By: Angie Sandritter, CEO of RippleWorx
The “rearview mirror for 2020” does not only display the pandemic and US politics but also encompasses a paradox that will shape our future. Working from home and the associated productivity, a sense of belonging when being part of a distributed workforce plus the effects of the civil unrests on the workplace. What a crazy year. I believe most people agree that it is time to be done with 2020. BUT again, there are lessons learned here and mainly the ones around the following two aspects: the human factor and the digital age.
THE CURRENT PARADOX - THE HUMAN FACTOR vs. THE DIGITAL AGE
And, yet, the making of this perfect storm could have been seen in 2018 -- at least some of It.
The Human Factor
The Human Factor in the US became apparent with the increase of labor strikes and political demonstrations in 2018 and 2019 [1]. We had more strikes for fair wages, better working environments, equity and other factors than in the 1980’s. These earlier events foreshadowed the level of unrest brewing and finally, boiled over.
At the same time, in a completely separate effort, nearly every organization, in almost every sector, engaged in the race to digital. Data flow from paper to binary code is at an all-time high and organizations are busy transforming themselves to remain relevant in the future.
The Digital Age
The need to increase automation, predictability, and performance/production also began before 2020. “Digital Transformation” became a staple, budgeted initiative for many companies, sports teams, and government entities.
Somehow, the concept of human technology created a fear of replacing humans in the workforce with artificial intelligence – jeopardizing acceptance and adoption. However, 2020 paves the way to change the game of the digital age, articulating the importance of people, the human factor, for the future.
2020 is the great accelerator – Or, at least it can be!
When there is no other option, but technology available for human communication and interaction, in an environment of uncertainty and unrest, it becomes the great clarifier and facilitator. It now drives human topics forward from performance, to potential, belonging, and purpose – acting as a friend and not a foe to humans. Look at the perspective of how technology can help us and not replace us.
In years to come, when we look back at 2020, the myriad of events and the resiliency of nations, we will have benefited from, or at least adapted to the advancements in tech. Technology will no longer be focused solely on automating the assembly line, but also on enabling the performance and wellbeing of people.
RippleWorx, is a digital solution designed to provide a holistic approach to human performance and engagement – emotional, cognitive, and physical performance.
