It can be tough to strategize around the best-fit approach for optimizing how we get work done. Digital-focused plans have been top-of-mind for the past several years, with the concept of “digital transformation” a rightly-hyped strategy that prioritizes automation, linkage of enterprise systems, scalability of core processes, and (most importantly) real-time convergence and access of insights and data.
However, the “digital enterprise” cannot survive on technology alone. Innovation does not occur in a vacuum, regardless of just how advanced businesses software (and hardware) is across the greater organization. “Human centricity” should be heralded as a proactive and forward-thinking approach that places not just people in the center of work optimization, but the skillsets inherent within the human workforce.
From here, the old adage of what’s “better” for the business: people or technology? Digitization or humanization? Which is the best path forward, especially during what could be a rollercoaster, frenetic 2024?
First, though, there is the caveat of automation being different than digitization, which is different than innovation. All three are inherently linked, however, there is a vast separation between automating menial tasks and truly innovating around an enterprise’s core products and offerings.
Innovation is the key here, because, frankly, innovation only happens when there is a balance between human-centric strategies that prioritize skillsets and expertise and digital-focused initiatives that aim to harness the power of next-generation technology and platforms (a la artificial intelligence) to blaze a path ahead.
Innovation, thus, is not confined to technological advancements or next-generation platforms or solutions alone; it thrives when human creativity collaborates with cutting-edge tools. A true, innovation-ready mindset encompasses a culture that encourages collaboration, experimentation, and the continuous development of skills.
Organizations need to foster an environment that values and invests in the growth of their human capital, recognizing that the synergy between technology and human inventiveness is the recipe for transformative breakthroughs, and, consequently, sustained success during an era of globalized competition.
How is this “balance” achieved, then? Harmonizing digitization and humanization sounds simple on the surface, but more difficult to truly execute:
- Prioritize the adoption, and more importantly, understanding of artificial intelligence and how it can augment, enhance, and power core businesses processes.
- Invest in a skills-based hiring strategy that supersedes traditional talent acquisition approaches and instead places skillsets/expertise at the core of talent engagement initiatives.
- Capitalize on the flexibility and agility inherent within today’s extended talent-heavy workforce and leverage expertise from non-employee workers to drive complex projects that require advanced skillsets.
- Cultivate an environment that values and invests in the growth of the human workforce.
- Recognize that the synergistic harmony between people and technology is the key to unlocking innovation and sustained organizational success.
In the pursuit of an optimal path forward, businesses must strive for a symbiotic approach that aligns technological investments and next-generation automation with the cultivation of a skilled and adaptable (and agile) workforce. The success of the modern enterprise in 2024 hinges on its ability to integrate digital advancements with a human-centric focus to foster innovation.
