Speed up or die?

TWO weeks ago at the Khazanah Mega Shift event, I attended a talk by Chris Zook of Bain and Company. The topic was about Speed. Apparently we are now entering into an era of speed. Zook talks about how things are changing so rapidly that if we are to survive, we need to speed up as well.  For companies and organisations, this means that the most adaptable and agile are those who thrive over the competition.

Image sourced from: http://francisyeng.blogspot.com

Mark Zuckerberg, of Facebook fame, talks about eschewing perfection in favour of getting things done and I subscribe to that wisdom. There are times when we can talk or deliberate ourselves out of things and programmes that are beneficial for us. At one time or another, we've all dealt with organisations out there who can take months just to approve a brand or communications exercise and this was in line with world class ISO procedures. Compare this to the telco companies who now have a 48hr turn around time for new campaigns. Well apparently,  the new world class waits for no man.

So where does branding fit in with this clarion call for speed? Is speed everything? Do we then sacrifice quality for speed? In a world of constant flux, does branding become the compass? If you have a clearly defined brand, are you more likely to make decision for and against speed? Ultimately, are the best organisations those that deliver both quality and speed? Let me know what you think.