IOD 2010: Looking for patterns for business benefits
The linear approach is now insufficient and the pattern-based strategy is the way forward for firms in a world where change is a constant, Gartner has said.


Firms should look to leverage a "pattern-based strategy" to perform in a world where change is a constant, not a variable.
So says Regina Casonato, managing vice president at Gartner Research, who told attendees at the IBM Information on Demand 2010 conference in Rome that businesses need to make decisions faster than they ever have done before.
Linear thinking, where businesses can only see forwards or backwards without looking around for external signals, is "no longer sufficient", Casonato claimed in her keynote speech at the event.
In a pattern-based strategy, firms can spot the signals that will have a significant business impact and then react accordingly, she explained, noting that the approach requires both human and technological capabilities.
Casonato described the "four major disciplines" that make up the pattern-based strategy.
Firstly, businesses need the ability to identify patterns and this relies on the workforce to detect the relevant information. A performance driven culture is also required to determine how a pattern will change the business and to provide a positive outcome from this.
"Operational tempo advantage", meanwhile, will allow firms to speed up or slow down how they respond so they can get best result. "It is about the right time to respond to a pattern", the expert said.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Finally, transparency is needed for the pattern-based strategy to work, Casonato added, so data is shareable across an organisation.
Read on for more news from IBM's IOD 2010.
Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.
He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.
-
RSAC Conference 2025: The front line of cyber innovation
ITPro Podcast Ransomware, quantum computing, and an unsurprising focus on AI were highlights of this year's event
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks we're burying our heads in the sand on AI job losses
News With AI set to hit entry-level jobs especially, some industry execs say clear warning signs are being ignored
-
Put AI to work for IT operations
whitepaper Reduce the cost and complexity of managing hybrid applications
-
AI in the retail industry is spreading beyond the IT department
News AI has become a strategic imperative for retailers, delivering marked productivity gains
-
Maximizing contact center operations with generative AI assistants backed by responsible AI principles
whitepaper Reduce the cost and complexity of managing hybrid applications
-
IBM just launched powerful new open source AI models – here’s what you need to know
News Available under the Apache 2.0 license, IBM's Granite 3.0 models are trained on enterprise data and can out-perform the competition
-
Empowering enterprises with AI: Entering the era of choice
whitepaper How High Performance Computing (HPC) is making great ideas greater, bringing out their boundless potential, and driving innovation forward
-
Achieving business outcomes with generative AI
Webinar Take your hybrid cloud journey to the next level with generative AI
-
Wimbledon’s new Catch Me Up AI feature promises to keep fans up to date at the tournament – after it irons out some of the wrinkles
News The latest feature to come out of IBM’s partnership with Wimbledon will keep fans engaged from the early stages right through to the final with dynamic player insights
-
AI demands new ways of data management
whitepaper The data leader’s guide for how to leverage the right databases for applications, analytics and generative AI