Are humans at the heart of digital transformation? ft. Alex Andrenacci and Ralph Thompson

Digital transformation isn’t always driven by bottom-line metrics alone. In the wake of a global pandemic, we’re all looking to new technology to help us usher in a better working world. One with flexibility, work-life balance, generational unity, and joy. Join us as Alex Andrenacci and Ralph Thompson, technology transformation leaders at Ernst & Young discuss what the future of IT looks like from their perspective and how people – clients, employees, their families – are at the heart of it all.

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:24] In the initial groundbreaking stage of any transformation, we must ask ourselves how our work will make a tangible impact on the world.

[4:28] For many, success is now about spending less time working and more time with our family and loved ones. The measure of success may not only be the retention and profit, but how happy the employee’s kids are, and how satisfied employees feel in their life as a holistic view.

[5:15] How is digital making our work and personal life better? By fostering a growth mindset, better environmental and societal outcomes, and helping people develop skills outside their focused area of work. It’s up to hiring managers and executives to talk early on with potential and new employees about the opportunity for flexible learning and exploring new interests.

[8:50] Millennials and Zoomers are more likely to broaden their horizons a little further than the ones we’ve been trained to inhabit.

[10:08] When there is the opportunity for personal enrichment and growth, the technologically-centred will show up and contribute more. Ralph talks about one employee who grew out of the socially awkward geek stereotype when he was provided with a way to expand his skillset and develop even more confidence.

[15:14] The urgency with which businesses are bringing products and services to market mirrors millennial behaviors. Ralph refers to it as millennial gratification or immediate gratification, where they have a built-in understanding of the digital landscape and the attention economy.

[18:05] Millennials bring needed and different perspectives in technology that some of us might be a bit behind on. For example, we hear about Ralph’s daughter and how she brought the company from using an outdated fax machine up to digitizing papers using the phone and email.

[20:15] Alex explains that simplification has two aspects: to spend less, and to do more.

[22:30] At the end of the day, it’s about delighting the customers. Reflection question: do you use tech to make your customers’ lives better? Are your employees truly happy? Are their children happy and fulfilled? What about you?

 

Quotes:

[8:48] “What we’re looking for is not just people who are great at one particular thing, but ones who are going to develop. They are going to add value.” - Ralph [13:27] What we need is generational unity towards a common goal. It's what we see more often than not, in those companies most willing to embrace a human-centred and principled business model.” - Jo [18:52] “There's a sense of immediacy, there's a sense of digitization that's just inherent. I think it's one of the things that asking basic fundamental questions about why on earth we are doing something that makes no sense, is one of the gifts that young people of technology bring.” - Ralph [19:06] “I think we need to start learning how to do things differently in order to drive the change that we all want to drive.” - Alex [22:39] “Do you use tech to make your customers’ lives better? Are your employee’s kids happy? Are your employees themselves fulfilled? And what about you? If you answered yes, you might just be the kind of transformation we need - digital or not.” - Jo

 

Continue on your journey:

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Mentioned:

Ernst & Young Ralph Thompson Alex Andrenacci