The GBX platform aims to offer relevant content and experiences to all its constituents. We do this through partners that can provide a unique and relevant experience that will help our members advance their international business. GBX’s first experience will be focused on a very important world class management methodology, offered as a courtesy by the Assespro Nacional (Brazil) member, OBr.global, The OKR Master Bootcamp – January 14 – 09:00 – 11:00 AM EST
This bootcamp is available free of charge to all WITSA member associations and member companies. Please circulate this invitation widely throughout your membership!
The OKR Master Bootcamp helps you understand how to execute your strategy with focus on goals and achieving above average results.
OKR (Objectives and Key Results) is a management methodology that has been the foundation for success by Silicon Valley startups and companies. It was created by former Intel CEO Andrew S. Grove, but became better known when, in 1999, one of Google’s investors, John Doerr, introduced the methodology to the founders and contributors. The method gained fame for supporting Google’s growth – the company went from around 40 people in 1999 to over 85,000 today – showing that it can be used by both small businesses and large corporations.
In simple terms, it can be said that it is a formula for defining goals such as “I will” (Goal) “measured by” (set of key results).
For the methodology to have an impact on the business, it is imperative to understand how to think and define the objectives and, while at the same time, identify the most adherent KPIs to show the results desired by the established objectives.
Objectives are a concise statement of the company’s desired direction. A good goal can raise awareness and engage people so they can imagine how impactful it will be to achieve it. Key results are the indicators that directly confirm the achievement of the objective.
The OKR Master Bootcamp aims to equip managers and collaborators with a practical understanding of how to apply the methodology and build an OKR program within the cultural context of their respective organizations.
This bootcamp helps participants exercise how to define qualitative objectives and identify key quantitative results that best confirm the objective, in addition to presenting techniques on how to seek and promote greater alignment among all members of the organization.
How to prepare the organization to implement an OKR program
How to build a journey to achieve greater adherence to the constant use of the methodology
How to accelerate employee engagement around the methodology
How to explore, through exercises and simulations, the construction of a collective alignment around a greater purpose
How to identify and define “champions” to successfully implement the methodology
How to understand the “corporate barriers” to the “company-wide” implementation of the methodology
Case studies of successful OKR implementations
Implementation case studies that illustrate “positions” that should be avoided
Platform demonstration that aligns, organizes, and automates objectives, key results and tasks
KUALA LUMPUR: The National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) recently welcomed Danny Lee as its new chairman together with a new line-up of council members for the 2019-2020 term.
“I am very humbled to be given the honour of serving as chairman of PIKOM 2019-2020. I am grateful to my fellow members who trust in me to lead the association during such exciting yet challenging times when the tech industry is going through such monumental changes in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
techUK will be launching our report A Vision for UK Digital Trade Policy at techUK, 10 St Bride Street at a special event on Monday 13 January 2020from8.30 – 10.00.
The report sets out 12 business backed digital trade principals to support the UK’s development of a successful digital trade policy. The report launch will make techUK one of the first major business representation groups to set out UK businesses priorities for UK digital trade policy. Read more here.
Bangladesh is fast advancing in the IT sector. This change is coming with various government initiatives as well as various initiatives and efforts of the youth.
With their hands, the use of smartphones and Internet in the country is increasing. This is changing rapidly in different sectors of the country.
Recently, BCG Senior Partner and Global Leader for Digital Government of Armenia, Miguel Carrasco said technology creates jobs. In the next day, 10 percent of the work done will be computer programming, 20 percent will be technology. People need only 70 percent for the rest.
Bangladesh’s improvement in information technology has already come from all over the world.
James Pozants, Secretary General of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), said that Bangladesh is doing well in information technology and is giving enough importance to WITSA to Dhaka for the World Conference.
There are Bangladesh Vision 2021, through which ICT is moving forward. Leadership is the key to success in any country. Bangladesh has it.
[Original article in Greek here] With the President of the Republic, Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos, representatives of the Hellenic Information Technology & Communications Association (SEPE) and the leaders of the Greek companies that excelled in this year’s WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards 2017 met at the Presidential Palace .
At the meeting the SEPE was represented by the Chairman of the BoD, Mr. Anastasios Tzikas, the 1st Executive BoD Vice-President, Mrs. Panagiota Paparidou, the General Secretary of the BoD, Mrs Irene Nicolaides, Mr. Vasilis Orfanos, BoD Member, Mr. Stelios Christakos, and Mr. Yannis Syrör, CEO of SEPE and Vice-President WITSA for Europe. At the same time, on behalf of the winning companies, the present at the Presidential Palace gave:
Mr. Thanasis Petmezas, General Manager, cosmoONE, who was awarded as Winner for the implementation of the ” Innovative Electronic Auction Applications in the Energy Markets ” project, concerning electronic auction systems, used in the energy markets in Greece and provided with logic of SaaS – Software as a Service.
