DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IS ACCELARATING AFTER COVID-19

The things that change our lives/ will often walk in unrecognized*

Recently ADVANTECH organized an intriguing live webinar with some of our most senior leaders like Linda Tsai (Advantech President IIoT) and Jash Bansidhar (Managing Director Advantech Europe). One of the key messages from this meeting was that the covid-19 pandemic works as some kind of catalyst in accelerating the digital transformation.

We all have seen examples of this acceleration in our direct environment that gives a good indication of how our new world will look like. I always like the example of ‘telehealth’ as part of the US Medicare program. In the core it provides options for elderly people to have online medical consult visits. Also it inspired me deeply to see that our teachers @ Universities and all other education institutes have accelerated with the speed of light the option of remote education and lessons.

You were in disguise/ so how could I have recognised you?*

Inside Advantech Europe (and of course also in other labor organizations) we have worked internally during covid-19 in a fully different way than before. No longer all team members in one room, but meetings per zoom, Microsoft Teams. Plus our environmental footprint has been much better in the past period and our private and professional lives are better to combine in this new reality. Also no (international) travel, no time lost to commuting and being more productive than ever before.

If we look back on 100 something covid-19 days, if you read the newspapers and if you hear the ‘signs of the times’ in the webinars that now are conducted frequently there is in the core one trend that is really intriguing. Yes covid-19 is a horrible phase. We have lost friends, economic recession, no covid-19 vaccine yet and a lot of civil freedoms of our societies are put temporarily on hold!

Times will always change/ and tides will move us on/ If we hesitate/ the moment is forever gone*

It is true that we have lost real precious things, but it also true that have found back what maybe was lost. Something of importance in life: trust, openness, higher degree of collaboration, improvisation skills are used and freedom of act! Our leaders have been more visible, transparent and authentic than earlier!

Advantech and its employees have demonstrated great leadership to overcome the challenges of this covid-19 phase. Not only Advantech, a lot of companies have been much more versatile than normally! Positive collaboration, risk taking and a co-creation ways of working have proven that we have a lot of unused qualities inside our companies to overcome challenges. The worst to do right now is go back in time, to go back to restoration. To go back to organizations that are heavily over-structured, have guidebooks for everything and think in terms of organizations structure overviews, detailed job descriptions and old fashioned ego driven leadership.

What is needed for the nearby future? 1)Embrace the digitalization, 2)be a co-creator and 3)be ready for new type of customers and employees.

An accelerated digitalization will make companies and our society ready for the future. We will be more and better ready to deal with the challenges of the future like maximum efficiency and the availability of data.

Be a ‘co-creator’. Advantech has always believed in the principles of the book “exponential organizations’. This means we value the principles of co-creation, both in and externally. The employee of the future (but likely even the employee of now) needs to have collaboration skills!

Be ready for a new customer and employee. Covid-19 has changed us all in a fundamental way. Purpose and beliefs have become more important. I think this is one of the reasons that the tragic death of George Floyd has worked as a catalyst in a way. We all know that diversity and inclusion will make our companies stronger, more versatile and more ready for the future.

Being ready for the employee of the future will change our organizations. First of all in the way we are organized internally (not over structured anymore! Trust and action readiness need to be corner stones). In my eyes it is even more important that digitalization, purpose and profit need to be more in balance! To be driven by profit alone will not work! I believe that these principles will be the cement of organizations and will create a lasting engagement between companies, customers and employees.

Things we will leave behind/ must remain unrecognized*

Digital acceleration leaves the question unanswered how we want to relate to each other. How do we maintain team spirit in the ‘new normal’? Partly ‘the purpose of the organization’ will bring us together. What will remain always is that we are human beings. We need to be together as well in a physical way. We will find new ways to have quality time together, as fuel for our hearts and creative minds. This for when we work from our home offices, alone, but if feels like part of a team!

Roel van der Poort

(this article is written on a personal title)

* parts of the poem 'unrecognized' are included and this poem is written by John Foxx.