In his keynote during the annual Swiss Solidarity partner day on Apr 4, 2019 Marcin Wesołowski demonstrated that successful and lasting change needs to involve four critical aspects: mindset, culture, behavior and structures (i.e. organization and technology). He stresses the fact that mainly focusing on technology in transformation initiatives is starting at the wrong end.

1. Digital
Transformation
Don't start at the
wrong end
Marcin Wesołowski
Chief Digital Officer
Swiss Red Cross
Photo by Filip Mroz on Unsplash

2. 1.
Digital
Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

3. ...when it comes to digital
transformation, digital is
not the answer,
transformation is.
— George Westerman

4. Digital Transformation is not
about technology
1. This is no job for IT
2. There will be no slides on
technology
Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

5. 2.Transformation
Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash

6. Global Transformations #TheFutureIsNow
Image © by IFRC

7. Effectivity
Efficiency
!
➡
"
➡
#
Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash

8. Digital natives are (almost) the majority
Figure by Bogdan Sutter (pwc)

9. The DNA of your customers1
has
changed
—are informed
—have a choice and a voice
—expect more:
—to invest and shape
organizations
—24x7 service from anywhere
in the world
—smooth, top-notch user
experience
1
donors, volunteers, etc.
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

10. There is only one boss:
your donorshe can fire everyone in your organization by just
donating somewhere else
original quote by Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

11. There is no transformation... only perpetual change
Figure © by Alain Veuve

12. Consequences (or what digital
really means)
—inside-out ➡ outside-in
—control ➡ agility
—closed silos ➡ open
networking
—top-down ➡ peer-to-peer
Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

13. 3.How we work
Photo by Simon Matzinger on Unsplash

14. Your organization is flat-lining

15. The traditional pyramid
organization is too...
—slow and inefficient/ineffective
—centralized and inward-
looking
—bureaucratic and
intransparent
—much control-oriented
—little customer-oriented
for today's (digital) world.
Illustration by BetaCodex©, an open source, free culture technology published under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 license from Creative Commons, and found here: www.betacodex.org

16. In traditional organizations
80%
of energy are consumed by the
system, while only
20%
flow into (external) value
creation
Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

17. If a typical digital project in a
traditional business would be a
soccer game...
⚽
—00:00-30:00 ➡ 11 Strikers
—30:00-45:00 ➡ 11 Defenders
—45:00-75:00 ➡ 11 Midfielders
—75:00-90:00 ➡ 11 Goalkeepers
Photo by Sandro Schuh on Unsplash

18. Complicated vs. complex
—In complex systems behavior
is non-predictable.
—Working on separate parts
doesn't improve the whole. In
contrary, it is damaging.
—What really helps is fostering
interaction between parts.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

19. Organize for complexity
—Cells as autonomous, cross-
functional teams
—Organizations as a
decentralized &
interconnected network of
cells
—Aligned with value creation &
informal structures
Illustration by BetaCodex©, an open source, free culture technology published under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 license from Creative Commons, and found here: www.betacodex.org

20. 4.How to change?
Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash

21. Four quadrants describing any living system
Illustration based on Integral Theory by Ken Wilber and its adaptation by Kay Lummitsch

22. Myths about change
—People do not resist change
as such. They struggle with
adaptation.
—The problem is in the system.
Do not work on the people,
but work on the system -
together.
Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash

23. Myths about change (cont'd)
—Change is not a journey.
—Change is more like adding
milk to coffee, a series of
interventions
—Change comes after irritation.
Change management is
exercising constructive
irritation.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

24. Change as a process
1. Create a sense of urgency
2. Build a guiding coalition
3. Form a strategic vision
4. Enlist a volunteer army
5. Enable action by removing
barriers
6. Generate short-term wins
7. Sustain acceleration
8. Institute change
From Leading Change by John Kotter, Photo by Holger Link on Unsplash

25. Don't start at the wrong end!
Organizations which design
systems ... are constrained to
produce designs which are
copies of the communication
structures of these
organizations.
— M. Conway
Photo by Jim Witkowski on Unsplash

26. Key takeaways
—Create a strong sense of urgency for why a
change is needed, form a coalition
—Work on the system and structures through
constant irritation and observation
—Don't try to create a culture or focus on
technology first, they will follow nimbly

27. Whenever you think you
reached enlightenment,
go and meet your parents
for a week.
— Alan Watts

28. Version for digital conferences
Whenever you're returning inspired, motivated, and
keen to finally leverage Digital - just go back right
into your daily business and join some meetings.
— Kay Lummitsch

29. Marcin
Wesołowski
Chief Digital Officer
Swiss Red Cross
hello@digital.redcross.ch
LinkedIn / Twitter
Image by Pete Pedroza on Unsplash