A outra via

Ainda na semana passada, no âmbito de uma formação, recordei esta reflexão "O perigo da cristalização".

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Assim, foi com um sorriso cúmplice que recebi este artigo "How to Break Out of the Commodity Trap: A Lesson from Mickey Mouse".

"Look at almost any industry and you will see companies struggling to differentiate what they have to offer from everything else in the marketplace. So it’s hardly surprising that one of the most common complaints I hear from senior executives is “My product is becoming commoditized. Is there a way out?”"

"The only way out of the trap is to reframe a situation so that you can make a fundamental shift in strategy. And the best starting point for this is understanding what drives commoditization: product modularity."

"modularity comes with two unintended consequences. First, other companies can enter the industry by complying with the pre-defined standards. And the second is the globalization of production.
By lowering the barrier to entry, modularity allows manufacturers from emerging economies to grab part of the action, often taking advantage initially of cheap wages. Over time, however, these new entrants took on additional responsibilities for product design and component procurement."

Como é que a maioria das empresas enfrenta a concorrência de países de mão-de-obra barata?
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Faz asneira, e tenta combater no terreno que dá vantagem a essa concorrência!
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O artigo propõe uma alternativa:

"re-think about the problems that consumers wanted solved and to reframe its own products accordingly."

"Executives who want to counter product commoditization must start by rethinking what problems their organizations could solve, then re-integrating the firm’s activities in a radically new way. They must be prepared to take a path that the firm never imagined it would."

Em vez de se concentrar no produto, concentrar-se no problema, na necessidade, na experiência, em suma, na vida dos clientes-alvo. Muitas vezes, quase sempre, implica, em vez de cortar nos custos, aumentar esses mesmos custos.
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E a sua empresa? Como se está a diferenciar? Está numa de jobs-to-be-done, ou numa de cortar, cortar, cortar?