Transformation - The Nonconformist's guide by Novabase

TRANSFORMATION THE NONCONFORMISTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GUIDE

TRANSFORMATION THE NONCONFORMIST’S GUIDE Luís Paulo Salvado Chairman of the Board of Directors

TRANSFORMATION

In the business world transformation is inevitable for every company. Since the early days, this has been Novabase’s reality. It is exactly what we keep doing. Change. Preferably before we’re forced to do it.

models to better serve our clients, all the way to the adoption of Gamification process’s to integrate newcomers.

We’re restless. After 27 years our motto is still the same: innovate or die. We keep our childlike rebel side alive and an inﬁnite energy reserve for renewal.

With this brochure we want to give voice to the people at Novabase walking these steps every day. We’ll share innovation stories - unknown and inspirational stories never heard before. These are the ones who have been selected but there are so many more.

One day our dream was “to be the best amongst our neighbours”. We aimed for greatness. A few years ago this dream came through. So, the dream needed to be rethought. But how could we ﬁnd a new impossible to dream about? How could we imagine our future achievements?

I’m proud of the way we bring our people forward. Novabase does the impossible to search for, to motivate and to keep the best talents around. Starting, getting involved and ﬁnishing is what we ask of our employees. Our value is the ability to transform initiatives in results. To work as a team.

We started envisioning an innovated, renewed and transformed ﬁeld. We began to see ourselves challenging the world as we always have done, making our clients lives easy. Our purpose became obvious. We started using tools such as Design Thinking, Facilitation Maps or Gamiﬁcation. Today, all these are part of our company and our clients daily routine.

I believe all our employees - all of them with no exception - are potential leaders. Innovation is an attitude more than it is a process. We aim to promote the creative energy ﬂow from our people. We facilitate a permanent experimentalist environment. We give room to risk, to challenge and even more important, to failure. If we don’t fail enough, we’re not risking enough. The power is always within us. Leadership comes from the inside of every single individual out to the world.

What is innovation? An invention that works. An invention that generates value. Anyone with a new idea is considered an eccentric until the idea starts working. Our ideas work. We haven’t become habit slaves, we still trade certainty for the unknown to keep our dream alive. Our innovation doesn’t only appear in the offers and the solutions we generate to our clients. It’s also an organisational matter. To innovate we tested everything: specialized companies

We deﬁnitely are “The Human Centric IT Company”. We have it in our DNA. May the will to reach further and further keep us motivated. May the wish to change the world keep us restless. May the past keep making us proud. May the future keep us moving. Always. Always!

READER’S WARNINGS AND TERMS OF SERVICE

Non-conformist: 1. Involving non-conformist behaviour. 2. Someone who refuses to accept an uncomfortable or adverse situation, without questioning or without a fight. 3. Someone who doesn’t easily accept majority’s customs and traditions. 4. A rebel.

All the contents of this brochure are Novabase’s sole responsibility. All property rights are of those who read at least one page. Both individual and team reading is authorised. Reading it out loud is not only allowed, it’s encouraged. The chapters may be read at a random order. Highlighting favourite quotes or bending preferred pages edges is highly encouraged. Novabase reserves the right to add new chapters, announcing it on-site. The reader’s responsibility is to ensure that she/he will meet the conditions to be one of the leading ﬁgures of future editions. The content’s continuous and frequent reading can lead to behaviours such as will to grow or wish to take risks and be better.

Resigned people are forbidden to read the content. Side effects: will to grow and wish to take risks

I’ve read and accept this brochure’s terms of service

INDEX PEOPLE

BUSINESS

PAGE 10

PAGE 26

TECHNOLOGY

THE FUTURE

PAGE 38

PAGE 52

PEOPLE

EVEN FROM THIS FOURTH FLOOR OVER THE CITY ONE CAN THINK ABOUT INFINITY. INFINITY WITH WAREHOUSES UNDERNEATH, CERTAINLY, BUT WITH STARS AT THE ENDâ&#x20AC;¦ FERNANDO PESSOA, LIVRO DO DESASSOSSEGO

FIRST LOOK Pedro Crespo

PEOPLE

Half beginings are not possible when infinity is the limit. At Novabase, we instantly dive into dreams. Is there any other company where young talents start their professional journey with a 15 day secret mission? Instead of a formal phone call from Human Resources the newcomers get a misterious message challenging them to come up with a character. This will be their personification for the whole integration process. On the appointed day, they must come to the company’s headquarters auditorium with their luggage packed according to the previously received instructions. They are welcomed by a red hood wizard at the sound of epic music… Once upon a time a big adventure!

For the following two weeks they’ll be located somewhere out of Lisbon where unprecedented challenges presented at a very fast pace awaits them. This exclusive game designed by Novabase Academy will test their physical, intelectual and emotional abilities. Using Gamiﬁcation tools the goal is to reveal talents, stage conﬂicts and test defeats. At the end victory is unanimous, shared by all the participants.

