Welcome to the world of Industry 4.0! In this world, communication is key to success, and building feedback loops is a critical part of creating a community model where companies produce while continuously engaging with the people they serve. In other words, it's not just about selling products; it's about listening to prosumers (customers who are also involved in the production process) and actively incorporating their feedback into your practices.

But how can companies achieve this? One way is by taking a low-key approach to product launches, which can create a culture of continuous improvement and build trust with prosumers. Instead of focusing on self-promotion, the product should speak for itself. This approach can be more effective and attractive to prosumers who are becoming desensitized to big product launches.

Continuous feedback loops are essential in building communities of practice around a way of working. This shift from a consumption economy to a community model means that companies need to listen to customers and involve them in the innovation process. Listening to the external environment, recognizing change, changing yourself to meet that change, and expressing that force are the essence of adaptation.

Elevating states of consciousness is also necessary for more advanced capabilities, and improved communication and information flows are critical to achieving this. By improving communication within an organization, companies can enable a shift toward a prosumer model in business.

In conclusion, a low-key approach to product launches, building communities of practice, and elevating consciousness are all critical factors in the success of a business in today's rapidly changing environment. So, how can you improve communication loops within your organization to better listen to customer feedback and drive adaptation? It's time to get creative and start building those feedback loops!

Created by Jan Henrik Bartscht & Hanaa Maysoon, Compiled by ChatGPT (prompt: fun & light content)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a technology that has revolutionized the way we live and work. Recently, tech moguls have signed an open letter asking for a pause in AI development to regulate the technology's development, while others argue that it is too late for regulations. This blog post explores the different opinions surrounding AI development and its impact on the workforce, the transition from a mechanistic worldview to a systemic worldview in organizational science, and the transition from a heroic leadership model to a model that sees leadership as a phenomenon that is implicit in the social system.

The impact of AI on the workforce is a growing concern, with estimates that generative AI could replace around 300 million jobs. However, history shows us that technological advancements have disrupted jobs in the past, and it's the work to be done that gets replaced, not the person. It is crucial to detach one's identity from the job and focus on the job to be done, recognizing the positive side of the disruption. Leaders should have a positive attitude towards technology, be open to learning and unlearning, work alongside AI, and find new spaces where new value is being created.

In organizational science, there is a shift from a mechanistic worldview to a systemic worldview, which recognizes that an organization is a complex system made up of many interacting relationships. This shift requires a move from a management bureaucracy that controls the machine to an innovation ecosystem that generates innovation and uses a systemic approach. To enable this new way of working, leaders should create a culture in which AI is used in everyday operations to increase productivity and encourage and support people to be part of that culture.

The transition from a heroic leadership model to a model that sees leadership as a phenomenon that is implicit in the social system requires leaders to think differently about leadership. Leaders should provide opportunities for employees to lead in their own way, have difficult conversations about jobs that are at threat, and create a culture of human interaction and collaboration that generates innovation.

In summary, AI is a powerful technology that requires careful consideration and planning as it increasingly becomes integrated into our society. While there may be differing opinions on the need for a pause in its development, it is important to recognize its potential impact on jobs and leadership models. By embracing a systemic approach and creating a culture of innovation that incorporates AI, we can work towards a better future for all.

What steps can you take to detach your identity from your job and focus on the job to be done in a world where AI is increasingly prevalent in the workforce?

Created by Jan Henrik Bartscht & Hanaa Maysoon, compiled by ChatGPT.

Prompt: A weary office worker navigates through a futuristic office, surrounded by bustling robots, as he carries a cardboard box filled with his personal belongings. The robots hum and beep, carrying out tasks with mechanical precision, while the worker's eyes betray a sense of nostalgia and loss as he prepares to leave the familiar surroundings of his workplace.

Change is inevitable, and we are currently living in a time of rapid technological advancement. In the podcast discussion, Jan and Hanaa explore the exciting possibilities that artificial intelligence and digital tools are bringing to the world. They talk about the democratization of these technologies and how they can empower individuals to pursue their purpose and make an impact. This shift from an age of consumption to an age of purpose is changing the way people think about their lives and their contributions to society.

