Digital Business Britain - Manifesto 2011
Digital Business Britain
A manifesto for a change in business mindset in 2011
Called for by Penny Power, founder of Ecademy
The role of the Digital Business Britain manifesto is to increase the economic output of the UK by encouraging individuals and businesses to embrace a Digital Mindset.
"Greater and more effective use of digital tools and communities can help small and medium sized businesses achieve growth and increase their efficiency and competitive advantage. This is more than just about selling online. It's about such things as driving marketing through social media, increasing website exposure through search engine optimisation and procuring and enhancing supply chains through business to business web-based networks. Encouraging SMEs to think strategically about such issues and adopt strong digital approaches within their business model will better place them to meet the global competitive challenge in the digital age."
Mark Prisk
Minister for Business and Enterprise expresses his support for Digital Business Britain
Introduction
At a time when the UK economy is facing tough challenges business leaders, business owners and those in Government need to do more to embrace the opportunities created by the digital revolution. Developing an understanding of the value of digital technology, digital networks and the tools they offer to business, will enable the UK economy to begin to thrive again. Digital Business needs to become a respected and recognised sector and skill set within UK business. Giving it such credence and focus will help to support more start-up businesses, create jobs, build business growth and ensure the UK has a strong reputation within the online global conversations that lead to profitable business. Britain's digital assets need to be nurtured and grown. Without them UK plc will be poorer.
Individuals and businesses, regardless of their size, have much to learn about how to 'think digitally' in the execution of their day-to-day business. A lack of understanding of the digital world means that many individuals and businesses are missing out on valuable growth opportunities. At the moment the internet is used as a transactional tool to buy and sell products or raise awareness. Few truly understand the potential of the internet and the positive impact it could have on their businesses. So there is an urgent need to teach business people how to embrace the digital world.
Developing a Digital Mindset goes far beyond access, superfast broadband and internet marketing. By effectively engaging in social business networks and using the internet to its full potential, these same individuals and businesses have the opportunity to share best practice, challenge established ideas and thought processes, ask for help, identify new customers and suppliers, build trust and collaborate with each other and their customers to accelerate their business development.
Now more than ever businesses need to engage with their customers. As trust develops so customers interact with businesses, using a range of digital tools, to open a dialogue of the kind only made possible by the digital revolution. The challenge businesses and individuals now face is the need to move their business behaviour from being Closed, Selective and Controlling (CSC), which doesn't work in the digital world, to becoming Open, Random and Supportive (ORS) in all their actions and intentions. This requires a new and very different mindset.
The Digital Business Britain Manifesto calls for the digital skills gap to be closed, encouraging UK businesses to develop a Digital Mindset, which will, in turn, enable them to leverage business growth opportunities.
"In the Internet age, we need to ensure that people aren't being left behind as more and more services and business move online. But this issue isn't just about fairness, promoting digital inclusion is essential for a dynamic modern economy and can help to make government more efficient and effective."
David Cameron
The Prime Minister
Why Penny Power?
Penny Power Founded Ecademy in 1998. At a time when businesses were waking up to websites and the transactional opportunities that the online technology enabled, Penny saw things differently. She saw the supportive nature of this world and could see a 'better world' for businesses and individuals providing an ethical framework was encouraged and in some cases imposed, and if people connected for the growth of all.
Ecademy is a social business network, founded in Britain to serve the needs of small businesses. It has become a hub of knowledge and Peer2Peer sharing and mentoring. Its strength is its sense of community. Conversations on Ecademy are diverse but all those having the conversations are in small business. The Founders of Ecademy have built their business and brand in a competitive and noisy market. Their survival and ability to grow has been achieved through becoming a Digital Business and through having a Digital Mindset. This is witnessed through their use of the virtual world to run their business and through accessing their 'network' to source suppliers.
Ecademy is a case study and provides live R&D for continual learning and research, which is passed on through their writing, speaking and Boardrooms and now via their Ecademy Digital School.
