The New Automation Mindset

**A WALL STREET JOURNAL AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER**


Explore the true potential and impact of business automation

Digital transformation of the business landscape is well underway, and businesses are being reshaped faster than ever before. Agility and adaptability are now critical components of these business' survival. But building these traits requires a holistic approach with an unrelenting focus on automation. How does one go about developing that focus?

In The New Automation Mindset: The Leadership Blueprint for the Era of AI-for-All, renowned entrepreneur and tech strategists Vijay Tella, Scott Brinker, and Massimo Pezzini deliver a guide to implementing automation in the real world, avoiding jargon and vague bromides in favor of concrete examples of the successful integration of automated technologies and descriptions of the positive results they had on the companies that deployed them.

In the book, you'll also find:

• Hands-on advice for C-suite executives, front-line managers, and everyday employees to implement effective automation frameworks
• Insightful explorations of the innovation and growth advantages of automation
• Deep treatments of how automation is about more than just RPA—or Robotic Process Automation—and efficiency

An inspiring and practical presentation of one of the most essential topics in business today, The New Automation Mindset will earn a place on the bookshelves of founders, entrepreneurs, managers, shareholders, tech enthusiasts, knowledge workers, and anyone else with an interest in digital transformation and commerce.

Foreword xiii

Introduction 1

Part 1 The New Automation Mindset 15

1 The New Era of Automation 17

2 The Process Mindset 27

3 The Growth Mindset 39

4 The Scale Mindset 53

Part 2 Architectural Underpinnings 67

5 Orchestration 69

6 Plasticity 81

7 Democratization 95

Part 3 A Practitioner’s Guide to World Class Automation 109

8 Mastering Your Automation Journey 111

9 The Back Office 121

10 The Front Office 137

11 The Employee Experience 153

12 The Customer Experience 169

13 Supplier Operations 181

14 The Platform-Driven Business 195

Part 4 Making it Happen 207

15 The Enterprise AI Platform 209

16 The Automation Ecosystem 217

17 Enterprise Automation 241

18 The New Operating Model 259

19 The Future of the Enterprise 269

20 The New Career Paths 279

Appendix A: Key Roles for Democratization 291

Acknowledgments 297

About the Authors 299

Index 303

VIJAY TELLA is founder and CEO of the automation platform Workato. Workato was recently named to the Forbes Cloud 100, the Deloitte Fast 500, and the CNBC Disruptor 50. The company is the culmination of his pioneering work in both the enterprise automation and consumer-facing software spaces. This includes being the founding VP of Engineering at TIBCO, the Chief Strategy Officer of Oracle Fusion Middleware, and the CEO of real time video company, Qik, now part of Skype.

It takes a different mindset, not just supercharged tech, to thrive in the era of AI and automation.

Agility and adaptability, once non-negotiable ingredients for business survival, are not enough for today’s challenges. Organizations are being reshaped faster than ever. This begs the question: How do we go beyond survival to make our companies thrive in times of challenge and uncertainty?

In The New Automation Mindset: The Leadership Blueprint For the Era of AI-For-All, enterprise automation expert and entrepreneur Vijay Tella makes the point that it takes a very different mindset, not just supercharged tech, to thrive in the era of AI. The book is the definitive practical guide to implementing AI and automation in the real world. You’ll discover how AI and automation is about innovation and growth, not just cost savings and efficiency, and how it is crucial to the exciting future of your business.

The New Automation Mindset is packed with hands-on advice for C-suite executives, managers, and aspiring leaders to drive valuable change in their organizations. The author avoids impenetrable tech jargon and vague theory in favor of concrete examples of companies that have successfully harnessed generative AI, automation, cloud-native integration and workflow technologies in their business processes and the outcomes they’ve achieved.

The New Automation Mindset offers an insightful and holistic roadmap to company growth, job creation, and increased productivity. It avoids “the-sky-is-falling” alarmism about automating technologies replacing humans at the workplace. An exciting, nuts-and-bolts discussion of one of the most essential topics in contemporary business, The New Automation Mindset deserves a place in the libraries of business and IT leaders, founders, entrepreneurs, shareholders, tech enthusiasts, knowledge workers, and anyone else with an interest or stake in transforming their business.

Praise for THE NEW AUTOMATION MINDSET

“No one in enterprise middleware has had a more impactful journey than Vijay Tella. We are so lucky, because in this book, he shares his secrets.”
—Amit Bendov, CEO, Gong

“This book does an outstanding job of explaining the essential three mindsets which will separate successful people and companies from those that fall behind. A must-read for those who would be on the forefront of this transformation.”
—Ted Shelton, Partner, Bain & Company

“The New Automation Mindset is a set of powerful insights to help enterprises get off the traditional automation treadmill and onto the transformation fast-track with true business adaptability.”
— Arthur Hu, Global CIO, Lenovo

“Vijay is the one person I know of who can pen the words that the market needs right now. I expect to reread this book over the next several years.”
—Anand Birje, CEO, Encora, former President of Digital Business Services, HCL

“If AI and automation are core to your IT and business strategy, you must read this book.”
—Wendy Pfeiffer, former CIO, Nutanix and GoPro

“The practical examples and case studies make this book a useful reference that can be applied in real-world scenarios for years to come.”
—Mohit Rao, Head of IT Innovation, Atlassian

“AI is going to accelerate the change of the current landscape. The New Automation Mindset is a truly frame-breaking masterpiece that propels readers into the forefront of that revolution.”
—Andy Nallappan, CTO, Head of Software Engineering and Operations, Broadcom

“This is the book for business leaders who want to win.”
—Bob Myers, 4-time champion as GM of the Golden State Warriors, 2-time NBA executive of the year