Key Insight #1 from the SXSW festival in Austin Texas, 2018
Digital Transformation was, hands-down, the buzzword of the festival.
And everyone seemed to be quietly freaking out about it; discussing at length what it is, what it means for them and their organisations, and how to implement it. The recurring narrative being so much tech with so little time to implement it, that it is all too easy to fall behind.
"The most exciting breakthroughs of the 21st Century will not occur because of technology, but because of an expanded concept of what it means to be human" - John Naisbitt
Thing is, amazing as all this tech is now, and will be in the near future, it is nothing without the humans behind it. It’s all too easy to think that Digital Transformation is all about the tech, and while it plays a critical role, it is ultimately about the people that use it.
No matter how cool, how powerful, how ground-breaking tech is, it will be dead in the water if people don’t buy into it.
This means that developing organisations that are able to continuously learn, change and adapt to new technology are just as important, if not more so, than the technology itself.
This is the true challenge behind Digital Transformation, and means developing a two-pronged strategy of sourcing, filtering and integrating new tech, combined with nurturing a culture that embraces change on a regular, continuous basis.
Digital transformation, at its essence, is all about being human. It always was and always will be. Until the Singularity takes over, of course, and turns us all into grey goo...
We can help out with your Digital Transformation...
The SXSW Festival...
SXSW is an incredible, intoxicating experience unlike any other; jam-packed full of like-minded thinkers, tinkerers, futurists and explorers, questioning, discussing, debating and soaking up ideas.
"There is nothing quite like being exposed to new thinking to break out of old patterns, to expand the context in which we operate, to extend the boundaries of our world-view, and we felt it would be a fantastic exercise to potentially unlock new opportunities for Fleishman and Brave."
- Grant Mills, CEO of Brave