Why digitization is really about people
We often talk about digitalization as if it is primarily about technology. About systems, platforms, artificial intelligence, automation and new digital services. Many of the biggest headlines are about investments, results and technological breakthroughs.
But through many years of studies, seminars and professional environments – from BI to gatherings in San Francisco and Oxford – I have experienced that the most interesting discussions are rarely about technology alone.
They are about people. Because technology rarely creates value in itself. It is the people who use it, develop it, improve it, and understand the needs it is actually intended to solve.
Technology is just a tool
Over the past few decades, digitalization has transformed both work and society at a pace few could have imagined. The internet, smartphones, artificial intelligence, and digital services have changed the way we shop, communicate, learn, and work.
Yet we often see digital projects fail – not because the technology is necessarily bad, but because the people around the solutions are not involved well enough.
Advanced systems are of little help if:
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employees don't get time to learn them
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users don't understand them
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the organization does not cooperate
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culture resists change
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the solutions are developed far away from the people who will actually use them
Perhaps that is why many digital projects only succeed when technology is combined with culture, trust and understanding .
The values arise closest to the users
One of the most interesting things about digitalization is that the best ideas often arise closest to the users. It is the employees who meet customers, patients, students or citizens every day who often see where the solutions work – and where they create frustration.
A good digital service is therefore rarely just about technology. It is about understanding people:
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what they need
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what they are struggling with
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what creates security
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what makes everyday life easier
This applies to both business and the public sector. The strongest digital environments often manage to combine technology with insights from the people who actually do the work.
Digitization is also about culture
Many businesses invest large sums in technology, but far less in culture and collaboration. Yet it is often culture that determines whether digital initiatives succeed.
In environments where employees get:
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trust
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responsibility
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room to contribute
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opportunity to share experiences
...better solutions often arise.
Not because everyone agrees, but because people collaborate across disciplines and learn from each other. This is perhaps one of the most underrated things in today's discussions about digitalization:
That technology is fundamentally about people.
The human side of technology
When we talk about artificial intelligence and automation, the impression is often created that technology will replace humans. But perhaps human qualities will become more important than ever in the years to come.
Because the more technology we surround ourselves with, the more important it becomes:
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trust
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communication
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empathy
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cooperation
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creativity
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understanding
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It is people who build culture.
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People who create relationships.
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People who develop the ideas.
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People who see other people.
Perhaps that's why the best digital solutions often feel simple, warm and human – even though the technology behind them can be very advanced.
The invisible capital
For many years we have talked about digitalization as a question of technology and efficiency. Perhaps we should talk more about the people behind the solutions.
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About the employees who develop them.
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About the professional communities that improve them.
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About the culture that makes them work.
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About the trust that makes people actually use them.
Because technology alone rarely creates value. The people who use it do.
