Julian and Fred recently engaged in an insightful discussion during the Ecosystem Talk, where they explored the significance of business ecosystems in today's landscape. Fred, drawing from his multifaceted background as an entrepreneur, academic, and soldier, shares his journey with Ecosystemizer, highlighting its impact on his career.
Julian reflects on his consulting experiences with corporate clients, noting obstacles such as entrenched mindsets and a focus on past successes. Both Julian and Fred discuss their efforts to tailor their Ecosystemizer approaches to meet the specific needs of clients, whether in the SME or corporate sector.
Let's jump into the interview script
Julian: Hello Fred and welcome to today's Ecosystem Talk. We have you here today as a long-time partner of Ecosystemizer. Could you please give our viewers and listeners a brief introduction of yourself?
Fred: I have three roles in my business life: Entrepreneur, academic and soldier. As an entrepreneur, I have been self-employed since 1995, founding and selling two companies before I started consulting in 2003. Since then, I have trained more than 20,000 people from over 1000 organizations. Today, with Mission Dynamics Academy, we provide education for professionals in leadership, innovation, sales, transformation and business ecosystems. As an academic, I have completed four management degrees, I am lecturing at various universities and I am a DBA student at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, conducting research on launching Business Ecosystems. Finally, I am a Lieutenant Colonel in the German Armed Forces working in the Ministry of Defense and other military departments.
Julian: You have been working with Ecosystemizer for some time now. Can you tell us why you decided to work with us and run masterclasses with Ecosystemizer for our customers?
Fred: Business ecosystems simply rule my world. All the major consultancies and also the World Economic Forum are projecting massive growth with ecosystems. Ecosystemizer is the most powerful framework on the market. So I've created and joined different business ecosystems. It creates more competitiveness and resilience for my own businesses and for the businesses I work with.
As a soldier, I am a part of the largest and most powerful corporate ecosystem, the NATO. It protects democracy, freedom and peace. In service, I have already created military business ecosystems within the German armed forces and started to create military-civilian business ecosystems with great success for the stakeholders.
As a DBA-student I have read papers out of 60 years of ecosystem literature. Ecosystemizer is by far the most sophisticated framework, and the methodology provides great guidance for professionals. Finally, in my role as a master trainer and head of partner ecosystems with Ecosystemizer, I bring all these insights together for our customers.
Julian: What important insights did you gain, when you trained people from different companies, especially SMEs? And what challenges did you experience that came from the customers?
Fred: The content you have created is phenomenal in the educational field. Still, we had to learn how to make it more accessible to professionals. People were asking themselves, “What's in for me?” Also, our case studies in the courses and the assignments we gave them needed to become more relevant. So we needed to move away from the big world of Apple, Google, Amazon, and create more scenarios for small and medium-sized companies. Finally, we needed to improve the framework.
One thing I would like to add is the way I see professionals dealing with ecosystems. Professionals today approach ecosystems in three ways. No 1.: They don´t, which is most dangerous because they run the risk of damaging their competitiveness and resilience. No. 2: They are far too ambitious. They think and act bigger than they can afford and maintain. No. 3: They think they are already in a business ecosystem, feel uncomfortable (because it doesn´t pay off) and resign.
Julian: Do you have a specific success story from training, where you have experienced that you can really make a difference with what we do?
Fred: The most recent example comes from working with Ingram Micro. For those who don't know: IngramMicro is the most powerful distributor of IT services and hardware in the world, with more than 50 billion dollars in annual sales. After discussions with us, they decided to finance the master classes for their top partners. And from these masterclasses, a great ecosystem is developing, and they have included us in their global initiative called Trust X Alliance, where very well-chosen partners are in the process of creating an ecosystem.
Fred: Julian, you are especially focused on serving enterprise customers in executive sessions. You are working with Bosch, Packer, Munich Re, etc.. What are your experiences when working with these corporations on business ecosystems?
Julian: I think big corporations have unfair advantages. Of course, they have a brand, they have manufacturing facilities, they have distribution, they have highly skilled employees, technologies and intellectual property, and they can bring a lot to the ecosystem table.
But my experience is that they hesitate and don't fully utilize that. Historically, their success has been tied to discipline rather than risk-taking. However, in the current climate, simply cutting costs and weathering recessions isn't sufficient. Companies must also consider their future market positioning. It's clear to me that they need to be more proactive. While they show interest in our initiatives, there's still a gap between understanding and action. It's essential to find a balance between addressing immediate needs and planning for future growth.
Fred: How do you adapt your consulting approach to the specific needs and perspectives of people from different industries and with different roles?
Julian: It is always crucial to pinpoint the root of the problem. Is it a lack of knowledge, or is it due to a declining business sector? For industries like tobacco, oil, and gas, or those affected by climate change and lifestyle shifts, adapting to change is essential. We need to help them envision the new landscape and embrace an ecosystem mindset to develop holistic solutions. Customer experience is key, extending beyond just user interface to encompass the entire journey and anticipating future needs. How can we enhance it from an ecosystem perspective? By understanding these challenges, we can tailor our consulting approach to address them effectively.
Fred: What are the challenges that you observe with professionals who are facing ecosystem approaches in the corporate sector?
Julian: Past success can breed complacency, making it challenging to see the need for change. Also, many companies have a product-centric mindset, often led by engineers who prioritize innovation. Concepts like broadening the understanding of experience and embracing ecosystem thinking are novel to them.
Additionally, trendy topics like AI and sustainability are seen as separate initiatives rather than integrated parts of a larger ecosystem strategy. It's vital to shift the mindset from focusing solely on technology, productivity, or sustainability to understanding how these initiatives contribute to overall business growth and innovation.
Changing this mindset from a reactive to a proactive, forward-thinking approach is difficult but crucial for driving innovation and success. Embracing an ecosystem mindset can facilitate this transformation.
Fred: Can you highlight a specific success from your experience as a senior consultant?
Julian: We regularly uncover billion-dollar business opportunities for companies embracing an ecosystem perspective. In a recent workshop, we extended their agenda by identifying innovative business models, allowing them to envision seven to eight years of growth. We then refined these ideas into tangible business models, calculated the business case, and kickstarted the implementation. This process fuels my passion for working with such companies every day.
Fred: Cool! One last question for you as the CEO and founder of Ecosystemizer.
What are your next steps to make sure that the powerful Ecosystemizer toolset framework becomes the choice of every professional.
Julian: We need to evolve and accelerate the way we help transforming mindsets toward ecosystem thinking and ecosystem strategy discussions. We also need to tailor our approaches more to specific business situations. With small medium-sized enterprises, we need to adapt our framework to specific company structures or industries, to make it more digestible.
My objective is to generate something like the Net Promoter Score, to have some kind of Ecosystemizer score and get something really tangible in terms of numbers. C-Level professionals to to follows the traditional EBIT and sales KPI thinking. This is of course necessary, but the question is whether we can add something to facilitate this journey of ecosystem thinking even with the traditional KPIs and quantitative thinking.
Conclusion
This dialogue underscores the critical role of ecosystem strategies in today's business environment. As companies navigate complex markets, embracing an ecosystem approach could be key to unlocking new growth and innovation. For those looking to adapt and thrive, incorporating the insights from this talk could provide a valuable roadmap. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned executive, understanding and implementing these principles can significantly enhance your strategic capabilities.
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