On this final episode of Digital Outliers Season 1, my dear friend Stowe Boyd joins to discuss the “humanities of it all.” Stowe is futurist and editor-in-chief at Work Futures. He believes (and my research shows) that companies are often missing the mark on digital transformation by thinking about it from an industrial approach instead of a humanities-based approach. In a wide-ranging discussion, Boyd shares his thoughts on the inherent bias in social media and how we have to do…
The Nexus of Digital, IT and Science Fiction in the Future of Work
I have to tell you, I am absolutely loving the Digital Outliers podcast series and I hope you are too. In this episode, I get to talk with Brenda Cooper who among many things, is the CIO for the city of Kirkland, Washington. She is also a futurist and the author of nine science fiction and fantasy books. Her most recent novels are POST (Espec Books, 2016) and Spear of Light (Pyr, 2016). Her other works include Edge of Dark (Pyr, 2015), The Creative Fire(Pyr, 2012), and The…
The Digital Transformation of Cities and City Governments
Digital transformation is affecting every aspect of our world. Looking beyond the typical business case studies, some of the most interesting, and overdue, work in digital transformation is happening within local, state and federal governments. Increasingly, the role of CIO or CTO is evolving to consider not only new technology implementations for modernizing work, but also how technology is used to improve operations. With roughly 3 million people migrating to cities every week and more than half the world’s population…
Employees Swipe Right to Personal Tech in the Workplace
The consumerization of IT has been long in the making. While it’s nothing new, the employee-driven trends of social media, BYOD (bring your own device) and BYOA (apps) in the workplace are only accelerating and proliferating. In addition to managing enterprise technology infrastructure and digital transformation roadmaps, IT must now balance the sanctioning and connectivity of new technologies while also managing and mitigating costs, compliance, security and data risks. At the same time, employees will say, and attentive organizations will…
Is Your Company Investing in Digital Transformation or Digital Iteration?
Digital transformation is more than hype and definitely more meaningful than just another buzzword. But to see what it really is and what could be, you have to think beyond the role you work in today. Depending on who you ask, digital transformation could be simply described as enterprise-wide investments in new technologies, platforms and processes to operate in a digital economy. It’s often painted as a picture of rivalry between CIOs and CMOs. But its very promise is bigger…
Social media gave everyone a voice, on the other hand, it also gave everyone a voice
We live in a world where where information and misinformation is prevalent and weighted equally all too often. As human beings, we are learning how to use social media effectively to communicate and connect. At the same time, we’re drowning in abundance, complexity of choices and and unfortunately, the misappropriation or misdirection of influence. Concurrently in professional realms, many leadership teams are overwhelmed with trying to keep up with the sheer scope and scale of the digital evolution. For many…
Contrary to Its Name, Digital Transformation is not Digital-First: An Interview with Steve Snyder of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority
“To thrive in a digital economy, create a safe and empowered environment for employees to learn and take risks.” Technology may be at the core of digital transformation, but it’s severely limited in its promise if it’s not influenced by human beings. Yet, every day, companies invest in digital transformation strategies and roadmaps that are absent of human-centered insights and perspectives. On this episode of Digital Outliers, I sit down with Steve Snyder, CIO, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority to talk…
Brand Innovation and Customer Experience Design: An Interview with Comcast’s Chris Satchell
The potential for breakthrough innovation is at its greatest when there’s purpose. And in an age of disruptive technology, humanity is becoming a killer app. Often in my research on digital transformation and innovation, I find the most compelling catalyst for finding purpose and accelerating change and improvement is customer experience (CX). Think about it. Who owns the customer experience? Yes. The customer owns it. That might seem like one big “duh.” But, believe it or note, many organizations are…
Digital Transformation Must Lead to Business Transformation: An Interview with Didier Bonnet of CapGemini Consulting
Who owns digital transformation within your organization? Is it the C-Suite, marketing, IT, HR? It’s now essential for all stakeholders – no matter their level or role – to become acquainted in the purpose of digital technology if orgs are to succeed in this new economy. We live in an era of digital Darwinism. As technology and society evolve, all organizations must also adapt how they operate and compete. To do so however, requires much more than digital transformation and…
It’s Time to Bring Digital Literacy to the C-Suite: An Interview with Paul Miller of the Digital Workplace Group,
I think the next big thing following massive innovation on the CX front is EX…employee experience. But, to do so requires a level of inward empathy not usually found roaming the halls of the C-Suite. This is something though, I believe, will become more pronounced as the move to customer-centricity is more closely linked to employee-centricity. To do so however, requires that companies empower employees, giving them access to information, expertise, and the reward mechanisms they need to innovate and…
