TRANSPORTATION
BEACON 2021
32% $1B-$4.99B
37% $5B-$9.99B
11% $10B-$14.99B
5% $15B-$19.99B
15% $20B+
Few industries have been rocked as thoroughly as transportation in the last 12 months. You’re on a new road now – and you’re trying to see it clearly. So, what does 2021 look like?
By speaking to over 70 cross-functional leaders – with hundreds of billions in combined revenue – we’ve created a Beacon Report fit for extraordinary times.
2019 Revenue:
30% C-suite
27% Executive
26% Director
18% Sr. Manager
LeVELS:
30% C-suite
27% IT
20% HR, Ops,
and Strategy
FUNCTIONS:
Reduced passengers, new safety rules, a supply chain pushed to the brink. . . As the transportation industry tackled one change, another was around the corner in 2020. But changes and constraints have made leaders resilient. They know they have to fundamentally reimagine their business models. With efficiency front and center, the unionized labor environment – as well as any partners – must be brought on board.
Keep reading to discover what will really influence 2021. And what to do about it.
Data and digital are key
Lower costs? Simplified admin processes? Reliable supply delivery? Digital capabilities are bound to simplify each step.
Nearly half of organizations aspire to refine their data practices
Data transformation
Competitive advantage
Growing urgency
Just 7% of leaders feel very prepared to address talent management and development
Talent management
At 63%, they’re tied as the top factor helping (or hindering) preparedness to address priorities
Skills & capability
The workforce is your ultimate advantage
What you need to know for the year ahead.
We’ve found the top strategic priorities for 2021.
The top strategic priorities – operational efficiency, cybersecurity, and digital capabilities – are all here, along with several roadblocks to success. Budgets, after all, remain tight; you’ll need to do more with less. Agile, data-driven work models will power your transformation. There’s a clear set of choices for the year ahead. Yet fewer than half of our leaders feel ready for them.
feel very prepared to address
cite as a strategic priority
feel very prepared to address
cite as a strategic priority
feel very prepared to address
cite as a strategic priority
Operations have to adapt
Reimagine skills and ways of working
use data and technology as a strategic springboard
With technology at the core, consider how you organize, govern, and transform without friction. Unroll a blueprint that balances the needs of your business, workforce, and other stakeholders. To deliver your transformation, flexible governance, such as a Transformation Value Office, seamlessly connects executive vision and the work that gets done. Ask questions like, "What are the skills my team will really depend on?" or "What's our guiding vision, and what are the outcomes we'll aim for?”
Build momentum for transformed operations
Taking action today
Hand-in-hand with digital, the vast majority of organizations agree, saying that data is more important to them compared to last year. They’re also fairly prepared to take action. Get it right, and there’s significant ground to be gained from your competitors.
Fresh planning and work models can fuel technological change.
Digital improvements won’t land unless employees are empowered with the right skills. Our research reveals plenty of confidence gaps. Training, management, and motivation are just some of the puzzle pieces for 2021. Reconsider how employees fit into your strategic agenda – and how you can spur the best results in a hybrid or remote work setting.
Price of development
Fresh planning and work models can fuel technological change.
Where do you start? Here are our main takeaways for people-first improvement:
Build momentum for transformed operations
Use data and technology as a strategic springboard
Reimagine skills and ways of working
93% of organizations believe talent management and development is at least somewhat costly
Reliable data bolsters everything else that follows it. Use advanced analytics to spot operational gaps, consumer patterns, and tweaks to your supply chain. Alongside this, pinpoint where digital systems (cloud tech, automation, AI) can support greater efficiency. That way, you'll get the most value from every investment.
Agile ways of working should support your strategic objectives. Fewer hand-offs, more autonomy, and greater cross-functional collaboration can propel change and keep it continuous. Meanwhile, equip and empower employees with the right skills. You might want to focus on upskilling or reskilling, with efficiency, cybersecurity, and digital potential at the top of your agenda.
