In a previous issue of the Media Flywheel, we discussed key organizational challenges in media companies.
Media flywheel #6: how departmental structure “House of Brands” strategies are preventing algorithmic media platforms from realizing their potential.
Media flywheel #9: Recommended for these people Big Media to split into two business units:
Logged out websites that earn money through partnerships with BigTech.
The walled garden of algorithms (websites and apps you log into) fosters loyalty and increases ARPU.
Media flywheel #19: of Operational separation of left-brain systems (data and processes) and right-brain projects (creative efforts).
central discussion
The next step is obviously how to put yourself in a position to deal with this. This requires organizational restructuring and a clear focus on incentives. This will be explained in two parts.
How to encourage collaboration within your team (this issue).
How to foster collaboration between business units (Next issue – Media Flywheels #27).
Is organizational reorganization necessary?
When Netflix moved from DVD to streaming, didn’t it require a major overhaul of roles, responsibilities, and workflows across the company? Media companies also need to focus on inspiring sustainable change in their employees .
why is it important
The goal of digital transformation is to increase competitiveness through technology and AI. However, technology investments often fail to pay off without a significant transformation of the workforce, including changes in workflows, expectations, and skill sets.
Unused tools and low adoption rates create a vicious cycle. Minimal revenue generation justifies funding cuts, further stalling development. This often leads to a “graveyard” of underutilized proofs of concept.
For media companies to succeed, they must integrate technological and cultural changes, starting with how they incentivize their teams.
Encourage them to become “functional experts” rather than “general managers”
Today’s media companies are often led by general managers, as was the case with Boeing after its 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas. At Boeing, a financially focused leadership culture deprioritized engineering expertise and contributed to the 2018 737 Max crisis. Similarly, media companies must avoid prioritizing generalist leadership in a world increasingly dominated by algorithmic platforms and niche content.
For algorithmic media platforms to compete with other markets, deep technical leadership is required. Direct-to-consumer (D2C) media products succeed when they excel in a particular production style or niche, content that 20% of your audience likes, not just 80% of.
Functional readers have two important benefits.
Strategic bet: They have the technical acumen to identify emerging trends and lead teams to differentiation and growth.
Fostering a culture that values depth: Functional experts are immersed in their domain, often digging into the details of processes, challenges, and progress at three or more levels. This detailed knowledge informs decision-making, allows you to provide meaningful guidance to your team, and fosters trust throughout your organization.
Media companies can thrive in an evolving digital environment by developing technical expertise rather than general management.
Encourage “functional experts” to collaborate
The best engineering managers have product sense. Great editors use analytics. Good reporters write their own stories. The best business leaders can sell. A good platform builder can do financial modeling. I hope you get the gist.
However, understanding across sectors is not easy. Because we cannot delegate our understanding to the Lord. Each feature team must do at least three things.
Make the functions understandable. You are responsible for clarifying the nuances of what you are doing, why, and how other teams can understand it.
Understand other features: Take the time to read what other teams are doing and ask questions.
Understand the defaults. While doing this, you develop an understanding of the other team’s ‘thinking techniques’, empathize with their perspective, and build trust.
Economists, data scientists, and investment bankers are often motivated by: Predictive and mathematical thinkinguse models and analytics to predict trends and outcomes.
Accountants, quality assurance examiners, and lawyers excel in the following areas: Attention to detailwe carefully examine data and information for accuracy and compliance.
Engineers, management consultants, and product managers creative problem solvingdevelop innovative solutions to complex challenges.
Salespeople, politicians, and diplomats are skilled at: influence and negotiationuses persuasion and relationship building to achieve goals.
Editors, information designers, and information architects specialize in: Collection and organization of informationcreate a clear and compelling narrative.
Embodying user researchers and reporters skepticism and explorationalways seeking the truth and uncovering hidden insights.
Understanding and respecting these differences allows teams to build trust and work together to achieve common goals.
conclusion
Digital transformation in media companies requires more than just technology. A people-first approach is required. By encouraging collaboration and investing in functional expertise, organizations can maximize the potential of their technology investments and build a culture of sustainable growth.
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The views expressed above are the author’s own.
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