The Connected Company, A New Way to Run a Business

In today’s world, traditional product-driven business models are being left behind as power shifts to connected customers, employees, and partners. If your business is still clinging to old-school methods, it's time to embrace a new way of thinking. In The Connected Company, authors Dave Gray and Thomas Vander Wal lay out a blueprint for how businesses can thrive in this new age of rich networks, adaptive systems, and collaboration. Let’s dive into the lessons from this influential book and how it can reshape your company’s future.

Focus on Service

Gone are the days of a purely product-driven economy. Today, we live in a service economy where outstanding customer service and networks of possibility define success. Companies must move beyond seeing products as the end goal and start viewing them as tools that enhance customer experiences.

Think about Apple—its success doesn’t come from just selling devices. It thrives because of its seamless social platforms, communication platforms, and customer-focused services like iCloud and AppleCare. Customer feedback plays a crucial role in continuously improving these services.

Build complex systems that integrate services and make life easier for your customers, ensuring they remain loyal to your brand.

Focus on Customers

It sounds simple, but so many businesses lose sight of their customers as they expand. The idea of companies thriving without deep customer insight is outdated. The best organizations don’t just serve customers—they engage them, learn from them, and evolve with them.

A great example is Zappos, a company known for its outstanding customer service. They prioritize response times and spending time solving customer issues, often going above and beyond what’s expected. This level of care creates brand loyalty and long-term success.

Make customer feedback your top priority and adapt to meet their changing needs.

Focus on Learning

Traditional businesses often excel at efficiency but struggle with adaptive systems and innovation. The Connected Company emphasizes the importance of continuous learning.

The best businesses treat learning as an ongoing process. Whether it’s Tesla improving its vehicles through over-the-air updates or Amazon refining its recommendation algorithms, the companies that thrive are those that constantly evolve.

Encourage a mental model of learning and improvement, treating mistakes as stepping stones rather than failures.

Be Organic

Traditional companies operate like machines—structured, rigid, and slow-moving. But today’s most successful businesses are more like complex systems that evolve naturally.

Amazon, for instance, started as an online bookstore but became the largest e-commerce and cloud computing company in the world because it continuously adapted. It didn’t stick to one model but instead followed networks of possibility to explore new business opportunities.

Be flexible. Create an environment where ideas can grow organically instead of forcing them into rigid structures.

Focus on PODS

A podular organization operates in small, independent units rather than traditional departmental structures. Instead of having a department manager overseeing multiple teams in a strict hierarchy, businesses should function like interconnected, self-sufficient teams or pods.

Amazon’s two-pizza teams (teams small enough to be fed by two pizzas) are a great example of this concept in action. Each team works on its own adaptive systems, with the autonomy to make decisions and execute ideas without unnecessary bureaucracy.

Structure your business in rich networks of small, adaptable teams that can innovate without being slowed down by red tape.

Focus on Platforms and Networks

In a podular organization, success depends on the communication platform connecting the pods. These platforms reduce friction, increase cohesion, and foster shared learning.

Social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter thrive because they connect professionals through a communication platform designed for engagement. Similarly, companies must build social platforms internally to encourage idea-sharing and collaboration.

Invest in social platforms that allow seamless collaboration and knowledge-sharing within your company.

Focus on Measuring Success

Measuring success in a connected company goes beyond revenue and profit margins. It’s about response times, customer feedback, and how well the organization adapts to change.

A company like Netflix uses real-time data to determine what content resonates with its audience, adjusting its strategy accordingly. By contrast, companies that fail to adapt (like Blockbuster) get left behind.

Use data to measure more than just profits—track customer engagement, satisfaction, and internal agility.

Focus on the Bigger Picture

The future belongs to connected companies. The Dachis Group, Alex Osterwalder, and other thought leaders have emphasized that businesses need to shift their strategies. Success is no longer about being the biggest—it’s about being the most adaptable.

Companies like Airbnb and Uber didn’t succeed because they had the most resources; they won because they embraced networks of possibility and focused on what customers actually wanted.

Embrace social platforms, decentralized decision-making, and connected customers to build a company that thrives in the modern economy.

Ready to Build a Connected Company?

The world is changing, and businesses that stick to traditional models will be left behind. If you want to succeed in the social platforms era, it's time to rethink your approach.

Join The Swarm! Become a member of the Limitless Leaders Club and gain access to cutting-edge strategies that will help your company stay ahead. Join Now! Need expert guidance? Hire a Marketing Sidekick from HivePowered.Ai and start building a connected company today. Hire a Marketing Sidekick! The future is all about connected customers, networks of possibility, and adaptive systems. Don’t get left behind—take action now!