The key to digitalisation is not technology; it is people and development of organisational culture. It is not a decision to be made lightly. Nor is it a fashion. No company will be able to flourish if it does not make use of all the potential technology offers, especially in sectors such as energy, where there are huge possibilities for progress thanks to, for instance, the so-called Internet of Everything. It allows advances to be made in the effective use of technology for greater efficiency in energy infrastructure and, consequently, better service for society and the environment.
According to Deloitte in the article ‘How to Successfully Manage your Digital Transformation’, adopting the tools offered by digitalisation is no longer a ‘strategic opportunity, but a question of survival’. According to this consulting company’s reports, the businesses that do it best earn up to 30 per cent higher profits in the long term.
The effects of digitalisation cannot be limited to a specific area. But there is an aspect in which this point is already key, and it has an enormous potential for shaking things up (in the best sense of the term): talent management, the organisation of human resources; making effective use of the best virtues in a team; finding the missing cog in a company’s wheel; and improving employee satisfaction. In short, putting data and technology at the service of people. The best companies are defined by their employees and the best employees are the ones that build companies.
Another consulting firm, McKinsey, points out in its report ‘Technology, jobs and the future of the job market’ that the lack of information or geographical distance were obstacles in the past that separated a company from potential employees and frustrated job candidates from their dream jobs. Fortunately, these obstacles present less of a threat with each passing day thanks to technology.
I have extracted some information and reflections of interest from the same McKinsey report: 30–40 per cent of the population of working age is ‘underutilised’ (unemployed, inactive, in precarious jobs, etc.), a reference to more than 850 million people. Forty per cent of companies state that they have openings they cannot fill owing to the lack of skills that are required by those positions.
A survey by LinkedIn leaves a figure for reflection: 37 per cent of those surveyed said that their current job is below their possibilities and is not seen as sufficiently challenging. If only a small fraction of this huge potential that is currently underutilised were put into action, the personal and social benefits would be enormous.
We should not be afraid. In recent years, news on technology and the job market has too often had a pessimistic tone. Yes, there are huge challenges, for companies and workers, and for society as a whole.
We have to resolve great difficulties. A process of this nature is exciting, but not simple. Nevertheless, just as in the past technological advances served to raise our quality of life, there is no reason to think that the same will not happen in the coming decades.