Leadapreneur has developed a journey structure around the emotions of fear. Our methodology takes you through the Forest of Fear, the Desert of Despair and the Valley of Death. The journey is about learning to manage these emotions and using them to guide you through the process of change. Innovate or die applies to everybody, everywhere, and the quest is fundamentally run on emotional energy.

It's essential to embrace change and stay relevant. Industry 4.0 is accelerating volatility, and everyone needs to be prepared for disruption. The emotions of fear, anger, and despair can be powerful tools that, if managed properly, can be used to drive change. The world is always evolving, and by utilizing the latest tools available, we can create a better future for ourselves and those around us.

Finally, it's important to remember that change doesn't happen overnight. It takes time, effort, and dedication to bring about real change. We may face setbacks, challenges, and obstacles along the way, but these are opportunities to learn, grow, and improve. We must be patient and persistent in our pursuit of progress, keeping in mind that even small steps can lead to significant change over time. By embracing change and working together, we can create a brighter future for ourselves and future generations.

In conclusion, we should not fear change but rather embrace it with open arms. The time to act is now, and the future is in our hands. We should believe in ourselves, stay motivated, and build a better world. The journey may be difficult, but it will be worth it in the end. The world is changing, and we must be prepared to change with it.

If you don't embrace the changes brought by Industry 4.0 and innovate with purpose, what will be the cost of falling behind in a rapidly evolving world?

Created by Jan Henrik Bartscht & Hanaa Maysoon. Compiled by ChatGPT.

The world is constantly evolving, and organisations need to keep up with the changes or risk becoming irrelevant. The recent financial crisis and the emergence of Industry 4.0 are two examples of significant paradigm shifts that have occurred in the past few weeks. In this blog post, we explore the importance of identity transition in facing these changes.

The recent financial crises (SVB, Signature Bank) have highlighted the need for organisations to be prepared for disruptions and use them as an opportunity for growth and renewal. Instead of trying to prevent crises, organisations should embrace them as a part of the renewal process, as exemplified by Netflix. Furthermore, as Industry 4.0 continues to transform the world, organizations need to find a new identity in this new era of AI and adapt to new technologies and ways of doing things.

In the banking industry, where rigidity and inflexibility are common, identity transition is particularly challenging. Banks need to let go of their legacy systems and recognize that they may not be very good at the new thing. They need to learn humility and be willing to learn from new upstarts who can grow quickly into the new age. By embracing new identities that enable them to build better worlds, banks can become leaders rather than administrators.

The emergence of Industry 4.0 brings with it exciting advancements, such as AI-assisted design, which is poised to revolutionise every industry. From furniture to automobiles to aerospace, the potential for AI-assisted design is immense. Japan's recent partnership with Italy and the UK to build a new fifth-generation fighter jet is an excellent example of how technological advancements can bring about significant breakthroughs.

The rapidly advancing technology sector is generating an enormous amount of data, with many people utilising chat and AI technology like GPT. Industry 4.0, marked by technological advancements such as smartphones and 4G networks, promises to transform the world in unimaginable ways. One exciting development is AI-assisted design, which could allow for highly efficient and accurate furniture design. With the proliferation of 3D printers in the coming years, individuals could even print their furniture at home, recycling old designs and ushering in a new era of sustainability.

As the world becomes more connected and automated, the potential for Industry 4.0 is limitless. The future is exciting, and as more breakthroughs occur, we can expect to see a world that is more efficient, connected, and automated. Organisations need to embrace identity transition and be prepared for the disruptions brought about by Industry 4.0. By doing so, they can remain relevant and build a better world.

Created by Jan Henrik Bartscht & Hanaa Maysoon, compiled by ChatGPT
Image generated by Midjourney AI

According to complexity science, identity is the meta-control structure of any system i.e. the capability of any complex system is constrained by its identity. In plain English, what you can do it determined by who you believe you are. Thus, to upgrade capability, it is necessary elevate identity. This is the foundational idea to go from manager to leadapreneur as a leadapreneur is a higher-order identity (it is more complex due to its 5 skills)

Michael Lee Lai Thai

One of the greatest features of a leadapreneur is forward-thinking. As organisations nationwide are stepping up on their effort to be IR4.0-ready, it was only apt for Leadapreneur to skew their training programmes to ensure that today’s human capital are better equipped to adapt to changes and have the ability to innovate by looking at future possibilities so that organisation are not left behind in the race.

