Established in 2014 by a group of five friends in the Czech Republic, Behavio Labs was a consumer behaviour analytics company that launched the popular product Minute. The Minute digital application accurately measured respondent views and expanded employee engagement to help companies make the right decisions when launching new products, or to improve employee working conditions. By 2018, Behavio Labs had achieved considerable success in the Czech Republic with this product, but it wanted to expand globally. The company developed built-in scalability in the fully digital Minute product for international application. To determine which markets to enter, the founders planned to evaluate 29 countries across Europe, as well as the United States. It had to develop criteria to assess the most suitable countries for market entry, identify the most attractive customer segments in these countries based on revenue potential, develop a strategy for entry, and determine the typology of potential partnerships.
Serge Belamant was the founder and chief executive officer of Net1 UEPS Technologies (Net1), a US$600-million company that had a contract with the South Africa government to pay social grants to the poor. The contract was controversial from the start and was under scrutiny through multiple legal challenges and three different investigations, including by the US Securities Exchange Commission and the US Department of Justice. When Belamant discovered a paper describing a conspiracy theory alleging that he and Net1 were involved in a form of corruption known as state capture, he believed he could be the victim of a disinformation campaign and wondered what to do.
VaycayNation was a German start-up operating an online travel and booking portal. Despite its recent growth, the firm still had low brand awareness in the German market. As a remedy, the chief executive officer planned to invest in a major television advertising campaign to attract more visitors to the company's website and thus improve its customer awareness. He wanted to build the campaign based on a solid understanding of how executional campaign elements related to the firm's website traffic. He asked his newly hired team member to use her analytical skills to prepare the data, structure her analysis, and interpret the results in order to provide clear guidance for him and the company.
Windmill Microlending, was established in 2004 by a group of community activists who saw the need to help Canadian newcomers restart their careers. The organization offered microloans to help pay the costs of reaccreditation and training. The organization's first chief executive officer was hired in February 2017, and by September 2017, she had formulated a new vision for the organization that would address three goals: growing the number of clients and the number of loans, increasing clients' success and their job placements, and maintaining the loan repayment rate. She also needed to address whether Windmill Microlending should expand into other cities and provinces and how to diversify the organization's funding sources and revenue streams to generate more operating revenue and loan capital to support the required growth. She needed to present her vision and strategy at the next board meeting and ensure the board was onside.
VaycayNation was a German start-up operating an online travel and booking portal. Despite its recent growth, the firm still had low brand awareness in the German market. As a remedy, the chief executive officer planned to invest in a major television advertising campaign to attract more visitors to the company’s website and thus improve its customer awareness. He wanted to build the campaign based on a solid understanding of how executional campaign elements related to the firm’s website traffic. He asked his newly hired team member to use her analytical skills to prepare the data, structure her analysis, and interpret the results in order to provide clear guidance for him and the company.
Established in 2014 by a group of five friends in the Czech Republic, Behavio Labs was a consumer behaviour analytics company that launched the popular product Minute. The Minute digital application accurately measured respondent views and expanded employee engagement to help companies make the right decisions when launching new products, or to improve employee working conditions. By 2018, Behavio Labs had achieved considerable success in the Czech Republic with this product, but it wanted to expand globally. The company developed built-in scalability in the fully digital Minute product for international application. To determine which markets to enter, the founders planned to evaluate 29 countries across Europe, as well as the United States. It had to develop criteria to assess the most suitable countries for market entry, identify the most attractive customer segments in these countries based on revenue potential, develop a strategy for entry, and determine the typology of potential partnerships.
Windmill Microlending, was established in 2004 by a group of community activists who saw the need to help Canadian newcomers restart their careers. The organization offered microloans to help pay the costs of reaccreditation and training. The organization’s first chief executive officer was hired in February 2017, and by September 2017, she had formulated a new vision for the organization that would address three goals: growing the number of clients and the number of loans, increasing clients’ success and their job placements, and maintaining the loan repayment rate. She also needed to address whether Windmill Microlending should expand into other cities and provinces and how to diversify the organization’s funding sources and revenue streams to generate more operating revenue and loan capital to support the required growth. She needed to present her vision and strategy at the next board meeting and ensure the board was onside.
