing the strategic change. Behaviour change is an often-used, poorly-understood term. Our team’s expert Joel Shopland explores the backdrop behind …
A recurring theme of digital transformation is the difficulty of bringing about change in organisations and individual behaviours. Tech vendors sell on promises of greater productivity, but this can be wiped out if employees become physically and mentally unwell. We look at how digitisation is making work unhealthy and helping provide solutions. Too Busy? Download …
Uncertainty is everywhere – whether it’s created by weather, politics or unstoppable digital disruption. In this guest post, for Upstart, advisor and Non-Exec Director Jill Ridley-Smith explains how business leaders should embrace and deal with it, rather than use it as an excuse to postpone decision-making. As we write, businesses and individuals in the UK …
Auditing. It’s essential but not that exciting. Until, of course, you find a “black hole” – an unexplained lack of money where there should be some. Then it gets the wrong kind of interesting. There’s no better example of this than UK café chain Patisserie Valerie’s plunge into a £40m black hole in its accounts. …
Can strategists learn from tech teams? We think so. Global leaders in software development are combining development and operations teams, and using the DevOps approach to increase time to market, improve quality and break down silo-ed disciplines and cultures. Modern strategists can learn much from this approach, not least how to shorten timelines and get …
Starting the new year with a bloated inbox and a saturated newsfeed populated with marketing content? Making space for valuable information could leave you feeling a little lighter. So? Like most in the western hemisphere, chances are you’ll be returning to work this week and doing two things. First you’ll be making a pledge to …
Got Info-Indigestion? Stop Gorging, Start Moving Read More »
Sector Expertise. It’s a rare and valuable resource. Traditional consulting has been selling it by the yard (or more accurately, by the chargeable day). Yet as disruptive tech rewires sector after sector, it can be more useful to look outside your own industry to see how you can adapt and survive. So ? We meet …
Think you’re an expert? Look outside your industry… Read More »
Mention the word “design” and most people will conjure up images of a visual aesthetic or finely crafted products. In reality, design practice is fundamental to strategic thinking and purposeful innovation. It’s a discipline which thinking spans logic, creativity, intuition, and systemic reasoning. When applied correctly, it can enable businesses to to explore the possibilities of …
