Addressing The Human Element In Your Tech Agenda

As companies undergo digital transformations they need to factor in the human element for better results. Failure to do so would result in having inferior products or services, dissatisfied and disengaged customers as well as demotivated personnel according to Kelly Bentley Co-Founder of The Rebel Element.

Kelly, who spoke at The CIO100 Symposium and Awards Kelly emphasised the need for companies to be more people-centric if they want to address the real needs of their customers. “When you think about technology and why it comes into existence, the human element is what starts it and always what finishes it. You can’t have any kind of digital transformation without addressing why it is needed in the first place.”

Kelly explained that companies that fail to factor the human element in their processes, services and products tend to have lower engagement from customers and other stakeholders. “They identify a human need, they create for the human element but along the way, they start to forget that is what triggered it. Later they start asking questions why their customers and stakeholders are disengaged yet what they have created is important to them”

According to her, organisations can entrench the human element culture through partnering with stakeholders that improve value for their clients. For example, a video game company partnering with a food company to raise awareness about healthy eating among kid gamers.

Kelly stated that businesses can be more people-centric when they manage change quickly and effectively. “Businesses need to entrench change in their culture. Chaotic change processes make companies lose humanity. When you are chaotic, you don’t have the time to look at the human side of what you are doing in your environments”.

She also advised companies not to overlook soft skills when hiring saying, “If you want to build resilience in your business, and to have employees who can adapt to change, entrench change and do it at speed, you need people with soft skills”.

The Rebel Element helps organisations design and implement stakeholders engagement strategies.