Technology and Business Transformation

In general terms, technological advancements have brought positive changes to people's lives and company processes, making them more efficient, reducing the margin of error, and facilitating communication among collaborators. It allows us to work from wherever we want, as distance is no longer an impediment with just a computer and an internet connection. This makes it possible to interact with people in different parts of the world.

However, technology also presents drawbacks.

Mobile technology, in particular, has brought about a true revolution in the workplace. For salespeople and marketers, devices like smartphones and tablets have changed almost everything, allowing them to show updated catalogs, sign contracts, and send invoices via email. They have enormously boosted sales forces, developing communication capabilities to unimaginable levels just a few years ago.

Mobile traffic surpassed desktop traffic in 2014, and the internet has become mobile and expanded beyond the phone through the Internet of Things (IoT). This means it no longer makes sense to define a separate mobile strategy; it's about marketing in a digital world that is mobile. The audience naturally interacts through offline, online, and mobile channels, which drives companies towards omnichannel approaches.

Smartphones have altered our behavior as users, making us more impatient and giving us more power over companies. We expect everything to work smoothly on our mobiles, often before other devices, regardless of the technical complexity behind it. Mobiles have become a very important communication channel, offering more ways to be close to users.

The impact of technology on business culture has been significant and transformative. The digitalization of processes, the creation of new tools, and the need to adapt to a growing technological environment have led companies to rethink their business models and ways of working. Technology has facilitated internal and external communication, streamlined processes, improved decision-making, and allowed for greater flexibility and adaptability.

The digital agenda of companies coexists with the sustainability agenda and the organizational transformation agenda, and visualizing their interrelation is key. The synergy between these agendas is one of the keys to success. According to experts, a company's survival today depends more directly on the digital agenda. Digital transformation not only involves technology but also organizational innovations necessary to adapt to the digital society, putting people at the center, based on talent and trust.

Low employee engagement with their employers is a significant challenge in the digital society. Surveys show a low percentage of engaged employees. Emotional commitment, characterized by conviction in the organization's objectives and a willingness to make an effort, is what correlates with productivity. A satisfied worker is a more productive worker, creating a virtuous circle. Good people management policies are the foundation of professionals' productivity and happiness.

The complexity of the digital society drives a leap towards more agile and humanistic organizations, such as 'Teal' evolutionary organizations. These are based on principles like wholeness, self-management, and an evolutionary purpose. Mass teleworking since 2020 has allowed us to understand the value of having a clear purpose and professionals with autonomy and delegation. The challenge is to understand what organizational conditions make telework an ally of satisfaction and productivity.

Business organizations (BOs) in Latin America show interest in digitalizing beyond the pandemic. Digitalization has motivated BOs to increase their membership, offer novel services, improve communication, and leverage data. Member demand is an influential factor. The main impediments to the digitalization of BOs include high costs and difficulty in finding solutions that adapt to their needs. Lack of staff capacity and skills is also a barrier, as is the flight of personnel with digital skills. It is crucial to involve staff and members in the design and socialization of the digital strategy.

As we see, these three areas – the work environment, business culture, and the mobile world – are intrinsically linked by the common thread of technology. General technology provides the what (tools, possibilities), the mobile world offers the how (ubiquitous connectivity, instant interaction), and business culture defines the who and the why (how people and organizations adapt and leverage these changes to create value).

The mobile revolution is a key driver behind changes in work; it facilitates flexibility and remote work but also contributes to the challenge of being 'always connected.' In turn, these new ways of working driven by technology require a profound transformation in business culture, which must focus on trust, talent, commitment, and organizational adaptation to remain productive and relevant.

Digitalization, enabled by technologies and especially powered by mobility, forces companies to rethink not only their processes but their essence. The challenges of adapting to technology, such as the need for new skills and resistance to change, manifest at all levels, from the individual worker to the organizational structure and business associations.

Technology is at the center of a multifaceted transformation. The benefits in efficiency, communication, and innovation are undeniable, but the challenges related to human and organizational adaptation, productivity in the digital age, and ethical dilemmas require constant attention. Placing people and talent at the center of this digital and cultural transformation, fostering trust and adaptability, seems to be the key to successfully navigating this constantly evolving world.