“In the Land of Kroilon. We call it a game but above all it’s a learning process.” says Pedro Crespo, in charge of this programme. “The goal is to create an environment very close to reality, used as a behavioural laboratory. WhenI occasionally meet them some time later, I usually hear them say that they remembered their two week experience when facing a demanding customer or a challenging team. It’s so good to hear this!” The greater goal of this project is to help them experience the different stages of team building. “This is what makes it so different, giving it a special appeal. This integration programme deﬁnitely works at our favour. People share the word in an incredible way.” The search for a creative solution builds up a stronger engagement and proves that making a difference actually works. According to Pedro Crespo the rewards are long lasting. “There’s always a big progress with each group. The challenges are

PEOPLE

diversiﬁed. It gives me much joy to work close to the young generations, observing the diferences between them and at the end realising that people are not that different from each other after all.”

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE?

And there’s an inner voice underneath everything dictating thoughts and taking notes. At that exact moment it’s clear that we have changed as a person. The journey has changed us.’ At the end she added: ‘Novabase Academy changed my way of thinking, changed the way I behave in a group. Not only for the teachings but mostly for the people I met.’” From now on, just follow the stars…

“To manage my energy levels! They are performing as if the world’s end would arrive on Friday! And I have to build a bond with them. So I need to become one of them. I follow the programmes along, trying to lead by example. I must keep my energy high at all times.” The reward to this commitment comes not only with the bonds that are formed but also with the unforgettable testimonies. “One of the participants from the last event wrote an amazing post on Facebook. It deeply touched me. She quoted the Portuguese writer José Luís Peixoto: ‘This period can be too comforting and too melancholic. Comforting because all the memories and all the scars settle are processed by our memory, slowly described to ourselves and find a place in our head’s organisation. Melancholic, exactly for the same reason. It’s a period to contemplate a time that we know for sure never to return. To know that what was good was real is also to know that it no longer exists.

THINK ABOUT THIS WHO IS TRULY A LEADER? THE ONE WHO SIGNS AS MANAGER? THE ONE WHO INSPIRES US TO BE DIFFERENT? OR THE ONE WHO DARES US TO BE BOLD ENOUGH TO BELIEVE IN OURSELVES?

BE GREATER Tiago Roxo

PEOPLE

AFTER RETURNING FROM KROILON HOW CAN REALITY STILL REMAINS CHALLENGING?

Tiago Roxo, talent manager, highlights the importance of Novabase leaders irreplaceable role. “We believe a leader has tremendous impact in everyone’s day to day work routines. The degree of closeness I develop with my director along with the way I recognise him or her as someone with the right abilities to be in charge and easy to work with makes all the difference.” This was Tiago’s vision when he joined a new leadership development programme on its “day zero”. “Novabase bravely risked a step into change, knowing it would make sense. A long and hard working journey and a highly rewarding process was set in motion.” How to help a leader grow? How can a leader promote happiness in the lives of his team members?

PEOPLE

LEADERSHIP GYM This was the solution found to deliver the concept of crafted leadership depending on the rhythm of each person. This innovative system has already “trained” over 500 leaders, showing Novabase’s committed investment in people. Our ﬁrst beliefs led to a bold answer. “We didn’t want a typical corporative programme. Nor the traditional leadership training tools. Instead we wanted to provide memorable moments!” Our goals were ambitious. “Each person can make a difference. We aimed to facilitate a personal psychological DNA transformation, challenging the individual to change the way she/he interacts with the world. We strongly believe that if we give people the space and opportunity for self development, they’ll also grow as professionals and leaders. The more comfortable I feel with myself, the better I’ll relate with others creating a nicer environment around me. Teams will work with a better motivation. And the consequence will be an increase in productivity.”

The first step is the hardest. A kind of “know yourself” of modern times. A diagnostic portrait is made to compare self perception with the image other people - such as directors, other managers, team members and people out of the organisation - have of the individual. The value of this tool comes from the inevitable “miss-match”. After the analysis session, the person is invited to think about the meaning of her results. She is challenged to set goals for improvement. On a second phase, an executive coach enters the process helping her reach the self settled goals. Tiago Roxo declares that this first stage is frequently described as a “punch in the belly” creating a “ruthless impact” in the participant. “When people tell me ‘I’ve spend a whole month in denial’, I find it a great sign. If they had accepted their feedback easily, it wouldn’t have reached as deep as desirable.”

PEOPLE

Surprisingly, it’s common that participants end up spontaneously sharing their deep portraits with their team. “These are the best. A true sign of openness and maturity. The leader becomes more “human”. And teams create better bonds with people that are not unreachable. These examples assure us that we have mature people, highly engaged in their development process.” At the same time important issues are promoted both individually and in small groups. Coaching is the most relevant one.

