The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 15: Spring 2020 | Page 29

TECHNOLOGY
REVVED UP
Designing your digital purpose
Following the session at this year’s South West Charity Conference with
Nathan Baranowski, Managing Director at OJO Solutions, and Steve Fuller,
Co-Founder of The House, we sat down with them both to discuss the
importance of understanding and developing your digital purpose.
In today’s third sector environment, there is a sizeable appetite to embrace technological change in order to
deliver greater impact. The latest Charity Digital Skills Report found that 67 per cent of not-for-profits want
to use technology to positively boost services; these forward-thinking organisations recognise the need to
work more effectively and efficiently in order to future-proof. But technology is an enabler; it’s no magic wand.
In an era of ever-changing, seemingly never-ending transformation, it can be all too tempting to focus solely
on technological solutions, rather than asking the bigger question: how do people, processes, cultures and
technological capabilities shape and create successful digital charities that are grounded in purpose?
Nathan
Steve
Why is purpose important when
thinking about digital transformation?
I’ve been working in the not-for-profit sector
for nearly two decades, and what I’ve learnt
during this time is that most charities are
very similar when it comes to digital. The
prevalent themes are that most charities
wish to be more effective, efficient, deliver
greater impact and attract more donors.
How they achieve this, and what success
looks like, differs. But one consistent aspect
of my work supporting charities – small and
large – to digitally transform, is the need to
first understand a charity’s purpose in order
to deliver impact through digital. Too often
there is a conflict and disconnect between
strategic, charitable objectives and the desire
to make a tangible difference in the world.
How do you get to your purpose?
A purpose-driven vision should be
compelling; describing the world in a way
that clearly expresses the impact of this
purpose on the world, and creating an
inspiring picture of success that all can
relate to. Purpose should centre around both
what the world needs right now – in terms of
positive and progressive change – and what
the charity really cares about and is good at.
When considering purpose, a highly
valuable process for charities to go through
is to imagine a world where this ‘purpose’
has been delivered, and to consider what that
would look like and what would be different.
This process enables the leadership team
to develop a future-back strategy with clear,
measurable and ‘audacious’ goals, avoiding
the pitfalls of a today-forward approach. It’s
all too easy to get trapped in the reality of
today, which limits thinking and brings an
element of fear into the process; but a true,
powerful purpose should challenge our
ambitions and stretch our imagination.
Nathan
Is technology part of our future,
or is it all of our futures?
Right now, arguably more than at any other
point in history, technology is changing
the way we think about how we work and
deliver services. Digital, by its very nature, is
disruptive, challenging and game-changing,
and that’s a great thing. We all recognise
that digital is here to stay – so now we must
really question how digital will enable us to
live and breathe our purpose.
Steve
Nathan
It is only when the purpose (‘the why’) is
understood, that you should invite technology
into the conversation. Context is everything
here, and for me, context is defined or
shaped by the problems your way was
created to tackle. This is ‘the why’, and this
clear purpose should always be central to
any digital transformation planning.
How can digital transformation
change be mobilised?
As human beings, we are incredibly habitual
creatures, and that means change isn’t
easy – it can often make us feel fearful or
uncertain. Ultimately, digital transformation
is a people-change programme first and
foremost, and so it is imperative, from
day one, to take everyone on this journey
together. A clear understanding of the
direction and purpose of an organisation
allows for goals to be translated into a digital
roadmap; a set of themes and building
blocks to enable change to happen. All within
organisations must then be empowered
and engaged with the change programme
in order to contribute towards and see the
results.
Agile working can be highly advantageous
when it comes to mobilising transformation,
especially when an organisation’s culture
and capability is growing rapidly. Agile
working – and breaking down organisations
into teams to drive and deliver specific
outcomes – means that often positive change
can be seen in weeks rather than months.
While often perceived as an IT methodology,
and perhaps overlooked as such, it’s a proven
way to deliver outcomes quickly, explore
opportunities and empower teams to make
decisions and deliver results over ‘perfect’
solutions. For charities, agile working and
digital transformation is all about making a
change today that could make a difference
for tomorrow – and positive change is, of
course, the central thread that runs through
all charities.
For more info:
www.ojosolutions.com
@ojosolutions
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2020
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