There are many factors that affect a company’s ability to grow, its qualities and achieve market success, such as the industry, competition, market needs and many others. However, there are some trends that can now affect the company’s growth and market success.

It should be noted that digital transformation is a phenomenon that affects all countries in the world, and Poland is no exception. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this process, imposing new requirements on companies, institutions and individuals, which contributed to rapid adaptation to new working and remote living conditions. In Poland, the pandemic has accelerated digital transformation in many areas, such as education, commerce and health services.

The debate, organized by the editors of Capital24.tv, “Business-Development-Experience-Digital Transformation,” featured Beata Drzazga, founder of BetaMed SA, Łukasz Rumowski, director of the Innovation and Marketing Department at ARCUS SA, and Piotr Dubno, board member, Motivizer.

Luke Rumowski, pointed to “the progressive digital transformation as one of the positive transformations brought about by the pandemic. The new hybrid work model has unleashed the market’s need for digitization and process improvement. Robotization and intelligent automation have become an everyday occurrence. Entrepreneurs value security, mobility, the ability to work from anywhere in the world. It’s a very different approach to organizational culture to foster the implementation of innovation and change management, which of course requires proper education and technological awareness. The role of a bold transformational leader and the improvement of the digital competencies of proactive teams are essential factors for the effective implementation of innovation in a company. The basis for effective automation is to provide systems with the best quality data. Every area can be automated, whether it is digitization of HR records, OCR of financial documents, automation of correspondence registration or sales processes.”

Piotr Dubno also said that the pandemic has accelerated the pace of development and an increase in the number of customers looking for ways to quickly and efficiently digitize processes that previously required interpersonal interactions and paper documentation. “The popularity of all sorts of applications for digitizing our lives has grown rapidly – from Microsoft Teams to online shopping to online workouts. For Motivizer – a company whose mission is to support clients in the digital transformation of everything related to the employee-employer relationship, with a special focus on the so-called “digital transformation. non-wage benefits, incentives and well – being pandemic time was a time of tremendous acceleration in the pace of development and rapid growth in the number of customers. We are the technological leader of the so-called “technology” sector. HR Tech – a technology provider to quickly and efficiently digitize and automate processes that in their traditional form required interpersonal interactions, paper documents and then many dozens of hours of verification.”

The experience, knowledge and skills of an organization’s owners and managers are of paramount importance for an effective leadership role. Beata Drzazga stresses that “the role of the leader and the leader in any organization is extremely important for success. The leader is the person who is responsible for directing and motivating employees, because he or she has the skills and charisma to inspire others to action. A properly educated and experienced leader can help achieve organizational goals and ensure the company’s continued growth. A leader should have the ability to inspire, direct and motivate employees to work for the organization in an effective manner. However, in order to be an effective leader, it is important to have the knowledge, experience and skills to help manage the organization, they are what allow you to make sound decisions, anticipate future problems and adapt the organization’s strategy to changing market conditions. On the other side are interpersonal skills, communication and negotiation skills. All of these are very important for effective leadership. Business owners, or just their managers, should constantly improve their substantive knowledge, which helps to manage the organization in the world of constant changes that occur every day today. If you want to succeed in business, it is also essential to have vision and the ease of taking thoughtful risks. Entrepreneurs who are also leaders must be able to develop a business strategy that allows the organization to be successful while meeting the needs of customers and employees.”

The second debate focused on another trend, viz. ESG. The conversation, moderated by Tomasz Sańpruch, featured Justyna Szafraniec, director of the company’s business affairs. PR at Generali Poland, Ilona Pieczyńska-Czerny, legal counsel, director at PwC Poland, Dr. Tomasz Karol Wisniewski, coordinator of ESG Strategy for the Capital Market, Warsaw Stock Exchange, and Andrzej Gutowski, director of ESG at the Warsaw Stock Exchange. ESG at Colliers.

Implementing an ESG strategy in a company can bring a number of benefits to both the environment and the organization itself. By employing an ESG strategy, a company gains greater credibility and attractiveness in the eyes of investors, as well as attracting the attention of customers. What’s more, companies that implement ESG strategies often record better financial results and demonstrate greater innovation, allowing them to compete more effectively in the market. Justyna Szafraniec pointed out how important it is to take care of the planet and people: “When we talk about sustainability, we think of ESG, or three areas: caring for the environment, social responsibility and corporate governance. Any company that strives to be responsible includes these criteria in its strategy. ESG has gained popularity in recent years, in part due to regulation. The expectations of shareholders and investors are not insignificant, but also those of consumers and employees, who are increasingly guided by these criteria in their choices. Companies that think long term, that want to generate value for all stakeholder groups, especially customers, employees and partners for decades and hundreds of years to come, are already incorporating sustainability into their decisions today. Only by considering sustainability in all strategic choices, with the goal of creating value for all stakeholders, can value and a more just and resilient society be built. In a nutshell – taking care of sustainability is simply taking care of people and the planet.”

In turn, Andrzej Gutowski, director of ESG at Colliers also stressed that “ESG areas are becoming increasingly important, not only because of the upcoming reporting requirements under the CSRD directive, but primarily as integral elements of business strategy. Currently, companies are focusing on the aspect of preparing for reporting and developing internal information channels for collecting the necessary information. ESG indicators touch on actual, material risks to the organization in the future. By analyzing how a company may be affected by climate change, whether its business can adapt to a low-carbon economy, how it depends on raw materials and energy, and developing strategies and scenarios to mitigate these risks, it makes the company better future-proofed. Similarly, on social issues. Aspects related to gender equality, supporting diversity or the wage gap, monitoring these areas and strategically addressing them allows you to consciously shape an organizational culture that supports talent acquisition or employee retention.” Of course, not every organization will be able to completely comply with ESG guidelines and best practices, or will want to do so, but even looking at the above indicators will enable conscious management of risks associated with environmental, social and corporate governance areas.