“Leaders are a kind of ‘personal trainers’. They guide, they inspire and they motivate.” This is one of Novabase’s important issues: helping leaders to assume the role of a personal trainer towards their team. “When I go to a gym, I’m not expecting the PT to come running or attend classes or eat healthier food for me. Instead I expect him to prescribe me a good diet, to advice me about the best training plan and to bring up my motivation when I’m about to give up.” A Novabase leader must be able to guide, inspire and motivate efﬁciently enough in order to make new things happen. “Our people are well aware of this need to keep presenting new solutions.

Nevertheless, time may come when we realise that the transformation process will be stronger if we guide people to the change they need to go through. Every leader must be aware of the importance of engaging their team members in the constant search of their personal path. That’s when efﬁcient changes take place.” The ultimate goal is to create a fertile environment based on a kind, positive and active emotional resonance. Each leader helps his/her team to go further, better and faster. “We know we have the right human resources. All the potential is already here. We have remarkable people at our core.” Tiago Roxo declares “The last three years went fast. The knowledge this project gave me would be difficult to achieve elsewhere. As human beings, our ultimate goal is to grow. At Novabase we managed to create the space for people to merge this human need with the reality of their professional life in the company. This is priceless.”

PEOPLE

HOW DOES A NOVABASE LEADER GROWS? FROM SELF-AWARENESS TO THE BOLD WILL OF BEING THE BEST.

1 DIAGNOSIS

SELF-EVALUATION (WHAT ARE MY STRONG AND WEAK POINTS?) OUTER PERCEPTION (HOW DO MY MANAGERS, MY PEARS, THE TEAM, AND PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE COMPANY SEE ME?)

360ยบ PICTURE

PEOPLE

ANALYSIS

IMPROVEMENT

RESULTS’ FEEDBACK

ONE-ON-ONE COACHING SESSIONS HELPING TO ACCOMPLISH CHANGES

TWO SIDES COMPARISONS “PUNCH IN THE BELLY” DEFINING IMPROVEMENT AREAS AND UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS

GROUP SESSIONS: DIAGNOSIS SHARING AND REFLECTIONS COACHING TRAINING TALENT MANAGEMENT TRAINING

TRANSFORMATION COMMITMENT

TOOLS TO GROW

PEOPLE

INVEST ON PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

FUN AT WORK

WILLING TO KEEP GROWING FEEDBACK PROVIDER

POSITIVE INFLUENCE TO THE PEOPLE AROUND

CARE ABOUT THE OTHERS

NOVABASE’S LEADERS INGREDIENTS GOOD LISTENER

UNDERSTAND AND RECOGNISE OTHER PEOPLE’S VALUES

LEAN ON THE TEAMS

1 CHALLENGE PEOPLE

CHALLENGE PEOPLE A LEADERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SMALL GESTURES

A leader at Novabase is well aware of the others and deeply committed in promoting a happier environment. Make a list of the small gestures you can put into practice having this goal in mind. EXAMPLES: Every Monday, upon arriving at the office make sure you warmly greet your colleagues, spreading positive energy. When travelling out of town for a meeting, bring something to share with the others such as some local cookies for the afternoon coffee break. Put an hour a week aside to cultivate one-to-one conversations with your team members.

CHALLENGE PEOPLE AWAKEN THE LEADER WITHIN YOU

YES 1. In a conversation do you prefer to listen instead of talking? 2. One of your colleagues approaches you with a problem. Do you have the impulse to come up with a solution right away? 3. Is it difficult for you to maintain focus in the present moment? 4. Do you normally focus on the positive aspects first, asking “what’s working out well”? 5. Do you think a powerful reflective question is more useful than a wise advice? 6. In the changes you feel you need to make, would you prefer to go through the transformational process alone hoping for quicker results?

A Novabase leader would have answered YES, NO, NO, YES, YES, NO

BUSINESS

THERE ARE MOMENTS WHEN EACH DETAIL OF THE ORDINARY INTERESTS ME IN ITS PARTICULAR EXISTENCE, AND TOWARDS EVERYTHING I HAVE THE IMPULSE TO KNOW HOW TO READ IT ALL CLEARLY. SO, I SEE THE ORDINARY WITH SINGULARITY. FERNANDO PESSOA, LIVRO DO DESASSOSSEGO

DESIGNING THE FUTURE Pedro Janeiro

BUSINESS

TEAMS FEEL AT THE HELM OF INNOVATION

An intense curiosity, a drive to reach to the bottom of the problems, a permanent funny mental flexibility balanced with empathy and a constant respect towards others. This is the simplest way to define a Design Thinker. “It’s a kind of brotherhood. Our particular way to look at the world becomes identical. We develop the same will to learn, to test, to evolve… turning it into a lifestyle”, says Pedro Janeiro, Head of Business Design at Novabase. This whole attitude “brings up a lot of humbleness helping us realise we know very little. We understand the importance of looking at every situation in its own context and through other people’s eyes”. Novabase has trained 1200 people in Design Thinking over the last few years. This is the beginning of a success cycle, founded in a progressively new way of working.

