As the world faces up to the challenges of the modern age, the need for rapid innovation has never been greater.
Take climate change, for example: US climate envoy John Kerry believes 50% of the technologies needed to reduce CO2 to net zero haven’t been invented yet. That’s just one reason why we believe in the need of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Pace™.
TCS Pace™ is a framework for companies to ideate better, create faster, and deliver real-world solutions to tomorrow’s problems - from their own fortunes in a never-normal world, to addressing the global climate challenge.
This process is supported by a global network of innovation hubs, from New York to Tokyo. The latest is TCS PacePort™ Amsterdam, our new European innovation hub. It marks a new chapter in our three-decade long relationship with the Netherlands and demonstrates our commitment to helping build a more sustainable and prosperous Europe.
Behind the scenes tour
Many of the ideas born out of TCS Pace™ innovation will touch all of our lives.
Wouldn't it be nice if your bank could not only provide you with a quick mortgage decision, but do so without asking for endless documents? If the bank could also help you find your dream home and connect you with an ecosystem to get you moved in?
That’s the sort of challenge we help our clients to solve. So how does TCS Pace™ work?
We see innovation as a series of steps - an incremental, iterative journey.
It starts with understanding industry trends, the competitive landscape, the latest technology advancements, and within as well as cross-industry inspirations, so that an inspiring vision can be established, rooted in the purpose of the organization.
To bring this vision to life, our clients then start a four-step process:
Key to all these steps is a ‘future-back’ approach: envisioning the future first, then finding out how to get there.
The big challenge for businesses and policymakers is not the will ¬- it’s the way. The entire approach of TCS Pace™ is designed to accelerate the speed of learning. You create a hypothesis; you validate it and learn. This approach not only gives more value from innovation investments, but also makes the organization more agile in responding to the changing business environment.
Worried about the never normal?
Europe is setting the pace with its Horizon 2020 pledge of nearly €80 billion for eco-innovation, while the European Green Deal aims to build a truly sustainable economy.
However, to deliver circular economies that can recycle e-waste, improve air quality, and support the health of populations, many more breakthroughs will be needed.
Businesses are also confronting significant challenges. The renowned thought leader on digital disruption, Peter Hinssen - a keynote speaker at our launch - says we should get used to living with uncertainty. Forget the “next normal” - prepare for the “never normal,” is his advice.
A new destination
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That’s why we believe the time is right for a new physical manifestation of TCS Pace™ in Europe.
For more than a year, my team and I built up to the TCS PacePort™ Amsterdam launch. It was delayed by the pandemic. When was the right time - should we launch at all? After reflecting on the enthusiasm of our clients, and putting social distancing measures in place, the time felt right. The need was also there.
But why - in an age of Zoom and Teams - do people really need to work together, face to face?
A setup like Pace Port helps you take a break from day-to-day busy-ness of running a business and get into an environment that fosters creativity, helps you break organizational silos, inspires you with the art of possible and helps you focus on things that prepare you for the future. Sometimes, you just can’t match the spark of two professionals from disparate disciplines discovering they can help each other turn an idea into reality.
Sometimes you just need to sit down for a coffee together.
The innovation advantage
By enabling clients to tap into start-up ecosystems, learn from their peers, and fail fast and try again approach, TCS Pace™ - and now TCS PacePort™ Amsterdam - are ready to help companies, from finance to utilities, write new narratives.
And as Europe navigates ever-accelerating disruption, Peter Hinssen thinks the best stories won’t just be told by tomorrow’s start-ups: the future is not just for tech unicorns, he says - it’s for the phoenixes too.
Consider how retail veteran Walmart has pivoted to ecommerce, while the Damen Group, a Netherlands-based shipbuilder with a long history, is using digital transformation to keep its edge in global markets.
We believe the next generation of transformations will be done at pace. See you in the never normal.
