How do you convince a convention of CIOs that technology isn’t everything?

A few weeks ago I was invited to present on themes of innovation and transformation from around the world at the IDC CIO Summit in Auckland, New Zealand.

Across two days, over 50 speakers and 960+ attendees discussed the potential of new technologies, the impact of digital transformation on business strategy and the ever growing threat of cyber security.

But what really inspired me about the event was the fact that the human element, the potential power of people, was relevant in almost every conversation and if you’ve read my article on Customer eXperience eXcellence (CXX), you’ll know that I believe that this is pretty fundamental.

Here’s a short summary of how I shared my point of view on why technology alone isn’t the answer…

Whilst Digital is moving at click speed, purpose remains paramount

Most of my customers in Vodafone Enterprise are asking the same questions when it comes to Digital Transformation; what does it mean for my business, how do I do it and how much will it cost?

And while there are no easy answers, there are some key themes which provide important context for anyone faced with shaping a digital transformation strategy;

Exponential growth

It seems simple enough; the concept that something doubles every X amount of time – this is Moore’s law that many of us are familiar with.

But with the speed of technological advancements today, the rate of change itself, the X, is accelerating, creating challenges and opportunities so quickly that many businesses are struggling to keep up. Finding a way to execute at the right pace is critical.

Cyber Security & Digital Trust

I once heard a security expert, Marc Goodman, dryly explain how crime used to be a one on one affair. Old school crime involved buying a weapon and then robbing a person, simple.

He joked about flexible hours, low overheads and no taxes. The only downside being that it’s not a scalable business given that you can only rob one person at a time!

Then came the train, a bank on wheels, and suddenly a robber could rob hundreds of people at a time. And now we have the internet. Where one person can rob 100s of millions with the click of a mouse.

As we all become more reliant every day on this amazing network, it’s hard not to be concerned by the rapid digitisation of crime and the risk it poses.

All of my customers on every continent have concerns about this and worry that the pace at which our defences develop, isn’t keeping up with the speed of the bad guys.

Purpose

This may seem surprising considering the topics above, but purpose is of increasing importance to global companies and their workforce. A growing belief that the easiest way to do well in business is to do good in the world.

I’ve touched on this before in my previous articles where in my own team we’ve proven, with solid KPIs, that what really motivates people is the feeling that their work matters. This is especially true in an increasingly digital world.

I’ve mentioned before about our own digital transformation in Customer Service Operations; an Agile project powered with the latest cloud based, AI powered tech. During this transformation, it was our shared identity, The Red Line, that was the true catalyst of success. The Red Line helped us combine the human and digital intelligence available to us in a smart way and wrapping a people-first and value-based culture around it all.

That’s why it’s clear to me now, that to succeed in any digital transformation, you first have to win the hearts and minds of your people which means putting as much, if not more, effort and investment into them as you do in the systems.

Do you think discussions around digital transformation are too tech focused, or will the next advancement change the way people work forever? I look forward to your comments below.