Solid transformation demands new methods and new ways to improve work efficiency. “Design Thinking is becoming our most important innovation initiative. The one that causes greater impact.” Results speak for themselves. An example? International Consulting Sales tripled over the past five years. “This was only possible thanks to the shift we are promoting in our culture” regards Pedro Janeiro. By far, the most difficult change to implement. Normally it takes years. “We managed to speed up our internal transformation process thanks to intensive personnel training and the implementation of new work methods and environments”. Innovation is, once again, the secret ingredient. “Other companies impose. At Novabase we don’t force anyone to adopt Design Thinking. It’s a democratic and progressive process”. The strategy is simple:

“Whatever we come up with, it must be good enough to lead people into wishing its implementation. We’ve got surprisingly effective solutions to serve not only the internal needs of our different business areas departments but also to benefit our external clients. This fact made the wish to change to happen naturally.” describes Pedro Janeiro.

BUSINESS

Internal success stories and new clients testimonies were collected, inspiring a very positive reaction. “As we managed to gather more and more stories, we inspired more and more people to come and wish to take part of this success. This fact accelerated the cultural shift.” Although there’s still a considerable number of projects and clients not working under this methodology, Novabase is proud to be a strong example of Design Thinking. “We are certainly one of the Portuguese IT companies with more designers.”

MERRY SIMPLICITY Design Thinking is spreading out to other transformation pillars of the company. “They progress together, in coordination: Offer, Sales and Delivery.” To the Offer area, the New Service Development concept was of extreme importance. Managing to transform Novabase services into “products” and synthesise documented knowledge into “packages” added a great value. Our services became more clear and efficient, focused on ‘the clients of our clients’”. On Sales a co-creation dynamic was implemented. “We help the client identify his need. Then we design a solution together” strengthening a valuable partnership relation”, explains Pedro Janeiro.

At Delivery every professional relationship detail was taken into account in order to introduce the concept of simple but not simpleton. “We simplified complexity. We wanted the client to feel that working with Novabase was so easy, so transparent, so pleasant that we will undoubtedly be their choice for his next project.”, Pedro Janeiro adds. “The ultimate result we aimed for with Design Thinking” was to bring a pleasant feeling amongst the clients working with Novabase. This became a competitive advantage, a result of the clear determination in inspiring people to have a simpler and happier life. “Five years ago our dream was to raise in the clients the desire to work with us. Today this is a reality. By that time, if someone would have told us that we would conquer the North American bank market with innovative solutions, it would have sounded like science fiction. Today it’s what’s happening.” On the plans of those who design the future, the path is clearly presented: evolve from a Portuguese internationalised company to a Multinational.

“Our corporative culture allows us to have this ambition!” confides Pedro Janeiro. The journey ahead is still long. But every day there are more reasons to believe that this is the right direction.

UP IN THE CLOUDS José Luís Silva

BUSINESS

A multimedia contact center with a unified communications platform, ready to use in five minutes with no need of an infrastructure or a pre-installation from the client. Not so long ago this might have sounded like a futuristic idealisation. Since late last year it became a totally innovative reality. The recently created Nubitalk is not just a technological solution. It’s a revolutionary transformation of the process of creation, management and evolution of a business. José Luís Silva - Chief Technology Officer at Collab - remembers how this all started. ”The Cloud has changed the whole perspective. If a system is not simple and intuitive enough, the client will give up in less than five minutes.” Design Thinking was the unquestionable option to guide this whole creative process. “The Cloud demanded an urgent and faster time reaction. Design Thinking helped us speeding up our reaction with an improved accuracy. When we’re involved in a task, we try to hit at first attempt into what people really want to see and have”, explains José Luís Silva. The motto “if

it isn’t simple we don’t go through with it” helped keeping the team

focused. “It helps us focus on what really matters and narrow the scope of what needs to be done.”

SIMPLIFY – our watchword - was, in fact, our biggest challenge.

“To clearly explain to the people involved in the system’s development and design that what once was precise and reliable was no longer efficient was not an easy task. We had to leave some parameters and configurations out. A few revolutionary concepts needed to be clear. Like 80% of the functionality comes from 5% of configuration effort. And the client doesn’t care about the remaining 20% (Nubitalk Advanced was designed for those who eventually need it)”. At the beginning Nubitalk “was a bit misunderstood internally”. The common reaction was: “Nobody will use it! Parameters are missing!” The portal presentation showed that it was possible for people with or without specific training to start a Call Center (with voice, video, e-mail, chat and social media) and a unified communications platform in less than five minutes. This fact dissipated any remaining resistance. The litmus test came with the distributors reaction. They were old solution specialised partners. They were also the key role to eventually generate a Nubutalk mass positive impact. After seeing it everybody was unanimous: “This is amazing! We can show the client a trial on the spot. Before, we had to wait for weeks…” This kind of reaction was decisive:

“We knew we were creating something revolutionary. Motivation and ambition increased amongst the teams. They feel they are leading in the innovation area!”, says José Luís Silva.

