Table Of ContentEarly praise for Harnessing Digital Disruption
With this crisp and easy-to-read book, Pascal and Laurent have captured the
essence of a successful Digital transformation.
• Paul Cobban, Chief Transformation Offcer @ DBS Bank
I really enjoyed the business novel format and the great illustrations.
• Reuben Athaide, Head DevOps and Cloud Transformation, Standard
Chartered Bank
Pascal and Laurent bring to life the tools and techniques that enable trad-
itional companies to reinvent themselves.
• Michelle Van Staden, Agile Transformation Leader, Nedbank
A different kind of book: I couldn’t put it down.
• Victoria Thompson, Founding member of the London Blockchain
Foundation
Full of practical insights, this book is a must read for Senior Executives of
traditional companies who need to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in
their organization.
• Denis Ricard, Chief Executing Offcer iA Financial Group
We were able to apply Pascal and Laurent’s approach and methods directly in
our business. We were surprised by the results we got and how fast we could
realize them!
• Harry Zechman, Chief Operating Offcer, Stoner Chemical
Harnessing Digital
Disruption
Harnessing Digital
Disruption
How Companies Win with Design
Thinking, Agile, and Lean Startup
Pascal Dennis
Laurent Simon
A PRODUCTIVITY PRESS BOOK
First published 2021
by Routledge
600 Broken Sound Parkway #300, Boca Raton FL, 33487
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2021 Pascal Dennis and Laurent Simon
The right of Pascal Dennis and Laurent Simon to be identifed as authors
of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identifcation and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
A catalog record for this title has been requested
ISBN: 9780367201555 (hbk)
ISBN: 9781138323209 (pbk)
ISBN: 9780429451522 (ebk)
Typeset in Garamond
by Newgen Publishing UK
Contents
Preface ..............................................................................................vii
About the Authors .............................................................................ix
Asia Pacifc Bank’s Organization Chart (Main Characters) ...............xi
1 The Elephant and the Greyhounds ..............................................1
Asia Pacifc Bank is slow, unreliable, and expensive …
2 Mapping Client Journeys to Grasp the Real Situation ...............17
Learning to think ‘outside- in’
3 Understanding Our Blockers .....................................................33
Problems are gold
4 Finding True North with Our Digital Strategy Compass ...........51
What’s our aspiration and winning logic?
5 Fostering Innovation in a Risk-A verse Culture ..........................71
What’s the journey like and where do we start?
6 Embracing New Ways of Working ..............................................87
Hackers, Hipsters and Hustlers working together –
setting up Asia Pacifc Bank’s innovation platform
7 Launching Our First Wave Innovation Projects ........................103
Core business improvement: Bringing tech and
operations together
8 Launching Our Second Wave Innovation Projects ...................127
End-to-end fow and a commercial pilot. Can we create
entirely new digital products?
v
vi { Contents
9 Year-E nd Review at Asia Pacifc Bank ......................................147
The empire strikes back
10 How Do We Accelerate Our Digital Transformation? ...............159
Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die
11 New Digital Ventures ...............................................................183
What have we achieved, what have we learned and what’s next?
Appendix A – Singapore Places Featured in Harnessing
Digital Disruption ......................................................................201
Appendix B – List of Figures ..........................................................207
Acknowledgments ..........................................................................211
Index ..............................................................................................213
Preface
Who led the digital transformation of your company?
a) CEO
b) CTO
c) COVID-1 9
Our world has changed, probably for good. Until now, the shift from
brick-a nd- mortar to the smartphone has been about service, cost, and
convenience. Now, it's also a matter of public health.
In some industries, this trend has been evident for some time. But now
it’s going to accelerate across the gamut of industry. How do we remain
relevant in this risky new world? How do we win this uncertain new game?
What if ours is a brick- and- mortar organization that depends on face- to- face
interaction? Can we learn to harness digital methods, tools, and technologies?
Fortunately, there is a pathway to prosperity. Our story is set in the
heady world of international banking, but the prescription, methods and
lessons apply equally to manufacturers, utilities, hospitals, insurers, and
government agencies.
Harnessing digital disruption entails learning new tools, systems and
thinking. Doing so effectively requires a sound overall approach based on
timeless principles. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
But sometimes they look different.
Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves,
keep intact your roots.1
1 Victor Hugo, French writer and politician.
vii