Digital Business Britain 8 Point Manifesto
1.
Adopt a Digital Mindset and philosophy
Challenge both Government and industry to treat Digital Business as a critical growth sector within UK plc. We must work together to secure the right infrastructure and levels of investment, education, job creation and supportive legal frameworks.
2.
Improve Britain's trading future
Understand that the UK's digital future is synonymous with its trading future. Businesses and individuals need to invest the time and resources to understand their position in competitive global, national and local digital markets and what that might mean to their business viability mid-to-long term.
3.
Ensure national inclusion
Ensure that no geographical area is excluded from the digital economy. Innovative business ideas and creative individuals can be found across the UK. The joy of digital business is that it can be operated anywhere in the UK, allowing businesses to spring up everywhere. However, we should remember that competitors across the globe can do the same thing, so we need to act now to ensure that our digital assets are fully exploited to the benefit of UK plc.
4.
Provide Digital Skills to all, offering individuals choice and a future that they can control
Give employees, and those seeking to commence or join or return to work, the opportunity to learn digital skills, offering them coaching and encouragement to build trusted networks. In turn, this will assist them in building value both in the organisations for which they work, and in themselves.
5.
Embrace ethical on-line behaviour
Adopt a Digital 'People' Charter designed to promote ethical and positive interactions online by providing a conduct framework for social networks and forum owners, along with guidance on social media policies for business owners.
6.
Value the social capital created by individuals
The online reputation of a business has become critically important. Similarly, individuals develop digital equity/reputation, known as social capital. This capital represents a key asset which, when carefully nurtured will benefit the equity/reputation of their business. So it is vital that they have access to digital networks both to transact efficiently and to work effectively in the workplace, at home, or while on the move.
7.
Ensure our Business leaders, Advisors, Mentors and Coaches understand Digital Business
Ensure business leaders, advisors, mentors and coaches embrace and understand the potential of 'a Digital Business' to reduce fixed costs and apply an 'outsourced/networked business model' throughout their organisation, encouraging the inclusion of small businesses and the self employed.
8.
Recognise the value of home based, digitally connected business in the economy
Raise the status of home-based, networked businesses within large influential institutions, such as the banks, to ensure they understand that in the digital world, measurement of a successful business lies not in employee headcount, nor office size, nor overhead but can be measured in terms of income, network size, influence and sentiment.
The Digital Business Britain Manifesto was co-created by Bob Barker, VP of Corporate Marketing and Digital Engagement, Alterian Plc, who previously chaired the Government's Information Age Partnership working party on UK ICT competitiveness.
About Ecademy
Ecademy, a social business network for SME's and entrepreneurs was founded in the UK by Penny Power in 1998. At a time when businesses were waking up to websites and the transactional opportunities offered by online technology, Penny recognised the collaborative and supportive nature of online business networking and realised that this could create the environment in which digital business could thrive and grow.
Ecademy has become the global hub of information and peer-2-peer knowledge sharing and mentoring for SMEs. Its strength lies in its sense of community where day-to-day collaboration and sharing of best business practice are important to its members' success. Ecademy 'Boardrooms' provide an opportunity for those running SMEs from a wide range of business sectors to meet and help one another. Unlike other business networks Ecademy fosters a sense of friendship, based upon shared endeavour and risk taking, and through this comes the support that its members need.
In September 2010 Ecademy launched the Ecademy Digital School to teach business people how to adapt and grow their skills in the digital world. To date, 20 sector-specific coaches have graduated from the Ecademy Digital School, proving the concept and demonstrating its value. Digital Coaches are senior business experts operating at the top of their game in their respective areas of expertise. They will help translate the value of the digital world to any business. Drawing on their expertise Digital Coaches will coach individuals, teams and companies, helping them to understand the importance of adopting a digital mindset to support the growth of their businesses, while working with them to develop a philosophy and framework designed to underpin and sustain that growth.
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