Remember startups in your digital transformation [Podcast]

“I believe that we're still in the first innings in this space,” believes Procter & Gamble’s Tony Saldhana

“That job, by the way, is as cool as it sounds,” said Tony Saldhana when explaining his role— vice president of IT and global business services at Procter & Gamble—to Seth Adler, AIIA Network podcast host.

Prolific on LinkedIn, Saldhana reveals he reads at least five articles every day to keep up-to-date with the latest digital transformation trends and for research to include within a forthcoming book. “I pull the research together with a few thoughts. LinkedIn sharing has actually been part of my research, but it's also a way to actually understand the audience and to see the reactions that I'm getting to those posts.”

“I think what most people are struggling with on digital transformation is how to get going”

“I think what most people are struggling with on digital transformation is how to get going,” suggests Saldhana. This is a topic that's been perhaps oversold, it's been hyped. Most CEOs and boards get it. The frustration is, they're trying out several things and then coming up empty.”

Read more: 8 process keys from top global IA practitioners

“What we have learned is that digital transformation should be your business strategy,” he explained. “I believe that we're still in the first innings in this space. I defined the first innings as industry leaders' boards getting the message, and they're trying very, very hard to do something about it. What it's going to take us to go from the first innings to the second innings is to get clear about the correct next steps that they need to take, so that it can become self-sustaining.”

“Part of what we're trying to do is come up with a methodology, so it becomes mass produced, so everybody can actually apply it”

“I think digital transformation or digital disruption is the stuff that only a few futuristic companies or visionary leaders are successful at. Part of what we're trying to do is come up with a methodology, so it becomes mass produced, so everybody can actually apply it.”

Saldhana considers, if an organization wishes to generate 10X disruption, it is kidding itself if it thinks it can be achieved without a startup.

“The sheer number of startups and the ability for them to innovate on mass is unprecedented. There is not a single problem somewhere in the ecosystem of thousands of startups, that hasn’t been worked on. That's the magic of tapping into that ecosystem.”

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“We’ve put together an ecosystem of users like ourselves—large IT companies that also want 10X disruptive innovation, and startups that actually have most of those interesting ideas. What's in it for us? Rights to actually benefit from these disruptive capabilities,” he explained.

Join Adler as Saldhana explains why you should never give up on a passionate idea even if you fail a few times.

[Listen]

Top takeaway from this week’s podcast

Never rest on your laurels

“It doesn't matter if you're Amazon or Facebook or the next Amazon or Facebook, there's dozens of them [digitally native companies] in garages that are after you. So, there is no resting here. It doesn't matter how good your current solution is, it's going to look absolutely archaic, six months from now.”