Sense and Respond: How Successful Organizations Listen to Customers and Create New Products Continuously

by Jeff Gothelf

Sense and respond in practice is about small, autonomous teams experimenting and learning in pursuit of a vision or a strategy. Teams learn their way forward by making loose plans, running small experiments, and testing their assumptions as they move forward. Teams focus on continuously uncovering value through a two-way conversation between company and market. Value is defined in customer-centered terms. This approach can work for startup teams and within large companies. Teams use any data they can find, both qualitative and quantitative. The approach works best with small, cross-functional teams. Sense and respond is more than a process; it’s a culture. It requires humility on the part of team members and leadership.