The Step Change Blog

When it comes to running a business, it is important that you stand above the competition. And in the dog-eat-dog business world it is no longer enough to just offer great products. It is also necessary to take your customer’s comfort into account. 

What’s the use of having the best tech and services if your customers can’t get a hold of your product in the most efficient way possible? Or if they do get the product, it becomes a struggle to have it repaired or returned. This is where Experience Disruptors come in.

Developing Team Efficiency

UPDATED: Change continues to unravel itself daily. Whether it’s premeditated like a goal you’ve been meaning to achieve or something that’s caught you by surprise such as a pandemic– the truth that change will always be with us still remains.

The choice between simply managing change and leading change, however, makes all the difference.

In a special interview, Scrum Co-author J.J. Sutherland talks about:

• The importance of embracing change and using it for growth
• How Scrum-oriented organisations are faring in the midst of drastic change
• The value of happiness and connection among teams in relation to productivity
• His new book The Scrum Fieldbook: Faster Performance. Better Results. Starting Now.  
• Whether you are setting up a small business or running a multi-million dollar company, team efficiency is what sets you up for success.

In this week’s Knowledge Nugget, let us take a closer look at Scrum by Jeff and JJ Sutherland. 

Understanding different aspects of human behaviour is crucial to every strategy. In this week’s Knowledge Nugget, we’ll take a closer look at Switch by Chip Heath & Dan Heath.

How are today's technologies and current trends shaping and changing the world we live in, and how is it impacting today's businesses?

In this week’s Knowledge Nuggets, we’re covering The Fourth Industrial Revolution by Klaus Schwab, chairman of the World Economic Forum. 

UPDATED as of 10 July 2020

In a special interview with Step Change, Dual Transformation co-author Mark W. Johnson shares valuable insight for businesses looking to reposition themselves in this new normal while creating the future ahead of them.

The business model innovation and new growth strategy expert also discusses:

• The A+B+C model business seeking transformation and momentum should adapt
• What successful businesses are doing right and what others are getting wrong in their transformation journey
• The importance of having a vision and a hands-on approach to leadership

Watch the video now.

Disruption is imminent, and organisations must find a way to be more resilient as they step forward into growth and implement their transformation efforts.

Step Change works with some of Australia’s largest and fastest-growing businesses to effectively communicate business strategy and market insights from the bottom up. 

The new year is here! And as we venture forward with fresh business insights and useful strategy, here are the top 10 articles most popular with C-suites in 2019 that you may have missed. 

Many companies today are opting for procurement to manage their marketing spend. But marketers and agencies have always been at odds when it comes to procurement. Understanding the role that procurement plays and how it impacts marketing is crucial to not only save on costs but to pave the way for better alignment in achieving the brand’s vision.

Customer-centricity used to be something that the marketing department was responsible for. But in the Age of the Customer, it needs to be at the heart of the business, which then ripples right through every department — from operations to marketing, sales, management, legal, and compliance.

The latest economic figures released by the Bureau of Statistics show that the Australian economy is slowing down. What can businesses do to thrive in a recession? We turn to one of history’s greatest strategists and a ruthless warrior, Genghis Khan.

Many Australian companies are complacent about the effect of disruption in their industries. But disruption today can displace market leaders, their products, and their services. Responding to disruption means businesses need to think fast and act fast.

There’s a need for strategy because time, dollars, and focus are scarce and limited resources. A strong business strategy is the application of these resources for maximum leverage.

There’s no getting around it. Today’s consumers hold the power to dictate business outcomes. But with more businesses struggling with their digital transformation initiatives, how can taking a customer-led approach to transformation lead to better results? 

Even with the best ideas to market, many challenger businesses are struggling to get their business from the ground up. But if you’re lucky enough to be one of the very few startups that receive Venture Capital funding, the next step is knowing how to maintain your competitive edge for the next funding round.

Retailers are killing value. With consumers having more choices than ever before, mistakes that retailers make can be costly.

UPDATED as of 03 July 2020.

Boards are essential for strategic success, but for them to add greater value into your strategy, they need to be involved. That means going beyond the yearly off-site strategic planning.

UPDATED: As of 25 August 2022

Should brands aim to be different or distinctive? What is the difference between the two, and how do these strategies add value to the branding equation? We take a closer look at shared evidence and form our own conclusions on why distinctiveness stumps differentiation.

Australian banks and financial institutions are losing the faith of the consumer. It isn’t a problem of regulation or profit alone. It’s a problem of public perception.

UPDATED as of 03 July 2020.

Whether it’s launching a new product line, executing a brand awareness or implementing your internal comms strategy, there is one thing we know that’s certain: collaboration and integration across multiple teams are keys to get the job done and get results. But this is not always easy.

Customer lifetime value is a critical factor in business success, but not all companies are tracking it. Many companies do not measure it, do not know what it is, or choose to completely ignore it.

How do you describe “insurance” or  “healthcare” or “software” so your potential clients can grasp the value of something they can’t see?

Building an innovation pipeline means curating inspiration as a renewable resource. To accomplish this, you need to develop a system that both drives and supports an innovative culture.

If marketing automation is a great tool for businesses, how do we build an airtight business case for it? And how can we get our stakeholders and the sales team on board?

There have been a number of significant changes over the recent years along with a new set of challenges that the aged care sector is facing — from deregulation, the Royal Commission, and shifts in customer preferences. As a result, aged care providers need to find new ways to stand out and gain the trust of their potential customers.   

To wrap up a productive 2018, we’re rounding up our best articles that have hit a spot with many C-suites, Senior Executives, and Marketing professionals.

The best solutions arise at the intersection of strategy and creativity.

No matter where you look, industry giants like Google, Apple, and Amazon are dominating the disruptive space and taking the lead in the use of emerging technologies. But for small and mid-sized business challengers, does taking on today’s new technologies actually make a difference?

Many nonprofits today run their organisations just like any other business. Although many may not be in it for the money but solely to advance their humanitarian goal and mission, there are essential points they need to keep in mind to acquire confidence and gain trust among donors and investors, respect in the market, and support from the public.

Earlier this year, CB Insights analysed 101 startups post-mortem to know why startups fail, and the number 1 reason has nothing to do with technology.

We’ve just come out of Roy Morgan’s State of the Nation, focusing on consumer financial behaviour in Australia, and we wanted to bash out our very own ‘quick and dirty’ update on the key insights as we saw them.