R&D, AI and the Trusted Partner Advantage
His starting point is a common misconception. When partners hear R&D, "they automatically gravitate to technology, and they go, 'Oh right, my techies will have to go and do R&D.' But the words are research and development." Salespeople should be researching changes in legislation and developing new go-to-market strategies. Marketing teams should be doing their own research and building new plans. The whole business has a role.
For the technical team, Parker prefers a different word entirely: play. "You need to give people freedom and say, 'Just go play and come back with something that adds value to the business.'"
The catch is that none of it happens by accident. "There never will be a free half hour," he warns. R&D has to be a formal part of the business plan, whether that's incentivising certifications through Microsoft and other vendor partners, sending staff to conferences, or even moving to a four-and-a-half day week with the extra half day dedicated to learning. "Make it formal though, particularly in times of change and disruption."
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