BUSINESS

WHAT WERE THE CHANGES IN THE WAY BUSINESS IS THOUGHT? FROM CULTURAL SHIFT TO CLIENTS RELATIONSHIPS.

MAKING LIFE SIMPLER AND HAPPIER FOR PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES CULTURE

OFFER

SALES

DELIVERY

Training

New Service Development

Co creation

New work methods

New work spaces Incentives

“Productised” services

Value partnerships

MOTIVATED TEAMS INNOVATIVE SERVICES SALES GROWTH A TRANSPARENT AND TRUSTWORTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH CLIENTS

Success stories

INNOVATION PILLARS

2 CHALLENGE BUSINESS

CHALLENGE BUSINESS DESIGN A DIFFERENTIATED OFFER Businesses are full of restraints: time, money, circumstancesâ&#x20AC;¦ Identify what clients are searching for and what your company has to offer. Acknowledge the differentiation factors in regards to your competition.

CLIENTS PAIN/GAIN AND MARKET NEEDS

WHAT ARE CLIENTS SEARCHING FOR

OFFER/ MARKET FIT

WHAT DOES THE COMPANY HAVE TO OFFER

INVEST ON GO-TO-MARKET

REVIEW THE DIFFERENT OFFERS AND WORK IN NEW VALUABLE PROPOSALS

CHALLENGE BUSINESS PRIORITIES VISUAL MAP Taking into account your companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s projects, identify the one with highest priority, according with business relevance and implementation easiness. To simplify and focus on the essencial is a secret to success.

HIGH RELEVANCE AND HARD

HIGH RELEVANCE AND EASY

(Plan according with importance, urgency, necessary resources and impact criteria)

(Define priorities)

LOW RELEVANCE AND HARD

(Choose what to leave out)

LOW RELEVANCE AND EASY

(Find quick-wins selection criteria to implement such as impact and visibility)

TECHNOLOGY

THE SKY, HOWEVER, WAS MADE OF A VICTORIOUS BLUE AND THE CLOUDS THAT REMAINED FROM RAIN THAT WAS DEFEATED OR TIRED GAVE AWAY THE LEGITIMATE PATHWAYS TO THE WHOLE SKY. FERNANDO PESSOA, LIVRO DO DESASSOSSEGO

PROUDLY INVISIBLE Pedro Borges

TECHNOLOGY

IF NOVABASE TECHNOLOGY WAS A PERSON, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT? “I would say it would be a young person full of creativity, highly motivated and future oriented” says Pedro Borges, Novabase

THINK ABOUT THIS “EVENTUALLY THIS PROCESS WILL BE PAINFUL AT SOME POINT, BUT HUMAN BEINGS WILL HUGELY BENEFIT FROM THE TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS. EVEN IF IT’S ONLY BY HAVING MORE FREE TIME TO THINK OR TO BE WITH EACH OTHER.”

IMS (Infrastructures & Managed Services) manager.

“And since it is a Portuguese company, she would surely have dark brown hair.”. There are many people unaware of Novabase technology but, in one way or another, they have surely been touched by its particular way of spreading happiness. Often invisible, Novabase technology crosses borders and reaches places where it’s least expected. “For example, during the last World Football Championship in Brasil we were present in a few stadiums. Our IT at the Operations Center helped controlling elevators accesses, managed surveillance cameras and public wi-fi, processed the press accreditations, ensured television broadcasts…”

There’s an infinite list of examples. Novabase’s Technological Solutions have contributed to the way how millions of Portuguese have access to video and television content in their mobile devices. It’s part of Covilhã’s Data Center components, the most prestigious Portuguese Data Center. It has a key role in bank services making financial investments possible over the phone… “Most of the times, it’s the event or our client’s service who has all the visibility. But, at the end of the day, when we seat on the couch to watch television, we proudly know that the TV streaming service is available in so many Portuguese homes thanks to our work.” says Pedro Borges.

TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGICAL TAILOR With a transversal key role, technology won the status of opportunity. “Our company creates technological solutions and simplifies its use. This puts us right in the middle of a hurricane! Surprisingly nobody is running away from it…” says Pedro Borges, amused. On the contrary. Pedro Borges brings forward a deep shift actually taking place:

“IT isn’t exclusively a business supporting area. It’s a business source itself. That’s why clients are prioritising differentiation.” How is Novabase technology different? Once more, the answer is simple: innovation. “We’re not a onesize-fits-all mass company. We’re a tailor presenting solutions specially designed to meet every single client needs.” On a mechanised marketplace the human factor gains an unexpected importance. “Proximity is the key piece. It allows us to better understand our client’s business and its connections with IT. Our awareness helped us realise these two worlds are merging - giving us a competitive advantage and a good positioning towards innovation.”

