“The experts you need are already here!”

This is how companies – with their own employees – are getting fit for digitization.

Digitization is unstoppable.

Digitization is unstoppable and one of those developments that certainly will not “simply pass by,” even if some may secretly wish that. It is a megatrend that will not only fundamentally change our way of living and working, but also radically transform business models and business purposes. So, what does it mean for organizations – and how is it related to the second big trend, the flexibilization of working models and structures?

Without flexibility, no digitization – and without digitization no flexibilization!

The flexibilization of work models and structures in organizations is, according to the Hays HR Report 2017, the trend theme of the year and the most important prerequisite to be prepared for the challenges of digitization. A rigid company simply does not have the agility to respond quickly enough to big changes in the marketplace. Even more: to act before it the only possibility left is to react. The flexibilization of structures and processes is therefore an essential prerequisite for organizations to be able to digitize their business models as a whole and possibly completely change them. In return, the digitization of everyday processes in companies (e.g., email instead of fax, use of digital tools for easy co-working across office and time limits) is an important prerequisite for a successful flexibilization of structures. Both are closely related.

Digitization is not an end in itself!

It is clear that digitization is not an end in itself and should never be. This is often forgotten in the sometimes heated and emotional discussion about the topic. In the end, we do not “digitize” simply to digitize, nor should enthusiasm for technology ever lead to this behavior. Digitization brings us many new opportunities and chances, from which we should seize those that ultimately benefit people and advance our society as a whole. What is the use of digitization (of processes, of entire business models) in the end – and thus the consequences for our organizations? Can it make us work more effectively, healthier and more productively, make our work more responsible and more flexible? Can it keep our organizations agile, creative, innovative, responsive, and ultimately successful?

“When we use digital opportunities to better share our knowledge and work together more effectively, we – the people in an organization – will eventually win everyone and become the drivers of change ourselves.”

(Anna Kaiser, expert on the work of the future and founder of Tandemploy)

The experts you need are already there

The designers of the digital transformation are already here. It does not take an armada of digitization consultants or an imposed “change process”. The potential is already in the company: its own employees. Turning them into shapers of change is a great art – but it’s not rocket science. It requires successful communication in the first place – and networking of the various talents and knowledge islands in the company. The knowledge needed is already there. It just has to be recognized, cleverly networked and interconnected. If the successful transfer of knowledge is accompanied by a (digitally supported) flexibilization of working models and structures, the basis for great changes in digitization is given.

The future of work is flexible, because without flexibility there is no successful digitization – and without digitization there is no future viability. But above all, it starts today.