Code Halos: How the Digital Lives of People, Things, and Organizations are Changing the Rules of Business

Chapter SixThe Pattern of Digital Disruption: The Crossroads Model

At this point, you’ve read about your personal Code Halo, the five types of business Code Halos, the transformational power of the SMAC Stack and, if you’re like the hundreds of managers and executives we’ve consulted with on this topic, you are probably now wondering exactly how and where these concepts may apply to your organization.

Finding a starting point for this analysis is easier said than done. External issues such as your industry structure, the nature of your products and/or services, and your customer base’s demographics will all have an impact on your potential next steps. You also have to consider what your competitors may, or may not, be up to. Internal factors will also play a role. Does your organization have a culture that supports change? Does your firm have a strong IT team with the right capabilities? And even if you see the opportunity and build a compelling vision, can your organization execute against it?

To answer these questions, we developed the Crossroads Model, which is based on our consulting work with many leading companies and our research findings. The model stems from our recognition of the pattern of how Code Halos emerge inside companies, and how those firms successfully deploy them. We saw how organizations all followed a similar path. We also looked at Code Halo failures, attempting to ascertain what went wrong, and the pattern surfaced again.

The Crossroads Model emerged ...