Written by: Flo LaBrado, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
What a time to be alive. How we work, live, and play is changing so quickly that it looks different from one month to the next. Organizations large and small are grappling with the proliferation and opportunities created by digitalization. Companies are racing to explore and exploit the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and large language models (LLM) to use big data and automation for both economies of scale and customer experiences tailored to the individual. (William Sigmund explains these elements well.)
The potential revenue growth, lower operating costs, and the aspiration to be one of the firsts make digital transformation sexy for organizations. Even non-profits and faith-based organizations are responding (see the mission of Servant.io). There is also the promise of elevating how we live. Digital transformation is enabling government and healthcare sectors to change traffic patterns, security, and even how medical care is administered.
But, what is missing?
Digital transformation impacts people. Real people. Yet, in the ongoing conversation about digitalization, we don’t talk enough about people. Not just an organization’s labor pool or “human capital” but individuals with unique lives, strengths, needs, and concerns. Organizations and systems are driving the digitalization of work and life, and individuals seem to be along for the ride, with limited active participation. Technology is happening to people, with or without their understanding or agreement. We need to fix that.
Paul Leonardi and Tsedal Neeley define digital transformation in a way that starts to make sense: how organizations change through data, technology, and organization design. They argue that organizations can use tools and data to adapt and must also shift the very design of a company—structures, decision-making, and culture. Leonardi and Neeley make the case that organizations must invest in people to upskill and create a learning culture for an organization to succeed in the digital shift. This perspective is related to people but from the vantage point of an organization.
What if we flipped the script? What if individuals do not wait for a company to create a framework to adapt? Instead of digital transformation happening to people, what if people happen to digital transformation?
First, let’s check in with our emotions
Let’s acknowledge that individuals may feel a range of emotions as they see the waves of an even more digital world approaching the shores of how we live, work, and play. Some may be excited and curious about the potential, especially the younger generation that is growing up in a digital world. Others may be nervous about whether their work and skills will be replaced. Artists are worried about their intellectual property rights being violated by AI and ML. Members of underrepresented groups have reason to fear how digital transformation contributes to discrimination and criminalization, which Shalini Kenyatta explores beautifully in the documentary Coded Bias about the work of Joy Buolamwini and the Algorithmic Justice League. Individuals who are less tech-inclined may feel excluded and worried about the waning of their participation in society. All of these emotions are real and valid, especially when lacking a sense of control. Technology and its implications may be both exciting and overwhelming for a person. So, where do we go from here?
Human connection and potential
It may seem counterintuitive, but I argue that our response to the great digitalization of our world is meaningful human connection and our endless potential. Intentional meaningful connection with ourselves and one another will allow us to individually exercise autonomy and collectively build humane digital transformation. With an internal locus of control, caring for one another, and trusting our human capacity to learn and grow, digital solutions can work for us instead of happening to us. We can self-lead. The following are strategies to increase meaningful connection with one another and lean into our human capacity to learn so that we can infuse humanity into technology.
Discover and live with integrity to your core values
Core or personal values are the deeply held beliefs that transcend every area of an individual’s life. Everyone has values that inform their personal ethics, which manifest in how they live, work, and play. However, many of us may not explicitly know our personal values. Yet, a person who identifies and understands their values is empowered with a compass to make effective decisions, including how they want to engage with the digitalization of our world. Is it okay to use ChatGPT for ideas to craft a resume? Is it ethical to use AI-generated visuals for an important presentation? Knowing our core values can help us confidently make decisions in this new world. As a starting point, I recommend using Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead List of Values and reflecting with friends and relatives. A coach can also serve as a guide through a values assessment exercise. (I would be happy to connect on a complimentary call)
Get and stay curious
Techs such as AI, ML, and LLM may seem foreign to our everyday world or as if they are tools only for big companies. But they are accessible to us in practical ways. What if we get curious and engage in small ways to learn? One easy way is to experiment by using Grammarly, a website that uses AI to improve writing by automatically checking for grammar, clarity, and other aspects of written language. (This article will have benefited from a Grammarly check before you read it.) Another idea is to try using OpenAI’s ChatGPT for basic research and ideas. I recently used ChatGPT for icebreaker ideas for an in-person team meeting and easy recipes for low-carb side dishes. Many of these practical tools are free and accessible, an easy way to gain exposure to digital technologies powered by AI, ML, and LLM. Keep in mind that, regardless of age and experience, our brains constantly adapt and create new pathways that enable learning. So, get curious!