67% of leaders believe data and analytics are the answer
90% of respondents think digital capabilities are more important than they were in 2020
At 63%, they’re tied as the top factor helping (or hindering) preparedness to address priorities
Nearly half of organizations aspire to refine their data practices
Reduced passengers, new safety rules, a supply chain pushed to the brink. . . As the transportation industry tackled one change, another was around the corner in 2020. But changes and constraints have made leaders resilient. They know they have to fundamentally reimagine their business models. With efficiency front and center, the unionized labor environment – as well as any partners – must be brought on board.
Operations have to adapt
Keep reading to discover what will really influence 2021. And what to do about it.
We’ve found the top strategic priorities for 2021.
The top strategic priorities – operational efficiency, cybersecurity, and digital capabilities – are all here, along with several roadblocks to success. Budgets, after all, remain tight; you’ll need to do more with less. Agile, data-driven work models will power your transformation. There’s a clear set of choices for the year ahead. Yet fewer than half of our leaders feel ready for them.
LeVELS
FUNCTIONS
2019 Revenue
30% $1B-$4.99B
25% $5B-$9.99B
16% $10B-$14.99B
12% $15B-$19.99B
18% $20B+
What you need to know for the year ahead.
Few industries have been rocked as thoroughly as transportation in the last 12 months. You’re on a new road now – and you’re trying to see it clearly. So, what does 2021 look like?
By speaking to over 70 cross-functional leaders– with hundreds of billions in combined revenue– we’ve created a Beacon Report fit for extraordinary times.
30% C-suite
27% Executive
26% Director
18% Sr. Manager
30% C-suite
27% IT
20% HR, Ops, and Strategy
Reimagine skills and ways of working
Arm HR for continuous change
Build momentum for transformed operations
Find your shared definition of value, linking employees, customers and business needs together. Then manage changes carefully, with as little friction as possible. How? With flexible governance structures like the Transformation Value Office. They connect top-down vision with the work that gets done.
TAKING ACTION TODAY
Where do you start?
Here’s our main takeaways
for people-first improvement.
92%
47%
67%
90%
63%
7%
93%
Where do you start? Here are our main takeaways for people-first improvement.
Treat transformation like a
critical asset
Find your shared definition of value, linking employees, customers and business needs together. Then manage changes carefully, with as little friction as possible. How? With flexible governance structures like the Transformation Value Office. They connect top-down vision with the work that gets done.
47%
67% of leaders believe data and analytics are the answer
67%
90% of respondents think digital capabilities are more important than they were in 2020
90%
Hand-in-hand with digital, the vast majority of organizations agree (92%), saying data and analytics are a higher priority than last year. They’re also fairly prepared to take action. Get it right, and there’s significant ground to be gained from your competitors.
63%
7%
Just 7% of leaders feel very prepared to address talent management and development
Price of development
93%
Build momentum for transformed operations
Use data and technology as a strategic springboard
Reimagine skills and ways of working
With technology at the core, consider how you organize, govern, and transform without friction. Unroll a blueprint that balances the needs of your business, workforce, and other stakeholders. To deliver your transformation, flexible governance, such as a Transformation Value Office, seamlessly connects executive vision and the work that gets done. Ask questions like, "What are the skills my team will really depend on?" or "What's our guiding vision, and what are the outcomes we'll aim for?”
With technology at the core, consider how you organize, govern, and transform without friction. Unroll a blueprint that balances the needs of your business, workforce, and other stakeholders. To deliver your transformation, flexible governance, such as a Transformation Value Office, seamlessly connects executive vision and the work that gets done. Ask questions like, "What are the skills my team will really depend on?" or "What's our guiding vision, and what are the outcomes we'll aim for?”
Who we talked to
top priorities for the year ahead
TRANSPORTATION
Powering Operational Resilience
With the Digital Advantage
Read the 2021 E-book
Assembling the 2021
Path With People
Read the 2021 E-book