Covid-19 has forced a digital transformation changing the way we work. While it’s easy to fall into the doom and gloom side of the pandemic, we are taking a more positive stance and looking towards the future.
ServiceNow’s VP of Innovation, Chris Pope talks with the leading expert on big data, Mike Bugembe, about what he predicts for 2021. We go in-depth about how leaders will need to change, how data can shape a new way of working, and what data can do for your business in 2021.
A new reality
The desire to work from home has existed for a long time, even though it’s not a new concept to many. Zoom has been around since 2017, and Skype before that. Mostly seen in tech start-ups as a perk, comparatively, many companies saw working from home as a way to avoid work and were hesitant to implement work from home policies unless absolutely necessary.
Research conducted at Stanford in 2012 found conclusive evidence that working from home increased productivity. Employees were starting on time as they were unhampered by delayed commutes, and took fewer sick days. Other benefits were reported as well, including increased job satisfaction and reduced turnover. However, work from home was still not widely accepted.
“It’s often the case where scientists have proven a lot of concepts, but because of inertia and ‘just the way things are’, we never really take them on,” says Bugembe.
With Covid-19, however, businesses forced to close offices still needed to connect with their teams and customers. They had to quickly adopt work from home – whether ready or not.
The rise of the introvert
Arguably, innovations in life have come through great traumatic events. So, has this digital transformation been a good thing? It depends on your viewpoint.
We're in an age when the introvert potentially could shine through significantly better
“2020 has presented itself from lots of interesting perspectives: you have some who can’t wait for it to end, and some thinking this is actually the reset we needed. In my experience, I think it’s been good as it allows us to be more productive and connect better,” says Bugembe.
Bugembe further speaks of the rise of a new dominant workplace personality – the introvert. Before, those who were the loudest, and more popular, were seen as the most useful in an office. Now? Not so much.
“We’re in an age when the introvert potentially could shine through significantly better. This period has been fantastic and has really allowed us to thrive and excel,” he says.
A new kind of leader
From a leadership standpoint, what type of leader do we expect in 2021 and beyond? The pandemic has forced a digital transformation that has resulted in companies looking hard at what leadership needs to look like in this new age.
What leaders will need to do – and you see many leaders struggling with this – is the acceptance of the new realit
The old command and control approach to leadership simply does not work anymore. It used to be the case of a top-down approach with senior management demanding constant presence to keep eyes on workers. Remote working has made that near impossible to maintain.
“What leaders will need to do – and you see many leaders struggling with this – is the acceptance of the new reality. There are those struggling to stick with the old ways of working and going against the grain, making life more difficult. They’re facing a choice: acknowledge the new reality and panic. Or, acknowledge and embrace it,” says Bugembe.
Bugembe also notes that a shift in knowledge for leaders is needed; namely that leaders must become not only digitally literate but also data literate. This shift was anticipated to happen in 2030. But with Covid-19, it’s happening now. A leader who is unable to understand this is putting their team and organisation at risk.
The successful leader in 2021
When it comes to new technology, it seems like there are winners and losers. Those who have not adapted well to the latest technology would be considered the losers. But Bugembe has a deeper understanding.
“I think that tech on its own is not the answer. Humans bring a lot to the party, even in the world of AI. It then becomes about how we get the mix of human plus machine right.”
Going into 2021, the successful leader will have a strong mix of tech data skills and also understands the needs of human beings.
Understanding the data
With Covid-19, came remote working and a change in business models. During all this, massive amounts of data have been created at a scale never seen before. With the adoption of applications, platforms, services, even user behaviour, the big question becomes: is it valuable?
According to Bugembe, it’s game-changing.
“We’ve been producing data for a long time. When it comes to the machine learning world, we used a lot of historical data to make predictions and automate activities. But the key word here is ‘historical’. 2020 has shown us that you need current data to make accurate predictions and operate within the ethical boundaries of society. Consumer behaviour alone is so completely different in 2020 compared to 2019, making historical data redundant.”
Data is an asset and is only valuable if you know what to do with it. If you can’t transform it into insight or predictions, it’s just sitting there. Bugembe states that leaders must understand what to do with that data to remain current. The way to do so is by asking the right questions.
For instance, when we use data internally, regarding employee wellbeing and performance, asking the right questions can reveal a lot about someone.
What this means for companies is valuable insight into their employees: With the right questions, companies can find out when people are more productive, or even find the toxic individual causing reduced productivity around them. Companies can then improve those situations and help their employees be the best they can be.
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