And innovation means not only the design and creation of technological solutions but also the way the company manages the relationship with the client during the sales process. Pedro has been working at Novabase for the last 12 years. He feels privileged.

“It’s very rewarding to work in an area that is constantly changing at a very fast pace. The biggest motivation is knowing that we’re prepared to give answers according to the rapid development of the technological world. What is true today, will no longer be in a year from now. We must be one step ahead. And there’s no bigger challenge than this.”

IT’S EASY TO EMBARK ON THIS BURST OF IDEAS… BUT IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO LOOSE AWARENESS OF BUSINESS REALITY.

NO LIMITS Daniel Dias

TECHNOLOGY

THE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSE OF THE SO-CALLED INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) SEEMS TO BE MARCHING MANY STEPS AHEAD.

Machines communicating with other machines? Daniel Dias is the Head of Internet of Things at Celfocus and he explains this concept as he did to the young children at his daughter school when he went there on “parents job description day”. “Machines make stuff. But me, a human being, I program these machines brains to make the stuff I want them to do.” Children were impressed. No less!

“IoT is at the top of innovation. It means that we can now have every device connected.” In some specific areas this is a huge benefit. “In the security area, for instance. Surveillance cameras can have a SIM card. This allows us to remotely access the footage in case of an emergency. Transportation business is another good example. Every truck can have a device that helps improving distribution circuits, takes record of the vehicle location in real time and keeps track of the driver’s speed limits. Also in big cities it can help with important details like garbage management. A sensor can be installed in every garbage container and give warning when it’s full. This information can help improve garbage collection routes”. describes Daniel Dias.

TECHNOLOGY

Imagination is the limit. “We can have fridges that upon detecting there’s not much milk left, automatically generate an order to the supermarket that will deliver it later on… There are a million ideas around. And our teams are dreaming big! Nevertheless we have to keep business in mind.” highlights Daniel Dias. “We have to understand our future role and what really makes sense.” In a country such as Portugal Daniel Dias recognises that this kind of technology is still “in

an embryonic stage to final customers. For them the cost-benefit relation is not yet sustainable.” But he predicts the change will be

inevitable. “It will widen up so much that it will no longer be an option. We’ll reach to a point where this reality will cross-cut every market and every segment. A few years from now, this technology will become a commodity. It’s absence will be noticed by our children. They’ll say: ’How awkward! Is this not connected?”.

BUILDING THE PATH Novabase’s signature, through Celfocus, is already in a few top technology markets. The first project Internet in The Car - resulted from a partnership with a telecom operator. Today, one of the most prestigious car brands in the world offers this service in one of its top range models. The portals and the application connectivity management comes entirely from Celfocus. From the moment the car is turned on a universe of a number of possibilities is unfolded.

WE AIM TO BECOME TRANSVERSAL. IT MIGHT NOT BE THE QUICKEST WAY BUT IT IS WHAT MAKES SENSE TO THE KIND OF COMPANY WE ARE.

TECHNOLOGY

“Help our clients to efficiently manage the infinite diversity of this new ecosystem.”

Daniel Dias gives a few examples of the possibilities the future might bring:

Celfocus strategy is

“An alarm can be triggered in case of an accident. it will immediately alert the authorities and the nearby hospitals. The insurance policy cost can be defined according to the driver’s safety driving habits using a remote monitoring system. Or when you’re arriving home, the heat will switch on before you get there… From the moment everything is connected all we need to do is… connect the dots.”.

Curiously, this new world of “machines” can be the right excuse for a bigger humanisation. “People might think that everything will be automated and managed by machines… This is a myth! There will always be a human side to it. The path should be to take some weight out of our shoulders. The weight of the decisions that can be made by machines. Then we can have extra time for our creativity, for human interactions. We’re always complaining about how time flies… this kind of technology will fix that!”.

It’s a very young technological area so the roles are yet to be better defined. “IoT universe needs everything. And everything must be connected. It’s not easy for one company alone to work on finding solutions for an increasing number of requests. Partnerships have a key role. There’s no way around it.” declares Daniel Dias.

NOVABASEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TECHNOLOGY 2500 SERVINGS

PREP

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

Help the client define his challenge Be well informed about your clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clients needs

INGREDIENTS Technical know-how Client oriented Willing to take risks Courage to fail Simplicity

Answer questions such as: what people wish to watch and have Go through every existing solution and check if any can be adapted to this case Always look for better ways to simplify your clients day-to-day life METHOD Observe the market attentively. Then disassemble already existing solutions. Mix all ingredients together. In the meantime, bring the strategic partner to taste it. Adjust the ingredients according with the received feedback. Leave it to mature in a dream broth. Keep on checking on it until it reaches the desired consistency. In case of need, pour in a bit more value. Note: Final technology is simple, appealing and easy to use. After a few seconds, one can taste its full particular flavour.

