After three decades in his industry, Marc Adams of Verizon, has seen a rapid advancement in technology that has led him to where he is now-- driving one of the nation’s largest telecommunications companies IoT development efforts. As a leader in his field, he specializes in developing commercial synergies to advance technological growth. During one of the most unprecedented times in America, Marc is proud to be a part of “an industry and company that keeps us all connected.”
P33, embodies the past, present, and future of Chicago. Its name refers to “purpose, plans, people, and progress” as well as the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair and their hope to accomplish their company’s mission by 2033. In this episode, P33’s SVP of Ventures, Brandi Bridges, joins us to discuss how her organization is helping build up Chicago’s tech ecosystem and promote inclusive growth in our city. If you’re curious about Chicago’s role in the tech ecosystem today, there’s no one better to turn to than Brandi.
The job of a Chief Wagon Officer at one of the world’s most iconic brands, Robert Pasin says, is to “lead a team of flyers… an incredibly creative group of people who design and develop awesome products that inspire active play.” Creativity is at the heart of Radio Flyer’s purpose and after 100 years in business, they have perfected the balance of innovation and tradition. He joins us on #UnlockingInnovation to share his company’s continually inspiring story.
Northshore HealthSystem - The world of healthcare has completely transformed since we last spoke to Dr. Nirav Shah, Infectious Disease Physician and Medical Director of Quality Innovation and Clinical Practice Analytics at NorthShore University HealthSystem. Dr. Shah joins us again to talk about how the challenges of this year have shifted his focus of work, how healthcare systems are using emerging technologies and the shocking effectiveness of potential COVID-19 vaccines. He also shares positive news about how NorthShore is using data to fight healthcare disparities.
As the year draws to a close, many business leaders find themselves in the same boat: spend your budget surplus or risk losing it. Even more of a challenge is finding a way to spend an excess budget that’s impactful and delivers value to the organization (no more coffee mugs!). When evaluating opportunities to make the most of the year-end, you should be looking for quick wins that drive impact for your team, while also setting your department up for success in next year’s first quarter. Here are five ways to end the year on a high note and get a jump start on reaching next year’s goals that won’t require months of planning.
1. If you’re ‘Zoomed’ out...
If you’re currently working remotely, months of virtual meetings have probably left you with at least some degree of digital fatigue. On top of that, we don’t have the opportunity to get together with our team members for the typical end-of-year town hall, party, or gathering to celebrate everything we’ve accomplished together.
Whether you’re missing out on your usual holiday party or a 2021 planning session (or something in-between), there’s a better way to end the year than a 500-person Zoom. Instead, deliver a more immersive, interactive experience for your team.
Our suggestion? A customized Microsoft Teams environment with collaborative activities, engaging breakout rooms, guest speakers, and even analog tie-ins to make the experience feel more like an in-person event (think: a semi-virtual wine tasting or delivered meal).
2. If you’re ready to get a head start on 2021 innovation…
The pandemic has forced all of us to rethink how we can best meet our customer’s needs, but it isn’t always easy to do. If you’re ready to begin working towards 2021 goals and start developing a new digital product or solution, gathering your team for a Human-Centered Design Lab is a quick and easy way to deliver impact in Q4.
Why? Using Human-Centered Design Labs help teams develop solutions with greater efficiency by using a framework of collaborative activities focused on the goals of the end-user. In a half-day session, your team could have their next great idea (or three) storyboarded and ready for development. This gives you an opportunity to connect with your team, while delivering the outlines for products and solutions to develop after the session ends.
3. If you have a concept for a new product or solution…
For most organizations, there is no shortage of great ideas, but the process for bringing them to life can be tedious. Rapid prototyping can develop a working model of a product or solution, giving you a tangible output to showcase with stakeholders.
Our team of expert facilitators, UX designers and SME’s can help fast track your team's ideation session. Identifying key elements such as user personas, user experience goals among other essential elements are all part of our rapid ideation labs. Whether you are looking to further develop an idea, explore business modeling or the value of an idea, EX3 Labs can help you.
4. If you want to advance diversity and inclusion efforts…
As recent events have proved, fostering a diverse and inclusive company culture requires work. Even as the year comes to a close, there are still opportunities to get your department together in a virtual environment to discuss D&I topics in a structured, gamified manner that encourages people to connect and learn from each other.
In our current climate, building a more thoughtful, more emotionally intelligent workforce is one of the most critical aspects of future planning. Building these soft skills and encouraging coworkers to explore different perspectives may sound like a complicated task, but using immersive learning tools can make it easier to build knowledge that will last. Solutions like Inner-Action™ workshops from EX3 Labs can create impactful learning experiences in just a quarter or half-day session.
5. If automated workflows are part of your 2021 plan…
Now more than ever, business leaders are being challenged to do more with less. Many large organizations have departments and workers engaged in processes that include repetitive, routine tasks that take up huge chunks of time (and therefore, budget). Luckily, infusing automation into workflows is an attainable end-of-year goal.
Business process automation increases efficiency improves the quality of work and reduces costs. As you plan for 2021, it’s not too late to identify areas in your business that could most benefit from automation. Exploring which tasks can be automated all the way through development and implementation, EX3 Lab’s team is here to help create a frictionless, lightweight experience for you and your team.
“Are we maximizing our decision making opportunities by ensuring we have different perspectives around the table?” asks Melissa Donaldson, Chief Diversity Officer at Wintrust. Roles like hers aren’t new (as she points out, diversity and inclusion efforts in the workplace began in the 1940s), but it comes with new challenges in the modern workplace. Melissa approaches each challenge, she says, by asking “what if we looked at things another way?” She discusses this approach as well as the close relationship between D&I and innovation.
“I can’t think of an industry that has a greater impact on the future of our society,” says Phil Nevels, Director of Innovation and Partnerships at Exelon. He joins us on #UnlockingInnovation to share how his company's mission to provide reliable, clean, affordable and innovative energy products is helping to create a brighter and more sustainable future. Phil also provides insight into how his team uses an incremental approach to change within the 34,000 person organization.
“There’s disruption happening around us all the time… it’s about understanding how quickly that’s going to happen and how fast you need to respond,” says Shannon Gilmore, Managing Director at KPMG. In this week’s episode, she breaks down KPMG’s approach to innovation, how she evaluates enterprise investment opportunities, and keys for leading remote teams.
Supporting a remote workforce isn't just about making sure your team has access to the tools to do their job remotely. It's about knowing the shifting conditions in business and being able to optimize the experience for your workforce so that can operate with a high-level of speed, efficiency, and effectiveness.
Think your organization has this covered? The truth is, you might to a certain extent. However, we are living in a new age of business that requires constant recalibration in order to meet the shifting expectations of both customers and workforces.
This Enterprise Agility Report outlines key findings and insight derived from a study surveying how various large-scale organizations collaborate remotely.
Molson Coors Beverage Company - “I don’t take it for granted that things will work out… you have to be ready to pivot,” says Sofia Colucci,VP of Innovation at Molson Coors Beverage Company (formerly MillerCoors). She is responsible for transforming the beer giant’s innovation approach during a time where more and more consumers are looking for hard seltzers and other novel products. On this week’s episode, Sofia explains how she has managed to shift from the traditional, while keeping consumer needs at the forefront.