We need a new approach to learning and educating each other on innovation topics and digitalization.
Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that we do at GANDT Ventures. I get it, so are we a strategy consultancy or an agency? I guess we are neither of the two; Our way of working is a little bit different from that of many other service companies. I think the main reason our service is so hard to describe, is because I believe we should empower others – far more than any consultancy or agency would aim to do.
The digitalization of small to medium size businesses requires a new way of working. It has become apparent to me that pure strategy advice doesn’t really bring companies forward. If we want to have a long-term impact, we need to educate our customers on how they can use the tools that we use on a daily basis.
Education starts by speaking openly about your problems
My idea of education is that learning is done best by working on challenges together. If you want to find the solution to your problems, you need to be open about the fact that you have these problems in the first place.
Conferences and meet ups, have become “large” self-help groups of middle managers, who have started to make an art of explaining about general problems in an industry. I personally don’t think that it helps anyone, to complain about the world around us and how things have changed.
However, it does help to talk about the things that occupy your business and seek out for help.
Yet, good business owners and middle managers do not want to be consulted, they want to be empowered.
That is exactly what I have set out to do with GANDT Ventures.
Our understanding of education within companies
Our team does nothing more, but to empower those around us to use the tools that are at their free disposal. We aim to show them how they can find data points within their organizations to take sound decisions. We help implement communication strategies within the organization to get all stakeholders on board when it comes to change management.
We have made it our focus to empower others. When we build something (a digital asset or a technical solution), we share everything we have learned along the way.
We need to make sure that our customers and partners learn to understand the thought process that is behind digital transformation. We need to teach them how they can continue to work on these projects, given there are suitable internal resources.
Venturing education as a service
That is what I understand with the concept of “venturing”. We support our clients with knowledge and tools that they can use and implement within their organization.
Along the way, we create technical digital solutions that support the core- or new business of the client.
In the long run, this changes our role with the client. At first, we are “problem-solvers”, possibly executors and after that our role changes to that of a digital advisor, teachers as such.
Together with the companies we work with, we find sustainable solutions that help the entire organization in the long run. It doesn’t matter if we start in one department or we implement our learning strategy top down across an entire organization.
The most important thing is to understand that you own your work, you will be empowered and you and your team will be more knowledgeable about digitalization and innovation projects after working with us.
Maybe we should change our name from “Venture Builders” to “Venturing Educators”…