That was why when Michael Lee Lai Thai joined the AXA Leadapreneur Accelerator Programme, he tried to figure out a future trend that will keep his company on top of their game. Michael was responsible for introducing the cashless payment system for AXA Affin General Insurance Bhd that won him his cohort championship.

As the Manager for RPA, Process Improvement & Treasury at AXA, Michael is responsible for ensuring the efficiency of their finance operations and its related business implementations. So, it was only apt for him to think of an idea that would provide a fuss-free solution for most of the transactions processed by AXA.

When he was first told that he had to come up with an innovative idea that will improve AXA’s business efficiency, Michael hit a brick wall. For the first couple of weeks, he tried considering several ideas which he could possibly execute but to no avail.

He came to a realisation that this was his chance to make an impact at his organisation, so the idea had to be something worthwhile. Then, Michael, with the help of his head of department, had a light bulb moment.

He started looking at AXA’s transaction methods and thought that there could be something in eWallet and its QR Codes. He figured if night market vendors can use QR Codes in their simple business setting why not a leading insurance company like his. When Michael finally made his project pitch, his idea received overwhelming support from his cohort and mentors.

Although the initial ideation was difficult, Michael was quick to make progress as Leadapreneur taught him how to break free from a limiting mindset. Once that lesson sank in, it became much easier for him to build on his idea and get the buy-in from others.

His eWallet idea could save AXA at least RM70,000 in transaction cost. Michael was aware that in terms of revenue or cost savings value, his projected figure was at the lower end, but his idea would help AXA create history by being one of the earliest adopters of a cashless payment method – a trend of the future.

He also added that eWallet is more cost-efficient compared to credit card transactions as certified eWallet providers are encouraging more people to adopt the cashless payment method. Even if the provider did implement financial charges, he projects it to be lower than credit payments and that will result in better savings for his company.

From Michael’s experience, Leadapreneur has pretty much been an eye-opening journey as it not only helped him break free from his limitations, but it also taught him different perspectives of problem-solving.

He happily admits that as a leadapreneur, he can now look at a problem from various angles before settling for the most viable solution.

He also noted the importance of building an innovation-focused environment as the programme helped everyone around him to be more open-minded and without the help of his mentors, cohorts and manager, this innovative idea wouldn’t have materialised.

Congratulations Michael for becoming a Champion of the Accelerator! 

Sakinah Ghazali

The desire to succeed was greater than failure. That was how Sakinah Ghazali narrates her journey of becoming a leadapreneur. When the Assistant Vice President of Partnership Pos from AXA Affin General Insurance Berhad was first nominated for the AXA Leadapreneur Accelerator Programme, she wasn’t sure how to react.

Change has been the very thing that keeps Sakinah’s spirit going. Although her work can fall into a routine trap, she had always found ways to make it exciting, especially when she is out to meet her clients. So, in a way, Sakinah welcomed this challenge.

At first, she was thankful that she was among the 25 participants selected for the programme, but as soon as her 16-week training journey begun, she was close to throwing in the towel, especially when her first two innovation ideas were rejected.

At present, Sakinah bears the heavy responsibility of servicing her client, Pos Malaysia, which has 164 branches and close to 700 staff. She has been based in the southern region throughout her journey with AXA, so having to travel for training on top of her existing business travels and managing a solo project in addition to her hectic work schedule, added on to her work pressure.

As such, rejections were not easy for the bubbly 39-year-old. When she did her first presentation, her senior manager’s facial expression was good enough to drive a message that she needed to improve.

Sakinah admits that Leadapreneur was like an emotional roller-coaster as she had to put in more than 10 hours daily to manage both her work and her project, but when her idea begins shaping up, she was all fired up to prove her worth.

Sakinah came up with the idea of a web-based platform – SahabatAXA – that will allow her clients to access all the information they need from anywhere, anytime.

