Digital, Culture & Jazz: The Art of Transforming a Large Organization 🎷
🌟 "Stay curious. Never stop learning." - Steve Jobs
This quote particularly resonates with me today (as well as yesterday and tomorrow). After 20 years in digital and now leading Bpifrance's Digital Factory, I realize that it's precisely this insatiable curiosity that makes the difference between a simple digital transformation and a true cultural revolution.
I wanted to share some thoughts on what drives digital progress in a large organization. Spoiler alert: it's not (just) technology! 🎯 We'll talk about AI, product culture, lean (obviously!) and our best friend - curiosity 🤩
A long post that will hopefully feed that curiosity... Ready for the journey? 👇
The Art of Augmented Collective 🎨
You know what fascinates me most about digital? Its ability to transcend traditional boundaries. At Digital in Bpifrance, we don't "just" do transformation, we orchestrate an ecosystem where every note counts, where IT, Digital Factory, Network, and Business form a coherent symphony. This is what we might call the "augmented collective": when product expertise meets tech vision, when design dialogues with data, and when all of this is driven by a resolutely product-led culture.
It's like a jazz band: each has their excellence, but it's the harmony that creates the magic. 🎷
The Exciting Challenge of Product Culture... and Beyond! 🌱
A secret? The most complex transformation isn't technological - it's cultural. And beyond culture, it's a question of vision.
Imagine: on one side, an expert IT department, guaranteeing our robustness. On the other, product teams obsessed with user impact. Our mission? Building bridges, not walls. But above all, establishing a shared vision that transcends our differences.
It's like learning a new language: first the basics (product culture), then the poetry (product vision).
Product culture is understanding:
That every line of code must serve a user need
That quality is non-negotiable
That agility isn't a methodology, but a mindset
But product vision is seeing further:
Anticipating tomorrow's needs
Orchestrating innovation at scale
Creating ecosystems rather than isolated solutions
It's a journey of mutual learning where:
We feed off IT's rigor and technical expertise
They enrich themselves with our user obsession and agility
AI pushes us all to rethink our certainties
Together, we learn to see bigger, further
Because ultimately, true transformation isn't in tools or processes - it's in our collective ability to imagine and build the future. It's not so much about the score, but the music we create together. 🎵
AI: Our New Playground 🤖
AI isn't a gadget - it's a possibility multiplier that infuses everything:
In our products, making them smarter
In our processes, optimizing them
In how we think and innovate
And especially, in our ability to be curious!
Lean in 2025: The Philosophy That Gives Meaning to Innovation 🔄
In our world of AI and relentless innovation, Lean principles are our compass. They bring us back to the essential: creating value intelligently.
📍 Gemba 2.0: The art of being where it matters. Our observation field has expanded:
Physical: user in action
Digital: real-time journeys
Data and AI: signals that anticipate needs
🔄 Augmented Kaizen: Continuous improvement reinvented. AI isn't here to replace Kaizen, but to propel it:
Intelligent opportunity detection
Learning automation
Continuous testing and iteration
📚 Evolving Standards: The foundation of innovation. Our standards breathe and evolve:
Living documentation
AI-enhanced best practices
Permanent adaptation
At the Digital Factory, it's this fusion of Lean and AI that could enable us to identify and resolve frictions before they even impact our users. We might even call it "preventive Andon"! 🚀
My Vision for Tomorrow 🔭
We must continue, we must challenge ourselves so that:
AI and humans dance together naturally
Tech and business speak the same language: that of value and impact
Innovation isn't just a department but a general mindset
Curiosity is even the driver of every decision
And you know what? This is what we're building every day.
#DigitalTransformation #Leadership #Innovation #AI #ProductCulture #LeanManagement #ContinuousLearning