Develop a digital mindset
By 2027 nearly half of workers’ skills will be impacted by emerging technologies (World Economic Forum). Workers must get and stay curious about digital technologies and develop a digital mindset. A digital mindset includes attitudes and approaches that enable seeing the potential of digital tools and transformation (Leonardi & Neeley). Getting and staying curious is a great start to developing a digital mindset. We can add to that using online courses. We can use digital tools to learn through experience about AI, ML, LLM, and more. Engineering and developer skills are not needed. Sites such as MOOC.org, Trailhead, and Coursera offer many free courses and certifications to learn, upskill, and prepare for changes in employment trends.
Make room at the table
If you are at the table in a technology organization, look around you. Who do you see? Who do you not see? Are the people at the literal and metaphorical table representative of the customers the company serves and the societies it impacts? If not, make room and invite others in. Mentor someone who is not yet at the table. Ask for the thoughts and opinions of people from different walks of life. Take a human-centered design thinking approach. Advocate for executives to create and operationalize inclusive hiring and talent development practices. Expand your network. For example, AfroTech offers outstanding networking and learning experiences at its annual AfroTech Conference and is a great place to recruit talent. The result will be a step toward digital technologies that are inclusive of the breadth of humanity’s diverse backgrounds and experiences and that serve everyone.
Ask the hard questions
Another opportunity for people at the technology table to infuse human connection is to ask the hard questions. As members of underrepresented groups continue to gain seats at the table, it is important to speak up. It is not enough to have more representation at the table. Once there, ask questions. Whose values are reflected in the data and algorithms used? Are data models representative of only a majority or society in general? How are digital tools audited? How are ethical issues managed? It is not only developers and executives who can ask these questions. Anyone can and everyone should. Leaders especially have a responsibility to create a culture of innovation and inclusion that reduces the barriers for team members to ask hard questions.
Make time to connect with one another
It is exciting and even fun to explore digital tools and their uses. We might even find that we can get answers to questions or solve problems without having to phone a friend or lean on someone. Resourcefulness and self-sufficiency can be empowering. That said, we are not meant to live life alone. We need each other. Our very brains and bodies are designed in such a way that feel-good chemicals—dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins—are released in community with one another. There are neurons in our brains whose jobs are to respond to and even mirror the behavior of others. Think about a time when you and a friend burst into endless laughter that did not seem to stop because one person’s laugh made the other laugh until your bellies hurt. Or think of a time of deep worry and how finding compassion and empathy in a friend made things a little better. Human connection is irreplaceable and requires intentional investment in our increasingly digitalized world. Let’s make time to connect with one another, in person.
People at the center of digital transformation
The digitalization of our world is both exciting and concerning. There are both the promise of improving quality of life and access to resources, and the worry of inequitable outcomes based on access to the technologies. There is both the potential to be a part of the seismic shift and the fear of losing touch with our humanity. However, there is power and potential in each of us. Each of us can build on our connection with self and with others to co-create a digitalized world in which humanity is honored.
Flo LaBrado, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Flo LaBrado is a leadership and career development coach and founder of Olive and Grace Leadership Coaching. She is passionate about people discovering and realizing their goals and working in a healthy workplace.
Flo combines over 20 years of leadership experience, academic research-based practices, and a people-centric approach to empower individuals and teams. She creates space for people to courageously discover and explore their creativity and potential as they develop grounded confidence, grow, and create the journey to reach their aspirations. She believes that integrity to one’s values, strengths, and work preferences is essential to leadership and career development and that teamwork and organizational health are crucial for high performance.
Flo's credentials include a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Master of Science in Leadership and Management with a focus on Organizational Development, and numerous certifications in innovative change, inclusive leadership, ethical leadership, Trust at Work®, and Dare to Lead Trained™.
Resources and References:
3 Work Trends - Issue 7 (World Economic Forum, 2024)
Coded Bias (Shalini Kantayya)
Dare to Lead List of Values (Brené Brown)
The Digital Mindset: What It Really Takes to Thrive in the Age of Data, Algorithms, and AI (Paul Leonardi & Tsedal Neeley, 2022).
The Rise of Machine Learning: A Game-Changer for Business Analysis (William Sigmund)
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