Do you know your DNA?
In my limited experience of being a branding and image consultant for a lot of IT, IT services and IT-enabled services companies, there was one constant challenge. With the exception of a few, the business model/content of communication of majority of companies in this space is absolutely indistinguishable. However, there was always a lingering question, which begged an answer and, answer to which I thought would be the basis of differentiation for a whole lot of players in these sectors. Every organization must be unique in a real sense, in some way that even its founders, its employees and even its consumes or target audiences may not be aware of or fully ignorant to. How can one go about identifying, discovering or digging this uniqueness out and leverage it? The question assumes increased relevance today, as the industry becomes truly global and companies face the challenge in the external context. For lack of any better word, or for lack of some originality from my side let me call this the DNA* of an organization. In the ensuing paragraphs, I have tried my best to throw some light on various aspects related to the discovery and importance of this DNA primarily from a corporate brand perspective. For reasons of clarification, let me define DNA as an unique characteristic, aspect, nature or delivery of any organism from which springs the uniqueness of that organism and one which influences how the organism evolves.
DNA. IT WORKS.
Be it Infosys or BMW. Though both are rooted in different market, environments and industry, they and many others who have discovered their DNA are telling examples of how it can lead to a success from both organizational and market perspectives and how (in Infosys case) if done in a nascent industry with great promise, it could even lead you to become the darling of masses, customers and the government.
DNA. THE DISCOVERY PROCESS.
Today’s reality is that not many organizations are even aware of their DNA. So, a good starting point would be history. Go back to your roots. Your first clients. Some of your old associates. Early feedback on your work and delivery. Is there any historic and social context to the birth of your organization? Is there a thread you can pick-up or a characteristic that seems to keep coming up. Like BMW, which discovered that, its DNA lay in great engineering due to its origins as a manufacturer of mission-critical parts to aircrafts.
The discovery led to their repositioning as a maker of automobiles, which are machines that are ultimate driving pleasures.
If you are a start-up, look beyond your business plan. Look inside individuals who have come together to start it? Dig some common personal characteristics or leanings? Or was there a common and really fundamental inspiration? Is there a promise to your venture that will live beyond or is completely different? Is the timing of your venture laden with any social or corporate happening, which created tremors?
DNA IS WHAT IS IN THE BODY OF YOUR ORGANIZATION AND NOT TO BE FOUND PACKAGED IN A CONSULTANT’S SHOP OR AGENCY BED.
This again could be done in many ways. Through personal interaction with some of these audiences. Through administered questionnaires which capture the essence without overemphasis on the tangible. Through a search on information archives of the company. Or by hiring a consultant who just does that for you.
Since brands are such an important assets and one wrong repositioning could spell disaster, it is recommended that you go about doing some internal and external ramification after the DNA is discovered just to validate it and see if it needs some more fine-tuning. This actually helps you later in creating accurate imagery when targeting end customers.
LEVERAGING THE DNA.
Now, you have hit paydirt. You have found something underneath that is really unique. Take care from now on, like an archelogist does upon a discovery. Use carefully right tools, protect and keep chiseling slowly and painstakingly to understand and absorb what has been discovered.
Once that has been done, see if you could package it in such a way that it could be communicated, translated into organizational processes and more importantly, a true testimony of what that uniqueness is.
Manufacturing critical aircraft parts which are fitted real-time on the original part’s failure needs great engineering skills.
With great engineering skills one can build great machines.
Great machines make driving a pleasure.
Now, go back and compare that with the promise of a BMW? Getting any triggers?
After the DNA is discovered, seamlessly and ruthlessly reorient your business strategy and organizational processes in alignment with the same. Every touch point needs to reek of it or smell of it.
AVOID TEMPTATIONS.
I will tell you the biggest problem after discovery is not having the faith and commitment to the DNA. If your DNA cannot sustain you, what else can? Though often companies change their DNA amidst business pressures and to please markets, it is often the DNA that would have not been the issue. It would have been the failure of the management or the company to translate into a workable promise or failure to make it relevant and current or even failure of commitment. These temptations, which seem worthwhile at the time of changing, often result in bigger disasters later. Avoid temptations, stick to your DNA but make all efforts to make it current, relevant and of value.
Archeology has a way of opening our eyes to new thoughts, new facts and unexplored possibilities. The process of discovering and leveraging your DNA has the same portents for your corporate brand. And like archeologists will tell you it is all there, hidden, waiting to be discovered. So, when are you starting to explore? Best of luck.
