Should DIGITISATION be pronounced DEHUMANISATION?
As everyone who knows me will testify, I am a people person. I believe in the power of our humanity and lament the increasing dehumanisation agenda followed, promoted and perpetrated by organisations since the 1980s when computers broke through into the mainstream business environment.
What do I mean by dehumanisation?
Simplified somewhat, it is the increasing agenda (overt & covert) to replace people with technology – mainly computers – for all manner of ‘expressed’ reasons but actually rooted in an inferred predictability, reliability and controllability of computers vs human beings.
Since the advent of the PC, we consistently refused to heed what, even today, remains appropriate advice for every opportunity to computerise. The advice is, “If you have a good paper based system, then computerising it will make it twenty times better. However, if you have a bad paper based system, computerising it will make it twenty times worse!” The moral of course is that if you design something correctly so it not only works but works well; then applying technology can vastly improve through put.
In the global obsession of ever increasing profits, technology is now employed as a weapon by most organisations. Whilst it has a legitimate ‘front’ in the fight against competition and the improvement of service, it is also used on a less legitimate - almost secret and undisclosed - 'front', the elimination of human beings in business.
Evocative language? Damn right and deliberately so. However, I’m now going to flatly refuse to condemn those in business following this awful path. To do so would make me as unempathetic as those who sell their false system expectations by lying about capabilities, skewing research results and promising ROIs which are rarely if indeed ever achieved.
Business boards are under more pressure to produce ever climbing results than most of us could ever begin to contemplate. This means they are forced to try things at work that in their normal lives they would run a mile from. In truth they often either get it wrong or are simply let down and so pay the ultimate price.
As a consequence of fear, misinformation, desperation and huge pressure to ‘perform’, this blanket application of technology is incorrectly labelled 'digitisation' and mixed up with more positive application of technology like the European Union's Digital Agenda. In typically alarmist fashion, all the media can talk about is the end of humanity in business due to 'digitisation'.
With so much misinformation and confusion abounding I felt it was time someone published a more balanced perspective; remarkably, something based on reality and facts.
Being from a small island on the East side of the Atlantic formally known as Great Britain, I can only talk about perspective from this side of the Atlantic divide. This perspective could differ greatly from everyone else's.
I have taken the trouble (appropriate use!) to read lots of (sorry could not manage all…) the Digital Agenda for Europe. As already mentioned, the alarmist media - as well as apparently responsible politicians - would have us believe that if ‘Europe’ gets its way then civilisation as we know it will end. As usual that line is little short of nonsense in this instance. It would help greatly our collective blood pressures if the media delivered facts instead of ‘stirring’ or 'spinning' those unable or disinclined to go through my experience.
I confess that when I first heard about the 'Digital Agenda', a mild form of depression settled over me. Having seen service satisfaction levels plummet over the years as computerisation rose inversely, I’d kept myself fit by jumping to similar conclusions to others simply because I had not bothered to access the truth. Not that the truth is easy to find!
When I delved into the detail beneath the sensationalist headlines of ‘digitisation’ I was surprised. I found cohesive, sensible, forward looking and insightful direction specifically targeted by the European Union to deliver sustainable more inclusive services at a lower cost for everyone in every member state - a true grand vision. There had to be one policy that made sense somewhere ;-)
What the Digital Agenda IS, is a form of disruptive thinking designed to do what technology does best – to support our humanity. It is designed to make information held on each of us more widely available to agencies that may need or benefit from access to it so we can be treated better, more consistently, at lower cost and vitally, also have access to information held so we can make sure it is both appropriate and true. Moreover, it is designed that this information is available across all member states so no matter whether you live in Leeds or Lyon you can get secure, speedy and effective service. Not a thing to be taken lightly today.
The reason this is termed 'disruptive thinking' is because it really does turn traditional thinking on its head. At its core is genuine recognition that people have skills that we cannot, and frankly would not wish to try and, replicate using technology. It also recognises that we cannot continue in the same vein as we are today. It recognises that some roles and tasks are best carried out by computers in order to free up a shrinking human workforce (through demographic change) to do things they are best at. Lastly it recognises that we will get things wrong, that we will make mistakes on this journey but, just as in history, we hope to learn from those mistakes to make things better. It also recognises that to try and wait until we can get it right first time is, in very stark terms, going to be too late – far too late.
The advent of computers heralded a time heavy with huge anticipation and genuine belief that our lives would soon be positively transformed by automation thereby delivering us all more leisure time. What transpired of course was a form of computer based slavery and that irony is not lost on me …
What happened to that original promise was a morphing into simple exploitation. Accountants generally get the blame so sincere apologies guys - just reporting it as it is! It is true that accountants recognised the opportunities that computerisation (specifically the accompanying automation, replication and the inherent formulaic approaches) could potentially deliver to the bottom line, so started the eternal (broken) promises of purveyors of IT; the 'improved efficiency', latterly the 'improved customer service' and the 'enviable ROIs' etc.
This digitisation (the Digital Agenda) is different. It appears that those valuable lessons have, at last, been learned and Europe recognises that maintaining the status quo is no longer an option as we have prevaricated for too long to leave it and survive. This Digital Agenda is about support, about truly making life better, about valuing the power of our humanity and about being truly transparent but secure too.
Are there any guarantees? None whatsoever. Are there any alternatives? None whatsoever. Will it succeed? Let’s ask that a different way. What, realistically, are the alternatives? Those talking and complaining about it today will not be around to see the suffering of their children and grandchildren if they fight to stop it.
So, answering my original question, Does Digitisation Deliver Dehumanisation? Definitely not when it’s the Digital Agenda for Europe. Read its outline and begin thinking today how to apply disruptive thinking to your business (and NOW) to sustain your business future or watch your ship sink silently into the abyss.
If you’d like to know more or need some help either understanding or applying this kind of thinking to your business email me.