Unternehmen&Trends Digitalausgabe 01/2022

32 It‘s not about technology By Gero Brinkbäumer, COSMO CONSULT Group When a global technology provider like the COSMO CONSULT Group says that technology is not the decisive factor in digital transformation, something seems to be amiss. So what else might it be? The answer to this question may sound extraordinary – but we are living in extraordinary times. It wasn‘t that long ago that you had to access the Internet via a tedious dial-up connection and that cell phones were only used to make phone calls. Today, with your smartphone, you have the whole world in your pocket. In just 20 years, the digital revolution has changed our lives from the ground up. It has made many things easier and even made some things possible for the first time. What has long been a part of our everyday lives with online shopping, navigation systems and the like, is also playing an increasingly important role in our working lives. In revolutionary times Big Data, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things – all of these open up completely new possibilities and, above all, new business opportunities. It isn‘t overstating the case when we talk of a “digital revolution”, as nothing less than a revolution is taking place when long-established industrial groups are being pushed aside by smart Internet startups. Those who miss the digital train could soon be in serious trouble – very soon, in fact, because digital progress has tremendous momentum. Anyone who hasn‘t already done so should now be looking closely at new technologies and their possibilities. However, nobody should do anything too hastily. Actions based on panic and a knee-jerk reaction won‘t get anyone anywhere. It is a good idea to get a competent digitization partner on board who is not only an expert in his field, but who also knows the pitfalls and understands that digitization is more than just technology. Which brings us to the question posed at the beginning: What “else” is there then? What is the decisive factor in digital transformation? Technology is not an end in itself In order to understand the real issue, you have to imagine what digital transformation means for companies: long-standing practices are being radically called into question. They are entering uncharted territory and at the same time have to come to terms with changes that go deep into their very essence. Mobile working, automation, artificial intelligence – all of these are shaking up familiar work processes. It‘s no wonder that many companies are feeling uncertain. But this uncertainty is not a fault of the companies themselves. It is a consequence of the many things that have been going awry for their IT service providers. Above all, in the initial digital euphoria, the wrong priorities were set: technology was everything and everything else would come automatically. But that‘s not how digitization works. Technological developments drive it, but they are not an end in themselves. Technology must serve the people who use it. This self-evident principle was completely overlooked at the beginning – which, incidentally, has also contributed to the fact that the digital transformation of many companies has ground to a halt. So, the answer to the question of Image: © Black Salmon/shutterstock.com

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