Alexander Stock, Chief Information Officer of A1 Telekom Austria, talks about the importance of building diverse teams and how moving to an agile setup has helped to transform the organization.How would you describe your organization’s enterprise-wide digital transformation strategy?Our aim is to lead and support the digital transformation of Austria’s business landscape and society. To achieve this, we of course have to start with ourselves and evolve from Austria’s incumbent to a mature digital player that is composed of a team of leading experts, cutting-edge technology and a state-of-the-art working environment. The central element of this strategy is the transformation of our corporate culture into a team-oriented, agile mindset.
How does TM Forum help you to achieve your digital transformation objectives?A1 is not the only company to run such a program and therefore we have the opportunity to learn from the experience of others. Ultimately we do not want to, or have to ‘reinvent the wheel’. TM Forum provides the platform for such exchange, and this can prevent us from making unnecessary mistakes in order to pick up speed. Speed is the essential ingredient to our success, allowing us to transform faster than our competition.
What’s the biggest ‘win’ you’ve achieved so far?For me personally, it is that we have managed to make our people happier again. Moving to an agile setup has transformed our organization from highly industrialized process-based company with a high division of labor and many job roles, back into a business that centers more around end-to-end responsibility and teamwork. This enables our experts to understand the business value of what they are supposed to achieve, and this again allows them to bring in their ideas and creativity. Decisions are made faster, based on profound knowledge, and people are taking back accountability for what they are doing.
What are the biggest challenges you face in achieving your digital transformation aims? There is still a lot of truth in the fact that there are companies - like A1 - that have been running their businesses for a long time, and have done many things in the past that made them successful. However, with today’s challenges some of that has become obsolete and we have to re-learn and find new ways. Unfortunately, this is partially anchored in our DNA and in our processes and therefore it takes a lot of effort to be changed.
Digital transformation is not just about changing processes and technology, it also involves a shift in organizational culture. How is your company’s teamwork changing and what’s your role as a team leader?The role of a team leader is changing from a manager to a facilitator. Where in the past a manager came up with a plan and actions, this will be done by agile teams in the future. Diverse teams are closer to the topics that they are working on and are in a better position to make the right decision to bring them forward. What they require is constant support that allows them to execute; a facilitator that is connected internally and externally to the required resources to help secure the necessary support.
A diverse workforce is defined as one that is made up of individuals with a wide range of characteristics and experiences, such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, ability and sexual orientation. What initiatives does your company have to become a more diverse and inclusive workforce?Diverse teams are better than individuals at mastering the variety of challenges of today’s world of work. Teams prove especially effective when many different skills and capabilities are interlinked. After all, different ways of looking at a challenge lead to comprehensive and efficient solutions. Echoing these sentiments, the A1 Telekom Austria Group has signed the
Diversity Charter, making a public commitment to utilizing and preserving the wealth of cultural traditions and capabilities in its operating countries.
As a leader, what are you doing on a daily basis to address diversity?One thing that further accelerates the formation of diverse teams, is to build cross-functional teams. This again emphasises the advantages of agile setups. Cross-functional teams that involve people from business, technology, etc. can act more independently and bring diversity beyond cultural and physical attributes, combining the skills, experiences and know-how that is needed to create real customer value.
In terms of the wider societal impact of digitization, what are you looking forward to over the next decade?We would like to decrease the distance to modern technology for all our customer segments. Where younger generations often adopt quickly, this is not always the case for others. With simple products and training initiatives we aim to bring the benefits of digitization to all our customers. On the B2B side our aim is to move faster than other regions, to provide a competitive advantage to our business partners through a better 5G network, integrated services and a better team of experts that is available wherever needed.
In terms of the wider societal impact of digitization, what concerns you?The shift to digitalization is not a ‘conventional’ IT project. In contrast to many change processes that have improved efficiency in recent decades, digital transformation affects extensive parts of corporate processes, if not the entire business model.
In order to make this change process a success, a company’s digital agenda must concentrate on the acquisition and development of new skills with a focus on changing customer requirements, digital business models, agile conceptual development and the technological implementation of corresponding products. Digital transformation begins in the mind.
Corporate culture is a central aspect of this process. An open digital mindset is a particular requirement in management, in order to win employees over and get them excited about digital transformation. Teamwork, trust, and agility are the cornerstones of success. Creating an environment that promotes innovation and creativity is just as important as transparency with regard to implementation. Many companies are becoming increasingly aware that an actively implemented, digitally-inspired corporate culture can be a significant competitive advantage, as it cannot simply be copied by others.
To meet more digital leaders and read about their transformation journeys, go to https://www.tmforum.org/face-digital-leadership 