Konstantinos Kontos, General Manager, SYMETAL SA, which was awarded as Winner for the implementation of the Slitting Optimization Cutting Optimization System by developing and utilizing a specialized algorithm, combined with the use of already available software and the development of in-house applications .
Mr. Antonis Kyriazis, Chief Executive Officer, SoftOne Technologies, who has been awarded the Merit Winner for Enterprise Mobility Soft1 360 , which allows every modern enterprise to run its operations without time or geographical constraints from anywhere using any device.
Mr. George Dimitriadis, Business Unit Director of Information Systems and Telecommunications, AIA, which was distinguished as Merit Winner for the implementation of the ” Internet of ( noisy ) Things ” an integrated Internet of Things solution.
Moreover, in the same event and as Merit winners, Printec has been distinguished in the implementation of the ” Digital Transformation of Raifeissen Bank in Serbia ” within the framework of the branch transformation initiative implemented by the bank and TMS Tankers for the development of ” Energy Baseline developed by using Tableau and In-house Software “to evaluate and optimize boat performance.
The President of the Republic congratulated the companies for their worldwide award and at the same time expressed the belief that the distinction of the six nominations presented by SEPE at this year’s awards is a confirmation of the high level digital solutions offered by the Greek companies at international level, of the dynamics of the digital technology sector in our country. At the same time, Mr. Pavlopoulos noted that the emergence of the Information and Communication Technologies sector as a strategic pillar in the development effort of the Greek economy is critical and self-evident both at the public sector level – by upgrading the services offered to citizens and businesses – level of private sector – to strengthen the competitiveness of the Greek economy.
For his part, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of SEPE, Mr. Anastasios Tzikas stressed that “It was a very important meeting and a great honor for all of us. The six in six – six awards and the six nominations – which we achieved this year and especially in a total of 19 companies and organizations that have been distinguished from around the world in this year ‘s event, is really impressive. It is another message of optimism. In our opinion, Greece can and should become a European hubtechnologies, because it has the raw material that is the highly specialized scientific potential. Greek IT and communications industries are a national chapter that can help the country make the big changes it needs. And in this context, the President of the Republic has agreed. Technology and Information Technology and Communications companies have added value to the Greek economy, particularly at this stage. They are outward-looking companies that have stayed up in the crisis. Greece has to bring technologies into a new strategic industry. This does not mean that things are simple and easy, but the messages of optimism are constantly growing in our industry. “
The World Association of Information Technology and Services – WITSA is a consortium of 80 IT Associates from around the world, which today represent more than 90{60f64eca3a32b5bb2ea8b8157c42bed521fa6a22c1f99cb6807b444ebbebb257} of the global technology market. The APPE actively supports the WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards, which are awarded with the aim of highlighting the business excellence in the IT and Communications Technology sector worldwide. The APR’s submissions to the WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards since 2006 have been distinguished for eleven consecutive years, reaching a total of 16 awards.
From left: Vassilis Orfanos, SEE Board Member, Stelios Christakos, SEE Board Member, Konstantinos Kontos, General Manager, SYMETAL SA, Antonis Kyriazis, Chief Executive Officer, SoftOne Technologies, Thanasis Petmezas, General Manager, cosmoONE, Prokopios Pavlopoulos, Anastasios Tzikas, SEE Board Chairman, Irini Nikolaidis, SEE General Secretary, Giota Paparidou, Executive Vice President, Georgios Dimitriadis, Director of Business Intelligence Systems & Telecoms Unit, Athens International Airport, Yiannis Syr As General Manager and Vice WITSA APR for Europe
From left: Anastasios Tzikas, Board Chairman APR Giannis Syrros, General Manager and Vice WITSA APR for Europe, Prokopios Pavlopoulos, President of the Republic.
As the Corsham Institute and RAND Europelaunch their ‘Observatory for a Connected’ Society app and their ‘Building our Connected Society’ report, techUK President Jacqueline de Rojas maps out how we can build a connected society today.
The digital revolution is a global one – it has no national boundaries, it is irreversible and it is unstoppable. To fully reap the rewards of this transformation, we must become a nation of digital optimists and arm all our people with the digital skills to embrace and benefit from this revolution.
Technology is leading us into unchartered waters. Take cars as an example. There are now more lines of code in the latest Ford GT than in a 787 Dreamliner; its on-board systems gather and analyse huge amounts of data; and the next generation of driverless cars are being pioneered by tech companies as much as car companies.
The UK is incredibly well placed to lead the digital revolution across the world and become a digital nation of significance. The country already boasts a digital economy that is the envy of many around the world. It is Europe’s largest tech hub, with twice as much investment in tech than any other country on the continent.
