A quiet signal was sent out from global business recently. Here's why small and mid-size companies should pay attention:
In early 2026, Dell Technologies told its global workforce to prepare for what its leadership described as “the biggest transformation in company history.” The initiative — internally dubbed One Dell Way — is a sweeping operational overhaul designed to unify disparate systems and workflows into a single enterprise platform. (Sherin Shibu, Entrepreneur; Jeff Clarke memo reporting, Business Insider)
According to Jeff's memo -- this coming shift isn’t about a new product or a marketing campaign, but a system-level re-architecture intended to:
Simplify processes
Eliminate data silos
Enable faster decision-making across finance, supply chain, marketing, HR, and customer operation
ALL BEFORE the company completes its AI strategy build-out.
For a business with tens of billions in annual revenue and thousands of employees, this transformation is both defensive and strategic. For small and mid-size businesses (SMBs), it’s a great opportunity to view what executive teams of global corporations are prioritizing in order to secure sustainable success going into the new year.
The Signal From Global Business
In the internal memo to employees, Dell’s executive leadership wrote that the company has operated with “many variations of fundamental processes — multiple ways to develop, multiple ways to market, multiple ways to sell, multiple ways to service,” and that such fragmentation “won’t cut it in an AI-driven world.” (Jeff Clarke memo, Business Insider)
The message is simple but profound:
Fragmentation is no longer survivable.
Too many systems. Too many disconnected workflows. Too many decisions slowed by internal friction. We've all been a part of professional ecosystems like this.
When even a company with massive resources and historical survivability acknowledges complexity as a competitive threat, small businesses should also take note: internal inefficiency becomes a real risk to long term growth potential.
Three Lessons for SMBs Heading Into 2026
1. Standardize Before You Scale
Dell’s transformation centers on replacing a patchwork of applications, servers, and databases with one unified platform. (Sherin Shibu, Entrepreneur)
SMB application:
Reduce overlapping tools and platforms
Choose systems that integrate cleanly
Be committed to clearly documenting processes while the business is still easy to understand
2026 reality check: Businesses built on messy foundations stop growing and eventually stall.
2. Stop Looking at Training as Overhead, but Strategy Instead
Dell is pairing the platform rollout with mandatory workforce training beginning months before launch. (Jeff Clarke memo, Business Insider)
SMB application:
Build capability and buy-in from your workforce before demanding performance
Align tech investments with people’s skills
Create repeatable learning rhythms, not one-off workshops that check off your dopamine for the week
2026 reality check: Tools without skill create false confidence, dangerous financial bloat
3. Speed is Earned through Clarity. Not Chicken-Without-Its-Head Hustle Culture.
According to reporting on the memo, Dell’s intention isn’t to just work harder to meet its vision — it’s to decide faster with better data. (Jeff Clarke memo, Business Insider)
SMB application:
Clarify who owns which decisions –– it's common for the talented professionals to meet, come up with big ideas, but miss the all-important step before moving on to another decision-point or meeting topic –– WHO WILL OWN/LEAD THIS?
Remove founder bottlenecks -- founders with teams who have visions of scaling MUST start finding every opportunity to decentralize the work and the decision-making. When you do this you decentralize EMPOWERMENT and unlock deeply engrained skillsets of your people -- this is one area where where I believe FAFO can have GREAT consequences.
Make information visible and clear. Meet your people where they are. Understand their vantage point vs yours and make the effort to communicate on their terms. After all, it's YOUR job to get their buy-in.
2026 reality check: The fastest companies aren’t the busiest — they’re the clearest to the most layers, groups, departments, and teams across the entire organization. Be a master at rallying your people.
Why This Matters Now
Large corporations often move deliberately — not sluggishly. Their scale means they must think long-term before acting short-term.
When a company like Dell undertakes a foundational transformation before a downturn or disruption, it's strategic positioning. Likely done after pouring incessantly over the data, deliberating behind closed doors, and weighing the pros and cons of every potential path.
Small and mid-size businesses have a rare advantage in 2026: they can adopt the same principles without legacy drag, bureaucracy, or political resistance. They can act before complexity plunges their business potential into maze-like stall out.
The question isn’t whether transformation is coming. It’s whether you’ll do it deliberately — or be forced into it later. Setting the tone versus reacting to someone or something else's is typically a competitive advantage in and out of business.
The 2026 Takeaway
Success this year won’t be about who adopts the most tools (remember that 90s-era comic book illustration style where over-abundance of pockets, pouches, tactical gear, and bells/bobs/whistles was all the rage? -- it looked cool, but practically speaking, don't do that to your business).
Instead, success will belong to businesses that align:
Systems that talk to each other
Skills that keep pace with technology
Structures that enable speed without burnout
And the funny thing about it? Those success practices aren't just big-company problems anymore. It’s a leadership one.
— Andrew Almazan