3 CHALLENGE TECHNOLOGY

CHALLENGE TECHNOLOGY NEEDS DIAGNOSIS In order to tune in technology and business, answer the following questions:

WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION DO I NEED TO GATHER, STORE, SHARE AND MANAGE IN ORDER TO IMPROVE MY BUSINESS?

HOW MY SOLUTIONS PORTFOLIO CAN LEVERAGE MY BUSINESS SPECIFIC NEEDS?

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S THE CRUCIAL TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR MY BUSINESS SUCCESS?

IN MY TECHNOLOGICAL ARCHITECTURE, HOW INTERFACES AND MOBILITY NEEDS CAN EITHER LIMIT OR LEVERAGE MY BUSINESS?

WHERE DOES SECURITY PAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN MY BUSINESS AND HOW DOES IT INFLUENCES TECHNOLOGY?

CHALLENGE TECHNOLOGY CONNECTING THE DOTS IoT will cross-cut every market. Identify what kind of things in your segment that can be connected in the future and what new business can be enhanced.

IDENTIFY THINGS NEW BUSINESS

3 4

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

THE FUTURE

ALL THIS IS COMPLEX AND IN TIME IT WILL, DOUBTLESSLY, BE DETERMINED. CURRENT DREAMERS ARE MAYBE THE BIGGEST PIONEERS OF THE FINAL SCIENCE OF THE FUTURE. FERNANDO PESSOA, LIVRO DO DESASSOSSEGO

THINKING AHEAD Ana Baltazar

THE FUTURE

The elevator is quickly going up. Ana Baltazar’s enthusiasm raises. “This is the moment when I get butterflies in my stomach!”.

Time factor argument is usually decisive: “We can save time to your teams and increase productivity along with results efficiency”

Arriving at the destination floor, Ana - Head of Wizzio - heads for one of the many meeting rooms of one of the largest banks in the world. Around the table a group of “highly intelligent, quick, focused and wellinformed people” gives her 30 minutes of their time. Not a second less, not a second more. This is Ana’s window of opportunity to cause an impression.

urges Ana Baltazar. This is how a few of Novabase’s futuristic solutions are starting to enter the most competitive international markets.

“Novabase, the biggest IT Portuguese company, is totally unknown in the US. This is a great challenge for us. We have to show up with a very elaborated pitch. We must know exactly what we’re going to say. We need to remain focused and we have to be groundbreaking.” When Ana Baltazar notices a few of them leaning forward, she knows she’s getting their attention. Questions start to be asked. Another good sign. “Apps with cognitive systems? Contextualised information? How do you do this?”.

COGNITIVE TECHNOLOGY With our daily access to an almost unlimited amount of information, having a technology processing all the data in real time is an “extremely powerful tool”. “This is what’s being developed right now for the financial markets, amongst others. How can I process information contextualised with each individual reality? This is the big challenge for the times ahead. At the moment technological development is already taking large steps.” Wizzio and MyWizzio are the first of Novabase’s products integrating cognitive systems. Its quality is “worldwide seen as a top innovation.” Occupying this position was made possible thanks to the development of an anticipation policy, working ahead and cross-cutting the company’s different areas.

THE FUTURE

“Two years ago we were impelled to look at the future and declare: ‘we believe in the potential of this kind of technology.’ Today, this same technology has a large impact in the behavioural area. We are truly changing, gaining new habits and, because of that, anticipating what’s coming is more and more challenging.” How to observe it? How to predict it? “We can’t predict the future”, says Ana Baltazar. But one thing we know for sure: in the world of innovation, fascination walks hand in hand with persistence.

“A 20 year old person from today cannot conceive the idea of entering a bank branch, seat at the desk and fill a form that will need her signature in three different places…”

“Wizzio first idea, for example had to be abandoned and totally redone. It was an important learning process, originating a different perspective for the final product. It’s not easy to be brave enough to take such a decision, to start all over again.”

Wizzio and MyWizzio products are already on this road, contextualising information according with the user.

THE SOLUTION? TECHNOLOGY What’s interesting is the fact that if technology has altered people’s habits, it will be technology that will help us find new solutions. Ana Baltazar brings up some examples about the challenges in her area during the last few years.

Ana Baltazar adds: “Clients want to simplify the bank service desks. But in a digital world they expect special treatment, almost exclusive… These new demands will only be possible with technological solutions.”

IN THE FUTURE, WE WILL ALL BE USING THE SAME APP TO VISUALISE DIFFERENT THINGS, ACCORDING TO EACH ONE’S BEHAVIOUR AND SOCIAL INFORMATION.