Serge Belamant was the founder and chief executive officer of Net1 UEPS Technologies (Net1), a US$600-million company that had a contract with the South Africa government to pay social grants to the poor. The contract was controversial from the start and was under scrutiny through multiple legal challenges and three different investigations, including by the US Securities Exchange Commission and the US Department of Justice. When Belamant discovered a paper describing a conspiracy theory alleging that he and Net1 were involved in a form of corruption known as state capture, he believed he could be the victim of a disinformation campaign and wondered what to do.
In early 2019, the general manager of Little Short Stop Stores, a chain of local, family-owned convenience stores in southwestern Ontario, Canada, was projecting a loss for that year. The loss was due in part to a provincial minimum wage increase to CA$14.00 that came into effect on January 1, 2018, increased from $11.60 in 2017 and $11.40 in 2016. Before this change, the store chain had been exceeding the average industry growth rate by 5 per cent for the previous five years. The general manager had to determine how to respond to mitigate the revenue loss and to ensure the company remained competitive in the future. The company was already operating efficiently and competitively, so the focus would be on increasing revenues. The company was further constrained by its revenue mix. Two-thirds of its revenue was generated by tobacco products and lottery tickets, which had prices set by regulatory bodies. The general manager was open to considering all options for future growth. However, he was constrained by the family firm’s preference to avoid long-term debt and expansion beyond its current geographic boundary.
In June 2018, Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services, Ltd., one of the largest infrastructure and financial services companies in India, shocked the investment community by defaulting on several debt repayments. Its previously highly-rated debt instruments were downgraded, triggering fears of a market liquidity crisis. In an attempt to defuse the crisis, the Government of India appointed an interim board of directors comprised of industry professionals. The new board faced the difficult task of getting the company back on track, but it first needed to answer several questions: What governance and intermediation failures led to this crisis? What was the company’s current financial position? What options were available to remedy the situation?
In January 2020, the co-founder of Alpha Advantech LLP (Alpha Advantech), an agricultural and gardening products company based in Karnal, Haryana, India, had to decide whether to drive an organic growth strategy and utilize his resources to expand the company’s operations, or stick to consolidation and market penetration with the current range of products. Alpha Advantech had performed well since its inception in 2016, and the co-founder aimed to make it a ₹600 million company by 2022. However, the current team size and scale limitations of the company were potential impediments to achieving this target. The co-founder could not decide whether to let Alpha Advantech stay niche in the business or to expand it both geographically and in terms of its range of offerings. He realized that if he were to choose expansion over consolidation, he would need to devise a strategic plan for Alpha Advantech’s growth, assess the technical and digital capabilities that his company would require, and anticipate the scalability issues it was likely to face.
Transformative digital technologies are changing leadership standards along with every other aspect of business. To succeed, leaders will need to respond in five key ways: championing inclusivity, learning fast and wide, collaborating more intensely, nurturing creativity, and acting as digital guardians.
In January 2020, the co-founder of Alpha Advantech LLP (Alpha Advantech), an agricultural and gardening products company based in Karnal, Haryana, India, had to decide whether to drive an organic growth strategy and utilize his resources to expand the company's operations, or stick to consolidation and market penetration with the current range of products. Alpha Advantech had performed well since its inception in 2016, and the co-founder aimed to make it a ₹600 million company by 2022. However, the current team size and scale limitations of the company were potential impediments to achieving this target. The co-founder could not decide whether to let Alpha Advantech stay niche in the business or to expand it both geographically and in terms of its range of offerings. He realized that if he were to choose expansion over consolidation, he would need to devise a strategic plan for Alpha Advantech's growth, assess the technical and digital capabilities that his company would require, and anticipate the scalability issues it was likely to face.