In anticipation of his presentation at Building Business Capability in Vegas, Nov. 2 – 6, 2015, we asked Michael Lachapelle at Business Model Fulcrum, a few questions about pursuing business excellence. Check out his interview in relation to his BBC presentation entitled, Designing, Analysing and Changing Business – Welcome to the Business Model Generation.

Q: How are organizations with which you work advancing the pursuit of business excellence?

A: There are two really important trends I am seeing these days. The first is focusing on understanding how to create value for the customers, making organizations better at understanding the customer’s outcomes and pains. The second is integrating innovation as a fundamental part of the business, not an add-on to deal with crisis situations.

Q: Can you describe the challenges your clients face or have already overcome in establishing a more cohesive and productive company or organization?

A: One of the most complex challenges, particularly in large organizations, is to find the balance between optimizing the execution of the existing business and driving new business through innovative approaches and products. The speed at which the marketplace, or association environment is changing places a constant pressure on the business that can’t be solved by being better at the business you are currently running.

Q: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned in 2015 thus far? What’s the most important goal/trend to keep in mind?

A: Synergy. This year I have worked on building interesting partnerships that have taken me into new spaces and opportunities. It is about the value of partnerships for expanding your business horizons. An independent consultant is often faced with clients that need more than the body of knowledge one person can bring to the table. Having a network of people with complementary or extended experience, tools and approaches creates new markets and resources for business opportunities.

Q: What’s the latest method/process/tool you have implemented to help your client organization or business run more efficiently and effectively?

A :I have been working with a new strategy model for designing platform businesses. It is a precursor to developing the business model. Platform businesses provide the infrastructure that enables interaction between producers and consumers effectively and efficiently. They are re-writing many of the business orthodoxies of the 20^th century. Uber and AirBnB, as examples, build on three core trends in marketplace: ubiquitous connectivity, distributed production and value creation through interaction of users, to build new business dynamics for creating and delivering value and scaling.

Q: If you could give your five-years-ago self-insight and advice about this industry, what would you say?

A: For innovation in existing companies to have persistence requires more than a new set of tools. It requires a structure within which innovation can be nurtured, a methodology and a process for educating the organization top to bottom on innovative thinking, a set of core metrics relevant to innovation rather than execution of known business models, and finally sustainable funding as innovation is not a 6 month project. I would also emphasize the power of visual thinking and discovery-driven innovation.

Q: Sneak preview: Please tell us a take-away that you will provide during your talk at Building Business Capability?

A: The business model canvas has become a de facto standard for business leaders and business schools. The book Business Model Generation, source of the canvas, has sold more than 1,000,000 copies in 30 languages. Its impact around the word has been enormous as a foundational concept for business planning and innovation. The Business Analysis community is lagging in its understanding and use of this.

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Don’t miss Michael’s presentation, Designing, Analysing and Changing Business – Welcome to the Business Model Generation, at Building Business Capability on Wednesday, November 4, 2015 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. Click here to register for attendance.