BROADEN HORIZONS Carmo Palma

THE FUTURE

THERE IS A POWERFUL BRIDGE BETWEEN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY. IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO GO FURTHER

One foot in the present moment and another reaching out for the future. This is the kind of balance Carmo Palma - GTE Business Solutions Managing Director - likes to bring to her days. “It would be a hard choice if I had to pick one of these options.” she admits. Carmo finds her motivation in this day-to-day endurance routine, keeping pace with her clients. On the other hand “the things that we keep imagining and creating, unaware if they’re going to succeed or even reach daylight” also brings her a great enthusiasm.

NOVABASE IMAGINES THE FUTURE CONNECTING ALL THE DIFFERENT SECTORS.

THE FUTURE

One of her most recent teams did exactly that. For two years they imagined a possible future reality for the ticketing collection in the public transportation sector. The result was an app, already finished and waiting to become publicly available by the end of the current year. The clients will only need to have a mobile phone to install it. They will no longer have to dislocate to buy tickets. It will be constantly available on their phones. On their mobility around the city, payments are made automatically. The app will also make suggestions about the best tariff rates taking into account their personal routines. It will also be possible to add other family members and manage the expenses all together. At home, users can plan their routes for the next day: the app suggests the best transport to use cheaper vs. faster, according to the user’s criteria. At the end of each journey, the users can even post their feedback and share it with friends. A history of the user’s favourite trips and routes is always available.

Finally, the app can suggest the closest stops, thanks to a GPS connection. Does it sound a bit too futuristic? It is.

“It’s the first Portuguese app with this kind of functionality.” says Carmo Palma. And a world wide pioneer.

“The question of dematerialising mobility is on the agenda today. However the already existing solutions still lack massive use.”

THE FUTURE

THE SURE BET Two years ago “a

few pessimistic voices raised forward advocating that for the next 15 to 20 years this kind of mobile services would only be used by a small percentage of the population. ‘There’s no business there!’ they said.”tells Carmo Paula. However,

time has showed the opposite. Betting in this area can be a good investment. “ Today, when I’m travelling I prefer not to worry about tickets or a user’s card. Nor planning ahead or look for a vending machine… The best would be to download an app, entering the bus and start my trip right away.” The new mobility paradigm calls for simplified and intuitive systems.

“It has been a long walk with the eyes set in the future. Novabase is a privileged place to work in these terms.”

These new technological solutions present a good opportunity, facilitating transportation companies important structural changes. “Once the focus was in the process automation. Today it is imperative to think about people and their needs. This is what will make the change in service possible, building a solution closer to every individual need. At the digital era, innovate means far more than additional improvements. We need to rethink our business and broaden horizons. In a word: - transform!”.

TO POSSESS EXCLUSIVE INFORMATION WILL BE THE DISTINCTIVENESS FACTOR FOR THE TIMES AHEAD.

THE FUTURE

HOW TO PREPARE THE FUTURE FROM LIMITLESS IMAGINATION TO TAKING OFF.

RESTART THINKING AHEAD WITH NO PAUSES Future doesn’t’ wait!

AT THE RIGHT MOMENT, LAUNCH Recognise the right time to take off, benefiting from the window of opportunity.

GETTING INSIDE YOUNG GENERATION’S HEADS Understand their occupations, their feelings, their needs and their ambitions.

GENERATE IDEAS WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED Gather the highest amount of ideas working as team with no censorship or limitations of any kind.

FUTURE MAKE PILOT TESTS Use safe environments and friendly users so that the project can consistently come to life.

DISCOVER NEW TERRITORIES Select the ideas with greater potential and start working on them.

CREATE LITTLE LABORATORIES Achieve. Generate a prototype. This way you can fail fast and cheap and learn as much as possible.

4 CHALLENGE FUTURE

CHALLENGE FUTURE BENEFIT FROM THE PAST Keep in mind that the past is the building foundation of the future. It’s important to find out what was relevant and what value it can bring you. Choose a project in which you have been recently involved and be inspired.

LESSONS LEARNED

EXCEEDED OBSTACLES

ACHIEVED SUCCESSES

REMARKABLE PEOPLE

WHAT’S THE BEST KNOWLEDGE I BRING WITH ME FOR THE FUTURE?

CHALLENGE FUTURE CROSSED TENDENCIES It’s time to highlight the main technological trends that will generate digital business opportunities at least until 2020.

Test your knowledge and check if you’re aligned with the future.

1. In 2018 20% of the content generated by the companies will be written by them. 2. New networks will emerge able to automatise information understanding, working around the challenges of “Information of Everything”.

1. 3.

3. By the end of 2018 the company’s clients will be recognised by their faces and their voices in every communication channel. 4. By 2019, 64,1% is the predicted annual growth rate for this kind of equipment sales. 5. In 2018 six billion companies will be connected.

solutions: 1 - Robot Writers; 2 - Deep Neural Roots; 3 - Digital Assistants; 4 - 3D Printers: 5 - Things

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