According to her, Pos Malaysia has always had a personal one-to-one relationship with the marketers so most of the time, they were always calling to enquire about policy expiry date or production updates.

Now, with SahabatAXA, they will be able to access any information they need such as production and commission status, product information, sales campaign and event updates, via their mobile devices. SahabatAXA is not just about information at the fingertips but it also creates an exciting journey for Sakinah’s clients.

With this project, which is valued at a minimum of RM88,000, Sakinah was not only able to save time but also increase the productivity of her marketers as they are no longer required to spend time answering enquiries via phone.

It also minimises distraction for those who are constantly on standby to answer calls from clients, even while they are driving or away on vacation. With SahabatAXA, Partnership Pos marketers now have ample time to build and create more supporters via coaching.

When it was time for her to present her SahabatAXA prototype demo and execution plan, Sakinah was mentally prepared to receive criticisms from her management and mentors but much to her surprise, she received 6 out of 7 votes, making her the champion of her cohort. Her bosses, mentors and cohort members were equally impressed as they found a 360-degree change in her presentation skills.

In addition to a self-confidence boost, Sakinah’s greatest learning point came from the step by step guidance that Leadapreneur provided to help the participants become better strategists and planners. She also realised it was the crucible moments that served as transformation points for a leadapreneur.

With plans for an active roll-out scheduled in November for her innovation, Sakinah is now more inspired than ever to make impactful changes whenever she gets an opportunity.

When asked what kept her going despite the initial emotional turmoil, Sakinah said it was the concept of Wu Wei or effortless action that she learned during the training period.
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The concept taught her that she didn’t need to take criticisms too seriously, especially when they were negative in nature, but rather just focus on points of improvement; give it her all in finding practical solutions and let the results do the talking.

Congratulations Sakinah for becoming a Champion of the Accelerator!

Sarah Margaret Peter Victorian
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Business leaders are aware that change is the precursor to growth but for Sarah Margaret Peter, it is so important because change also determines business sustainability, especially in the face of volatility and uncertainty.

Which was why, despite initial stages of reactiveness and rejections, Sarah held on strongly to her idea at the AXA Leadapreneur Accelerator Programme, and found various ways to get her stakeholders’ buy-in, as her idea not only saves a tremendous amount of time and cost but also increases efficiency and productivity.

During her Leadapreneur training, Sarah came up with the winning idea of introducing an in-built function within AXA’s existing platform which agents can use to transact payments for policies sold. Her idea not only contributed to her cohort championship but she was also shortlisted to be one of the top 5 semifinalists in the 16-week challenge.

Sarah is a Senior Project Manager at AXA’s Project Management Office who is responsible for the delivery of data security compliance projects that require a change in business processes across the organisation.

Currently, her company uses a credit card authorisation form which clients need to fill in order to grant AXA the permission to transact the necessary payment. The forms then go through several levels of processing before they are approved. The entire process takes up to three working days on average.

With the introduction of Sarah’s idea, insurance agents are now empowered to trigger a payment request via an automated SMS as soon as a policy or cover note is issued. In addition to this, the customers gain full control of their policy payment and are able to protect their personal data and credit card information.

This does not only instill a sense of security in the hearts of AXA clients, but it also frees their agents, marketers and supporting staff from a tedious multi-layered process, which generally takes up too much time. As a result of this innovation, AXA can now reduce data threats and risks, strengthen trust among clients, increase the efficiency of payment and double staff productivity.

With 1,400 transactions happening daily at AXA, this solution is projected to save the company a whopping RM1.2 million, in addition to cutting down the payment processing time from three days to just 5 minutes, when it goes live this October.

For Sarah, this proposed initiative serves as an important stage for AXA, as it’s a step towards digitalisation that will help to accelerate the company’s growth, especially now, when the whole world is adapting to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0).
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She understands that certain business processes will have to go through digitalisation in the near future but a true leadapreneur always knows how to make the journey manageable, enjoyable and adaptable.
 
Apart from handling the project with a lot of care and determination, Sarah also learned how to factor in the levels of discomfort that people may generally have in the phase of change and Leadapreneur taught her how to find an amicable solution in such scenarios. 

Congratulations Sarah for becoming a Champion of the Accelerator!