"Culture eats strategy for breakfast"

Copyright © 2015 Wonder Group. wonderagency.com
“CULTURE EATS STRATEGY
FOR BREAKFAST”
TOBIAS DAHLBERG | WONDER AGENCY
WW...

COPYRIGHT © 2015 WONDER GROUP. WONDERAGENCY.COM
IT’S THE END OF THE
WORLD AS WE KNOW IT.

WELCOMETOAWORLDOFUNPRECEDENTEDSPEEDOFCHANGE.
THE AGE OF FLUX

TOOMANYOFFERINGS,CHANNELS,MESSAGES.
CLUTTER

HYPERCOMPETITION

CREATIVE DESTRUCTION

IS THIS THE END
OF SUSTAINABLE
COMPETITIVE  
ADVANTAGE?

IMPLICATIONS?

UNPREDICTABILITY AND UNCERTAINTY

NO ONE IS SAFE.
SAFE IS THE NEW RISKY.

THEOLDINDUSTRIAL
PLATFORMISCOLLAPSING.
THE OLD BARRIERS TO COMPETITION ARE DISAPPEARING.

IN A TIME OF RAPID CHANGE,
SUCCESS FAVOURS THOSE WHO
MAKE BIG LEAPS IN IMA...

TODAY,ALMOST
ANYTHINGCANBE
COPIEDQUICKLY.
EXCEPTORIGINALITY.
”Don’t play w...

THE ONLY OPTION IS TO BE REMARKABLE.
NOMA’S POP-UP RESTAURANT IN TOKYO HAD...

"It is not the strongest of the
species that survives; nor
the most intell...

Q: HOW DO YOU THRIVE
IN THE AGE OF FLUX?

A: CULTURE

WHAT IS CULTURE?

CULTURE IS VALUES.

CULTURE IS IDEOLOGY.

CULTURE IS CONVICTION.

CULTURE IS IDENTITY

CULTURE IS TRADITION.

CULTURE IS BELIEF.

CULTURE IS GROUP HABIT

CULTURE RESIDES IN THE
HEARTS AND MINDS OF PEOPLE.

EFFECTS OF CULTURE

CULTURE EITHER DRIVES OR
DRAINES PEOPLE’S ENERGY
AND MOTIVATION.

CULTURE IS THE ENVIRONMENT IN
WHICH YOUR STRATEGY AND
BRAND THRIVES, OR DI...

CULTURE MAKES STRATEGY REAL.

CULTURE DRIVES UNITY.

CULTURE ATTRACTS TALENT.

“CULTURE ISN’T JUST ONE ASPECT OF
THE GAME, IT IS THE GAME” 
Lou Gerstner ...

Copyright © 2014 Wonder Agency www.wonderagency.com
“LET’S FIX THE NUMBERS FIRST AND
WORRY ABOUT CULTURE LATER”

WHY CULTURE IS KING

STRATEGY IS INTENTION.
CULTURE IS HABIT.

GETTING CULTURE RIGHTHOW TO FORM NEW EMPOWERING BEHAVIOURS AND HABITS

TWO CRITICAL
COMPONENTS OF
CULTURE.

1. MOTIVATION

COPYRIGHT © 2014 WONDER GROUP. WONDERHELSINKI.COM
“MOTIVATION IS THE
MOST SIGNIFICANT
PREDICTOR OF
SUCCESS”
DR. ANDERS ERI...

THE
MOTIVATIONAL
FORCE OF
EMPLOYERS.

VS.

THE MOTIVATION OF EMPLOYEES.

OLD IDEAS AND DOGMAS STILL PREVAIL.
TAYLORISM AND SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT

THE MECHANISTIC VIEW OF HUMANITY.
ARE WE STILL COGS IN A MACHINE?
REF: KIM...

PEOPLE ARE NOT MACHINES, AND
COMPANIES ARE NOT MECHANISMS!

WE ARE BREATHING, LAUGHING,
CRYING, LOVING, FEARING, CARING
CREATURES DRIV...

THE HOLISTIC VIEW
OF HUMANITY.
RECOGNISING PEOPLE FOR THEIR
TRUE POTENTI...

IMAGINE IF EVERYONE PUT THEIR
HEART AND SOUL INTO THEIR WORK?
MOTIVATION I...

EUDAIMONIA
HUMAN FLOURISHING, THE
JOYFUL FULFILLMENT OF
ONE’S POTENTIAL.  ...