Of course, Brexit will bring significant changes to how citizens live and how businesses function. But, there is another, equally important economic and social imperative that cannot wait – how to create a modern and open digital economy that works for everyone in the 2020s.
Instil digital ambition
To achieve the vision of a modern and open digital economy, the UK needs serious digital ambition. We already have the credentials – invention is in our DNA. As the pioneers of the First Industrial Revolution, Britain became the first industrial economy and the world’s innovation powerhouse. As we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution – the digital revolution – we can build a 21st century economy that works for all.
I’m a huge digital optimist. I believe technology is a great enabler. Improving people’s lives and creating exciting new possibilities is the outcome we are looking for. However, I also believe we have a huge talent problem and it is going to be a lack of diversity and inclusion that will stall our ambition. We must bring every citizen on this digital journey with us.
The tech sector is creating jobs at nearly three times the rate of the rest of the economy, and demand far outstrips supply. And as all sectors across our economy become increasingly digitised, the gap looks set to grow. It therefore makes business sense to address this skills gap and upskill the workforce so that all are digitally-able.
Addressing the gender gap
Within the tech sector, gender diversity is a huge concern and improving the balance may help reduce the digital skills gap. Women currently represent just 17 per of the technology workforce and fewer than one in ten women within the sector hold leadership positions. Almost two million women in the UK are currently economically inactive due to caring commitments, and 76 per cent of professional women on career breaks want to return to work.
To address the issue of gender diversity, we need to look at the pipeline – attracting, retaining and supporting the progression of women in tech.
Diversity is not only a way to fill a gap, there is a strong business case. Ideas that originate from non-diverse teams do not often reflect the markets’ need. A diverse team can more accurately understand and serve a variety of customer bases and their requirements. Also, gender-diverse companies are 45 per cent more likely to improve market share and are 70 per cent more likely to successfully capture new markets.
Looking to the classroom
It is very concerning to see that the problem starts well beyond the working career. Studies have found 65 per cent of the UK’s mixed secondary schools have no girls doing Computing at A Level and many have no girls doing any STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) subject in the sixth form.
Teachers also struggle with gender bias and often feel they lack the expertise to teach digital skills. A recent Centrica survey on teacher and pupil STEM perception found nearly a third of male teachers believe STEM careers are more for boys than girls. 16 per cent of female teachers feel the same and nearly a third of female teachers say they are “not at all confident” in their understanding of STEM careers, compared to 15% of male teachers.
There have, however, been many positive developments in education in recent years – many of which have been driven by industry and Government working together effectively. The introduction of the Computing Curriculum, T-Levels, and a new National College for Digital Skills are notable successes. The UK, however, still faces a sizeable domestic digital skills gap, which must be closed if Britain is to be one of the world’s leading digital economies.
Importance of lifelong learning
It’s not just females and the classroom that we need to focus on. To capitalise on the next wave of digital growth, the Government must ensure developing the skills needs for the jobs of the future across all levels of seniority and throughout the workforce.
We must acknowledge that we need to prepare for jobs today that may not even exist yet. Everyone will need basic digital skills to participate in daily life, whether it is to communicate, find information or purchase goods and services. Yet there is a digital divide where up to 11.5 million adults lack basic digital skills and 5.3 million people in the UK have never used the internet.
Digital exclusion will be a major inhibitor to digitising public services and hamper social mobility. The Government must invest in initiatives to significantly reduce digital exclusion over the term of the next Parliament. One such opportunity is the Apprenticeship Levy which should be fully geared towards developing the high-skilled digital workforce of the future, and its implementation must meet the needs of some of the most innovative companies in the UK. Another would be to create an adult education infrastructure that provides an effective lifelong learning system.
Regional inclusion
The case for investment in digital skills is clear. Up and down the country people are increasingly living as digital workers, consumers and citizens. In fact, according to the Tech Nations report, in 2016, 68 per cent of digital tech investment was outside London, showing tech is leading the kind of balanced economic growth the country needs.
Take these recent stats from Tech North: Digital jobs in the North are increasing at ten times the rate of jobs in non-digital sectors – with the total tech workers now reaching 283,500. Productivity of digital workers is 53 per cent higher than that of non-digital workers. This in turn has fed into higher earnings, with digital workers in the North enjoying a 60 per cent wage premium over their counterparts in the rest of the economy.
Government and companies alike must end silos and duplication by investing in tech that helps people work better together and enable easy sharing of information. We must seize the opportunity and empower all citizens with the digital skills they need for the future.
There will be complex questions and challenges along the way, but I remain a digital optimist. Tech can enable the social and economic challenges facing the UK today. We must work together to accelerate progress, or the dream of a digitally transformed nation will slip from our grasp. That includes promoting diversity in all its forms and ensuring inclusion for all.
To find out more on this you can download the ‘Observatory for a Connected Society’ app and ‘Building our Connected Society’ report, here.
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