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. 

Exponential Organisations

UPDATED: In this Special Interview, Step Change CEO Ashton Bishop picks the brain of Futurist and best-selling author of Exponential Organizations and Exponential Transformation – required reading at the world's top organizations – Salim Ismail.

Hear them discuss:

• The characteristics of successful new business models
• How organisations are changing in order to adapt
• The economic shift from selling scarcity to businesses based on abundance
• How can organisations make money in a demonetised, digitalised world
• Innovation at the edge - the way to disrupt industry

Watch the entire interview below:

Neither size nor depth, nor scale can guarantee the continuity of businesses for tomorrow. We therefore ask the question, what can organisations do to be more future-ready? In this week’s Knowledge Nuggets, a special guest will help you better understand the premise in the book Exponential Organizations by Salim Ismail.

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.

Disruption is coming. How does your business respond?

Disruption is coming. How does your business respond?

What is brand salience? And how does it impact how well your brand is seen by the world? 

Last year saw tremendous growth in Australian ecommerce and is expected to maintain an upward trend in the next few years. Are retailers still on track with their online marketing strategy for 2020?

Once upon a time, everyone turned to CMOs to become champions for the brand for advertising, brand management, and market research. But today’s emerging technologies have pushed CMOs to wear new hats and take on a more blended role across IT, sales, and finance. 

After almost a decade of association and working together at a project level across strategy, creative, and digital, we are solidifying our relationship with The Zoo Republic via a merger. Read on to find out more.

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 year 2020 is an exciting year for the ever-changing landscape of marketing. As we enter into a new decade, we share four important trends marketers need to keep their eyes on.

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.

It’s time for another Stepper Story, and today, we get to know the lovely Amandine, who helps us deliver and implement digital strategies as Step Change’s Digital Director.

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.

Today’s marketing strategies are constantly evolving. As we close out the last few weeks of the year, it’s important to reflect on what current marketing strategies continue to deliver the best results so you can plan for 2020 ahead with the right precision. 

Acquiring 300 leads every month won’t make a big difference if none of them ends up buying from you. Going after every lead can be very costly.

A company’s success largely rests on the strengths of its people. Step Change would not be what it is now without the amazing team that it has assembled. So we want the whole world to know the talented and quirky individuals that make Step Change who we are. Today, let’s get to know Shiela, our Managing Editor. 

Robert Steers, our Director and Head of Digital, made a special guest appearance in the #Katietalks podcast to share his insights on social media trends and the changes he’s seeing in today’s business environment.

With over 18 million active social media users in the country, having a social media platform is vital for the success of your brand. But it’s not enough to post content regularly. It’s all about the long game, so it’s equally vital to know if your efforts have a positive impact on your brand. 

We’ve always believed that companies are only as great as its people. Step Change prides itself in the culture that we have fostered at work with our team, wherever they may be in the world. So we want the whole world to know the talented and quirky individuals that make Step Change who we are.

In a data-led world, businesses are now able to track more than ever before. But we find that they are falling in the trap of tracking too much. Members of the Board have forgotten that reports rarely advances their strategic position in the market, makes a customer happy, or generates profit. 

It’s amazing to see the growth of every Stepper in the agency and how much they’ve contributed to the overall growth of the company. Rob Steers is definitely one of the pillars of the organisation — and though he heads the Digital team, we sometimes unapologetically turn to him for everything from sage advice on SEO to life. Today, let’s get to know his story.

The year is coming to a close and we want to end it with a bang through a series of free events and key offerings lined up for you that are sure to help augment your strategy and add value to your business now and into the future. 

Brands are overwhelming people with so much content when what they actually need are authentic connections. But running on creativity without data just misses the mark. To build authentic and lasting connections with your customers, you need to use data-driven creativity. 

Our CEO is best known as Australia’s Predatory Marketer — an expert in pinpointing how brands can grow by outsmarting their competitors. But few know that Ash took the less-travelled path before becoming who he is now.

Assuming that content strategy and brand strategy are interchangeable is one of the reasons why most strategies fail. So let’s get one thing clear before we dive right into the details: A solid brand strategy informs your content strategy. A well-executed content strategy builds better brand reputation.

Step Change has come a long way as an agency. And though we’ve seen people come and go throughout this time, our remote team in the Philippines continues to provide us with the support we need to shine!  

Today, let’s get to know one of our PH team members, the ever-dependable Antonette.