"The world is changing faster than ever. With this categorical phrase, Catherine Barba, Internet pioneer, entrepreneur and business angel, talks about the world in which we find ourselves, a world that, in her opinion, "is in rupture".
The changes we are experiencing today force us toin his opinion, understand the world around us better in order to make the right decisions. The more traditional companies have to be aware that "all current revolutions can be represented in exponential curves", he stresses. That is why these organisations need leaders and professionals who have been able to adapt to the new context, to a new way of thinking, to a new mentality. "We are used to thinking in line and we can't do that any more".Barba assures.
Barba's enthusiasm is contagious when he describes the world we live in. "Today all technological innovations are possible: we can build houses in three hours thanks to 3D printing or we have autonomous cars," he says. But what is even more important and historic is that several revolutions are currently overlapping at the same time: artificial intelligence, robotics... There are so many changes at once and this makes it difficult, he says, to foresee or anticipate the world of the future.. Barba exemplifies this situation by alluding to the indisputable fact that today's companies with the greatest economic value did not exist ten years ago. They are companies, therefore, that have not seen this exponential evolution, that were born with a digital DNA.
She is also a member of the Renault board and is very reluctant to talk about digital transformation. She is convinced that the adjective "digital" adds nothing.. It makes no sense because we are facing processes of cultural and organisational change in companies. Technology is a "driver", it is a tool, but what is really relevant is the transformation of mentality that the human teams, the leaders of these companies, have to assume.
On the challenges in the field of organisational transformation, Catherine Barba considers that one of the biggest challenges is how these companies are going to be able to attract talent.But not only to attract them, but more importantly to retain them. And he looks for the explanation in a crucial aspect: young people today want to work on their own or in companies like Google or Facebook. It is really difficult for traditional companies to attract this group. It is for this reason that they have to adapt to the new circumstances and the new language spoken by today's generations. This is where, in his opinion, the process of cultural transformation lies.
But she goes much further in terms of challenges. For this entrepreneur, it is key to "think about the future". "You can't think about today's business, you have to think about tomorrow, about what the business will be like in the future".he stresses emphatically.
Team building is key
His four-year tour of the United States has helped Barba to realise that the so-called land of opportunity is not as advanced as it seems. Entrepreneurship in the United States is located in very specific places, he says. In recent years, he says, "I have seen few companies that are prepared to face the process" of transformation, among other factors because the CEO or the company's management does not have the necessary vision to lead it. This is a fundamental element for a company's cultural and organisational transformation to succeed. So is having a diverse board of directors. Diversity, not only of gender, is central to developing the sensitivity that will help to address the necessary changes.
And another very important element, collaboration with the startup ecosystem. According to Barba, it is not only about talking to them, but also about exchanging experiences and ideas, trying to make the best of what these projects have to offer, and then going on to participate and invest in these companies.
Furthermore, for the transformation process to be successful, it is essential to train the teams. In the investor's opinion, this training should focus on three pillarsDigital culture, where the focus should be on the new business models that are appearing on the market; the current meaning of the customer (who is not only the person who buys a product or a service) and entrepreneurship.
Our conversation concludes with Barba's plea for the need to incorporate failure as an essential factor for any business or entrepreneur to move forward and improve.. Failure is not a bad thing, quite the contrary. And it is something that has been incorporated in the process of change. Exactly the same is true for two values that are sometimes forgotten, humility and authenticity.
Barbara Yuste
Director of Digital Communication at Proa Comunicación