Technology-Driven Strategy: The La Poste Case

European Straits #27

Dear all,

My past week was dominated by several meetings with the Groupe La Poste, the state-owned corporation that operates the French postal service (among many other activities). I have been involved with La Poste for three years now, mostly as a member of the strategic committee that oversees their digital business unit. This week, I thought I’d share a few ideas inspired by my experiences there.

First, technology has finally become a strategic challenge for La Poste. Many organizations have long expressed an interest in technology, but it has usually been confined to the margins of the corporate world. For business executives, technology was all about creating a web site for their company, advertising their brand on the Internet, and nonchalantly operating digital businesses on the side. Today, technology has become more about strategic positioning. And large corporations such as La Poste now use technology as a lever to upgrade their core assets, redefine their value proposal, and…