Evolution of Modern Enterprise

By Avinoam Nowogrodski

Clarizen’s Avinoam Nowogrodski tells Business Management how real time enterprise can streamline communication and increase efficiency.

Many companies today view themselves as embracing the future by adopting modern business practices and technologies, however their processes and corporate cultures can expose them as seriously in need of a major introduction to the modern world of the real-time enterprise.

It used to be rather easy to pinpoint what defined a company. Companies had tangible products, a clear hierarchy and employees that you could supervise and communicate with in person. A company's intellectual property was the products they produced, and it was less important how they produced them and at what cost.

Globalization has forced companies to think differently and become more agile and dynamic. With the ability to speak the same language and use the same tools (such as Microsoft Word) and with the improved infrastructure of the internet as a solid platform for business execution, the new demands and expectations of global organizations have created new challenges and introduced great opportunities. A company can now differentiate itself by being more agile and responsive to change by being one step ahead of the game. The focus has shifted from what to how. 

When companies were centralized and local, management styles tended towards a 'command and control' approach, where all decisions were centralized at the top and dictated down the command chain. There were lower expectations for real time responses and reactions because the infrastructure was simply not there to support it.

For companies to succeed in the new world of globalization and the culture of Web 2.0 immediacy, managers now understand that success can be achieved only through delegation, distribution and communication. Using tools available on the Cloud, access to real time information across the corporate landscape gives managers the ability to sense internal and external challenges and respond accurately, effectively and immediately.

A key factor in successfully managing globally distributed organizations today is the ability to delegate the ability to make decisions. We no longer have the luxury of passing the buck, and we don't have the time to refer decisions up the hierarchy and wait for responses. Truly agile companies have given their managers the authority to sense and respond to their own challenges. But responsible senior managers can only have the confidence to delegate if the right tools and infrastructure are in place to provide a real time, accurate and specific information about their organizational workings.

The next level of work place optimization and modernization is the ability to give a voice to each and every employee and to give them the tools they need to contribute, affect and react to the day to day challenges they encounter on the job. With the socialization of work management, end users now get a voice within the organization, now they become a unique and critical contributor to the work process. For the first time, the human need to communicate is being facilitated in the most relevant forum, in day-to-day work, where good and timely communications are a critical factor for success.

Now, for the first time, management can hear the voice of each and every employee in ways that are relevant and effective for critical business decisions. With the ability to make real-time decisions, workers are more involved, accountable and empowered to perform and deliver, making the whole organization more productive. With the emergence of enterprise ready Software as a Service (SaaS) tools on the Cloud, management now has access to information across the globe, across the hierarchy and across cultures giving them the ability to make the right decisions at the right time.

Biography

Avinoam Nowogrodski is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in founding and managing software companies. Avinoam brings insight and expertise to Clarizen's vision of bringing work management to every business. Avinoam successfully founded and managed several companies, the most recent of which, SmarTeam Corporation.