Team Rules: Managing Change in the Digital Era

Oxana Nabok
Team Rules
Managing Change in the Digital Era
Moscow
2024

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© 2023 by O. Nabok
© 2023 by Alpina PRO LLC
ISBN 978-5-206-00248-5
Translated and edited by Alpina PRO in cooperation 
with Frankie Edwards
Design by Tatevik Sarkisyan

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 
 5
01 STRATEGIC DIGITAL MANAGEMENT
Chapter 1 
 8
Transformational leadership in a new reality.
Changing the evolution of leadership competencies
Chapter 2 
 22
Thinking innovatively, tapping into hidden 
resources, and scaling from within
Chapter 3 
 26
Trends in change management within a digital environment
02 
10 STRATEGIES FOR A SUCCESSFUL 
MANAGER IN A DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT 
Chapter 1 
 40
Involving the team in strategy development
Chapter 2 
 52
Corporate culture as a driver of innovation. Laying the 
foundation for organizational improvement and development
Chapter 3 
 62
IT as an active element of the value chain. Modifying 
operational models and bypassing the pitfalls of digitalization
Chapter 4 
 76
Flexible organizational design. Removing excessive 
management levels and building a committed 
cross-functional team based on the continuity of expertise
3

Table of contents
Chapter 5 
 94
Riding the wave of change. Preparing the team 
for transformation and improving the quality and 
speed of changes through dynamic analytics
Chapter 6 
 112
Digital HR. Boosting team productivity in a digital 
environment
Chapter 7 
 122
Internal marketing. Creating focus and shared values 
within the team
Chapter 8 
 140
Competencies and coaching. Building an evolving 
environment that fosters the growth 
and self-motivation of teams
Chapter 9 
 162
Preventing emotional burnout. Fostering effective & 
non-toxic teamwork communication and role models
Chapter 10 
 174
Sustainable development concept and social responsibility 
as elements of strategy. Striving to strike a balance between 
societal benefits and the organization's interests
03 
ORGANIZATION AS A SYSTEM. 
DEVELOPING IN CONDITIONS 
OF UNCERTAINTY 
CONCLUSION 
 191
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
 192

INTRODUCTION
Would you like to become the best version of yourself in management 
and master the techniques of creating a team capable of acting as a balanced unit, complementing each other, and approaching changes and 
innovations with a positive mindset and enthusiasm? Do you desire a 
team that takes responsibility for the organization's development, refines 
existing processes, and maintains a strong focus on results? If so, “Team 
Rules: Managing Change in the Digital Era” is exactly what you need. 
The book explores a modern leadership model and 10 change management strategies that have proven successful in today’s digital world. By 
leveraging these strategies, you can build a team of like-minded individuals capable of:
•	 Efficiently organizing and autonomously improving processes;
•	 Anticipating and promptly addressing client expectations with 
suitable changes;
•	 Enhancing their performance through digital tools, by unlocking 
their inner potential and scaling up best practices;
•	 Striving for maximum results, while avoiding bureaucratic processes 
and toxic reactions;
•	 Investing personal resources such as effort, time and energy to achieve 
a shared result.
An important aspect highlighted in this book is the provision of practical tools for engaging employees in the implementation of necessary 
changes by fostering a corporate culture of innovation and creating an 
environment that not only encourages self-learning and the development of new competencies but also drives team members to improve the 
organization's performance and adapt to a dynamic (or turbulent) environment by generating new solutions.
5

Introduction
You have in your possession a comprehensive desktop toolkit for 
a successful leader in the digital era, complete with abstracts from expert articles, research papers, and real-life stories. Each chapter contains 
genuine cases supported by analysis and insight from experts, equipping 
you with 80% practical and 20% theoretical knowledge that is essential 
for achieving a systemic level of expertise in change management, as well 
as organizational, team, and personal development.
This book will undoubtedly prove valuable to experienced leaders 
who want to hone their leadership skills in an era of constant change, as 
well as to those who have recently embarked on their career journey. It 
will also be of interest to middle managers, heads of business units, and 
HR managers seeking to nourish their management skills or transition 
into the role of business partners.


. 
Riding 
the 
wave 
of 
change. 
Preparing 
the 
team 
for 
transformation 
and 
improving 
the 
quality 
and 
speed 
of 
changes 
through 
dynamic 
analytics
STRATEGIC 

DIGITAL 

MANAGEMENT
1
7

Part 1. Strategic digital management
Chapter 1
TRANSFORMATIONAL 
LEADERSHIP 
IN A NEW REALITY.
CHANGING THE EVOLUTION 
OF LEADERSHIP 
COMPETENCIES
Uncertainty is the only 
certainty.
8

Welcome to the world of rapid change! The concept of “stability” is no 
longer applicable to organizational management. Instead, the key priorities of transformational leadership involve the ongoing quest for growth 
opportunities to unleash the organization's potential, boost team productivity, and ensure the sustainability of services while implementing 
new processes and systems.
The success of modern organizations hinges on several key factors, 
including operational change management, innovative strategies, a corporate culture that embraces innovation and digital performance boosters, as well as the transformation of models and processes through team 
engagement. Notably, client-centric systems that address the requirements of both external clients (consumers) and internal ones (employees, partners, and all stakeholders of the organization) take center stage.
“
SERGEY CHUMAK, International Expert on Business Transformation 
and Strategy, Head of the Strategy Committee of the Digital Experts 
Association (DEA):
—Digital transformation is undoubtedly rooted in technology, but its primary focus is always on the client: creating value for the client involves a creative experiment 
that inherently carries an innovation risk. An update to 
organizational design is imperative, as it serves to stimulate creativity.
One of the most significant challenges encountered in the 
process of digital transformation is cultural transformation. The question that continues to puzzle many is how to 
motivate managers to be creative, responsible, and successful entrepreneurs within this context.
9
”

Part 1. Strategic digital management
What about management?
Today, volatility, dynamism, and frequently the absence of clear 
benchmarks have become the new norm. While it may be described as 
harsh, it has acted as a catalyst for the next phase of evolution in management models.
Once upon a time, we transitioned from a division of labor to centralized management with a strict hierarchy. Nowadays, we are moving 
towards an innovative culture within organizations that have shorter 
structures and a minimal number of management layers where everyone 
has the potential to assume a leadership role, particularly within specific 
tasks and projects and where motivation is not only about dangling a 
carrot in front of employees but also ambitious goals, sustainable collaboration and smart competition (see Figure 1).
SELF-ORGANIZATION
 
SOCIAL MODEL
CENTRALIZED MANAGEMENT
 
BIOLOGICAL MODEL
DIVISION OF LABOR
MECHANICAL MODEL
System-wide approach
Analytical approach
Figure 1. Leadership evolution model
1 0