Do you know how large enterprises buy technology?

Despite the rapid pace of digital transformation, many organisations are still under great pressure to deliver it on time and budget. Needless to say, this new environment requires a change in the traditional hierarchical structure of the decision-making giving way to more agile and collaborative approaches.

Enter fusion teams, a concept championed by the analyst firm Gartner emphasising the integration of diverse talent, skills, and perspectives to drive innovation and tackle complex challenges head-on.

So what exactly are fusion teams?

These are multidisciplinary teams organised to digitalise business capabilities by providing technology solutions to deliver business and customer outcomes.

The rise of “fusion teams” clearly indicates that the boundaries between IT and the rest of the business are blurring very quickly with research showing that 84% of organisations already have “fusion teams”.

According to Gartner, “these teams don’t have a traditional reporting structure, instead, members may report to either dedicated IT functions or business areas outside of IT. Fusion teams often start as agile project or scrum teams and gradually adopt product management discipline to oversee a capability end-to-end, from strategy to delivery and continuous enhancements.”

Research by the analyst firm also shows that projects which are distributed, run at the same time and involve employees from a wider range of teams within the organisation progress 2.5 times faster than centralised schemes.

And what does the establishment of fusion teams mean for marketing and sales?

These teams are deliberately assembled to bring together a diverse range of perspectives, skills, and knowledge domains. By breaking down silos and fostering collaboration across departments, fusion teams can generate fresh ideas, identify innovative solutions, and execute projects with agility and efficiency.

Unlike other parts of the enterprise, fusion teams are multidisciplinary and not organised by their responsibilities within a specific business function.

This means that marketers now have to diversify their efforts and plan very different campaigns specifically targeting people such as developers, IT teams, and business. The one-size-fits-all approach is no longer valid if you want to speak the language of the internal teams who have a say in technology buying decisions.

Having a new shiny technology is no longer enough for companies to sell their products. They need to show the value they bring to customers and how they can help deliver tangible outcomes.

Fusion teams represent a paradigm shift in how enterprises buy technologies today and how they approach collaboration and innovation. By embracing diversity, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and promoting agility, these teams can unlock new opportunities and drive sustainable growth.

Source: Gartner