How was the TIP Insights conversation between Ana Couto and Rappi's CEO, Ana Bogus?

In turbulent times like these, we cannot risk acting according to the logic of the past. The words from this week's meeting are: adaptation e apprenticeship. 

Organizations are constantly evolving ecosystems, and dealing with the uncertainties of the future depends on being open to doing things differently. Here are the main points of the conversation:

Continuous evolution

Having experienced the transition from the traditional market to a much less digital world and the context of startups, Ana Bogus spoke about how the system of venture capital broke with big names in the industries, challenging the status quo from companies that were already established to make room for the contribution of startups.

Traditional companies were born focused on products, while startups emerge to solve problems. Today, these worlds are closer than ever, and the traditional market is learning to operate in response to user needs, while startups seek to acquire more discipline.

The relevance of organizations increasingly lies in their ability to review processes and adapt how they face their challenges. Beyond rethinking their offerings, it's frequently necessary to reconsider ways of working and learn to do things differently in pursuit of constant evolution.

The innovation mindset

An innovation mindset is the main starting point for transforming our businesses. Startups are born digital; they've always been that way. To respond with innovation, a mindset of experimentation, change, and uncertainty must be part of the culture, of how people do things in the organization.

Unlike traditional processes, agile business management doesn't require relying on long-term strategic plans. By establishing OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) with a maximum timeframe of 3 months and daily touchpoints, we understand how things have progressed from one day to the next, what the obstacles were, and what we can do to help. Rappi, as an example of an agile and digital ecosystem, is a super app that connects delivery drivers, business partners, and users, becoming an integral part of customers' daily lives.

Organizations evolve when they build value for the ecosystem and simultaneously work on their offering (product/service), structure (business model/processes), and culture (mindset/way of doing things). With examples of innovation at different levels, Rappi has implemented several initiatives in response to the current context, such as contactless deliveries to protect drivers, and partnerships... SOS Justice Seekers, to contribute to assisting women who are suffering domestic violence and the inclusion of a donation button on the platform, in support of the impacts caused by the pandemic.

From traditional companies to startups.

According to Ana Bogus, the main difference between a traditional company and a startup lies in the structure. In current work models, she discussed the increased flexibility of hierarchies, with a diversification of roles and a structuring of work in squads. For all of this to function, a high level of alignment, discipline, and engagement is essential.

Ana highlighted adaptability and resilience as essential attitudes for companies to incorporate the best parts of each model in order to evolve. According to her, in the startup context, many experiments go wrong and there aren't as many guarantees as we used to have in more traditional companies. Therefore, it's so necessary to create ways to mitigate risks, listen carefully to the consumer, and adapt quickly.  

There is a new generation of people who care deeply about the reason behind what they are doing, both in terms of consumption and work. Therefore, purpose guides business in the world and internally; it's what keeps people motivated, more oriented towards collaboration than competition or rivalry.

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For many organizations, the skills to work in other ways are still in their early stages of development. It is crucial to build together, teach, exchange ideas, and help, especially now that the crisis has brought companies so closely together in the search for solutions and the creation of a positive impact. 

With everything that has been accelerated and accentuated by this pandemic, the use of technology and the digital world must also serve humanity even more powerfully. We are on the path to a more connected and more humane society, true to its purpose and committed to change for the better.