This TED Talk features organizational change agent Martin Danesastro recorded live at TED at BCG 2018.

Have you ever watched a flock of birds work together?

Thousands of animals flying in perfect synchrony. Isn't it fascinating?

What I find remarkable is that these birds would not be able to do that

if they all would have to follow one leader.

Their reaction speed would simply be too low. Instead, scientists believe that these birds are aligned on a few simple rules,

allowing every single bird to make autonomous decisions while still flying in perfect synchrony.

Their alignment enables their autonomy,

and their autonomy makes them fast and flexible.

Now, what does this have to do with any one of us?

Well, it's one way of illustrating

what I believe to be the most important change that is needed

in ways of working today.

The world is getting faster and more complex, so we need a new way of working, a way that

creates alignment around purpose, that takes out bureaucracy,

and that truly empowers people to make decisions faster.

But the question is, in order to get there,

what are we willing to give up?

A few years ago, I was working with a bank that wanted to embark on a digital transformation.

They wanted their offering to be simpler, more intuitive, more relevant.

Now, I am not sure how many of you have seen a bank from the inside.

So let me try to illustrate what many traditional banks look like.

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