The relationship between humans and technology continues to advance rapidly. For many us, interacting with Siri or Alexa is now second nature, however assuming that individuals will automatically understand and adopt technology is not a given. These developments are creating another set of challenges (and opportunities) for the organization.

Digital culture describes how technology shapes the way we think, interact, behave and communicate, and as technology revolutionizes, there is invariably an impact corporate culture. Being digital savvy is more than just being paperless, it is about being attuned to the opportunities presented to the organization – all of which need considered management.

For example. remote working technology implementation delivered efficiencies, speeding up work and empowering the workforce. The COVID pandemic accelerated the deployment of these remote working technologies and demonstrated that users could be both productive and effective working from home. Post pandemic, having now grown used to these technology benefits, it is not surprising that a large number of users are resisting the call to the return of a 5 day per week office working. It will be interesting to see how the recent Twitter employee backlash unfolds on the scrapping of the working from home policy.

As these technologies become more embedded, building on the previous theme, hybrid (home and office) working becomes a digital cultural norm, and therefore likely to be a standard employment practice to attract new employees into an organization. Organizations that foster and embrace an environment where users can explore, experiment, develop, and benefit from technology innovation lead to a more motivated workforce.

“Putting People first in Digital Transformation” Survey 2021: 66% are optimistic about the opportunities that technology can bring to their career and work.

Ricoh

Further advancements in cognitive technologies that mimic the human brain: perceiving, judging, thinking and reasoning will continue to challenge the digital culture. There is a whole new profession in the making.

Bottom line: It’s not about the technology, it’s about the way people will use the technology. This should be a key assessment when designing and planning your digital transformation.

To bring home the point, here’s a link to footage of two teenagers completely baffled on how to use a rotary phone. It is easy to forget how rapidly culture evolves!! How are you managing change?

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