British sport has transformed, technology will lead business transformation

There has been no better year than 2012 to witness and be inspired by sporting achievement. From Chelsea’s daring win of the Champions League, eight different winners in the first eight Grand Prix of this season; and of course the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

Read my interview with Gerry Pennell, CIO of London 2012 here

The pitch, circuit, track and field achievements of this year are not just respite from a challenging business world, they are examples of what can be achieved with team work, a belief that change can be good and a desire for insight to understand how performances can be further improved. 

Many of us are – sadly – of an age to remember when Chelsea was not a major contender club, to recall Olympic games where a medal was a result, not a top four placing in the overall table. Formula One has perhaps been unique as the only sport where British participation has been consistently strong. 

What turned the sport’s around in the UK was a zeal for transformation by all levels, whether player, contestant, coach or manager. With that belief came an open minded desire to harness every tool and piece of information available to uncover advantages and opportunities. 

The same is true of the business world today. Technology is transforming our organisations at Formula One pace, new methods accelerate our business processes to Olympian levels and new market entrants could overcome our defenders and steal vital gaols from us. 

But as Chelsea FC, Team GB and a grid full of British based F1 racers show, embracing change, transforming our methods, collaborating as high performance teams and analysing the needs and behaviours of the markets we tackle can turn a once languishing nation, club or outfit into a world class powerhouse. By embracing the opportunity the benefits are personal, organisational, societal, national and global. 

Technologies such as utility/cloud computing, mobile devices and new data sources and analysis tools enable us to embrace this transformation opportunity. 

Read my blog post on Jenson Button’s F1 World Championship

On Thursday of this week I will have the pleasure of chairing the Technology Transformation Summit with inspirational speakers from Chelsea FC and Formula One, awe as technology presentations that will give you ideas for performance improvements in your organisations. This event, created with our sister title ComputerworldUK will take attendees on a journey exploring the similarities between sport and business transformation and how technology plays a crucial role in that transformation journey, whether racing, scoring or delivering a service.  There are a limited number of places left, so this is your last chance to register.