“You cannot predict the outcome of
human development. All you can do
is li...

WE WANT TO BE FULFILLED.
SELF-ACTUALISATION MEANS REALISING ONE’S POTENTIA...

PURPOSE
AUTONOMY
MASTERY
WHAT DRIVES US?
REF: DANIEL PINK

REF: WONDER AGENCY

STRATEGY
CULTURE
EMBRACE A HOLISTIC VIEW OF
HUMANITY AND PROVIDE A CULTURE...

YOUR JOB AS A MANAGER IS TO ENSURE
THAT EVERYONE IS PLAYING TO THEIR
CREAT...

2. INNOVATION

“THE PURPOSE OF A
BUSINESS IS TO
CREATE A CUSTOMER”
PETERDRUCKER
ABUSINESSISESSENTIALLYABOUTCREATINGVALUEFORCUSTOMERS

THE PARADOX OF
INNOVATION.

EXPLORING
EXPLORING EXPLOITING
INNOVATION INVOLVES ENGAGING IN TWO
TYPES O...

EXPLORING FOR NEW KNOWLEDGE
THE INVENTION OF BUSINESS
REF: JAMES G. MARCH

EXPLOITING EXISTING KNOWLEDGE
THE ADMINISTRATION OF BUSINESS
REF: JAMES G....

COMPANIES TYPICALLY START OUT AS GREAT EXPLORERS…
YEAR 1

…BUT AS YEARS GO BY THEY GET STUCK EXPLOITING.
YEAR 10

TO SUSTAIN GREATNESS YOU HAVE TO BE BALANCE THE TWO.

KODAK INVENTED THE
DIGITAL CAMERA, BUT WENT
BANKRUPT BECAUSE IT
COULD NOT ...

THE PAST DOES NOT EQUAL THE FUTURE
BLOCKBUSTER WENT BUST.

EXPLORING
EXPLORING EXPLOITING
INVENTION
THE FUTURE
CREATIVITY
UNCERTAINTY...

ACCEPTAMBIGUITY. MIXANALYSISANDGUT.
REF: ROGER MARTIN, CHARLES SANDERS PEI...

KNOWING CREATING
REF: ROGER MARTIN, CHARLES SANDERS PEIRCE.
DOING
EXPLORIN...

MINDSETS, SKILLS
AND BEHAVIOURS

THE DESIGNERS MINDSET

OPENNESS
CURIOSITY
EMPATHY
EXPERIMENTATION
BUILDING
LEARNING
EXPLORING

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET

PURPOSE AND MEANING
OWNERSHIP
CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
DISCIPLINE & PERSISTANCE...

PUTTING IT ALL
TOGETHER

EXPLORATION EXPLOITATION
STRATEGY
CULTURE 
EMPLOYEES
OWNERS
INVENTION ADMI...

HOW TO KICKSTART A
CULTURE OF NON-STOP
INNOVATION.

THE FIVE BUILDING BLOCKS OF INNOVATION CULTURE
PURPOSE
The intent, goals a...

ENGAGEMENT
EFFORT
EMPOWERING
MASTERING
IGNITING
PURPOSE
PRINCIPLES
CAPABIL...

EXAMPLES

PRINCIPLES

“CULTURE WINS
OVER PROCESS”.
“WORD TRAVELS, AND SO DOES TALENT. DELIVER A
...

KEEP METHOD WEIRD.
WHAT WOULD MACGYVER DO?
INNOVATE, DON’T IMITATE.
COLLAB...

“HOW WILL YOU HELP
KEEP METHOD WEIRD?”

ZAPPOS OFFERS NEWLY HIRED
PEOPLE 3000 DOLLARS TO QUIT
AFTER THE FIRST WEEK.

ATLASSIAN “SHIP-IT-DAY”

“USE GOOD JUDGEMENT”

SUMMARY

“EVERYONEHASAPLAN,UNTILTHEY 
GETPUNCHEDINTHEFACE”.MIKETYSON

THIS IS YOUR LIFE.
“Your work is going to fill a large part of
your life. ...

“There is a new world struggling to
be born. It’s a world of higher
creati...

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

Wonder Agency Oy 
Kanavaranta 7 C 6, 4th ﬂoor
00160 Helsinki, Finland
key contacts
—
Tobias Dahlberg
managing director
tob...

www.tobiasdahlberg.com
www.wonderagency.com
www.thewonderacademy.com 
Twit...

References and suggested reading:
Marty Neumeier: 
The Designful Company 
...