What will digital disruption look like in 2022? Here’s what you should know.
Digital disruption pervades our current landscape. No person, company, or process can be left behind—or they will fall behind. In fact, eight in ten consumers will view the world as entirely digital in 2022, Forrester predicts.
Our world has seen many a technology overtake the market. Remember when mobile phones didn’t have internet capabilities? Or the time before cloud technologies stored our vital information and we had to physically back it up?
Smartphones and cloud technologies, along with phenomena like online learning, artificial intelligence (AI), cryptocurrency, and many other innovations are all examples of digital disruption.
What Does Digital Disruption Mean?
Disruption sounds like a negative thing, but it doesn’t have to be. Simply put, digital disruption means that digital technologies have an enormous influence on products, services, industries, fields, systems, and anything else you can think of. This completely overhauls the current way of doing things.
Take streaming platforms. Gone are the days when people relied exclusively on network television for entertainment. Services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, which are all-digital platforms that allow viewers to watch their shows on demand, have replaced the synchronous model, ultimately disrupting the entertainment industry as we know it.
Even something as simple as online shopping is an example of digital disruption. Rather than purchasing goods at brick-and-mortar storefronts, customers are increasingly relying on e-commerce for their retail needs.
Ultimately, digital disruption completely overhauls business models. It forever changes the way organizations and entire industries conduct their business and keep customers.
The world is no stranger to change. But in order to thrive as a business, you must understand why digital disruption occurs and recognize how it could affect your processes.
It’s also critical to acknowledge that this phenomenon pervades industries. It’s not limited in scope to those fields that are already considered “tech-heavy,” like information technology. A broad range of fields, from medicine to media to finance and beyond, respond to the influence of technology. Moreover, ignoring these effects could be harmful to your business and business model.
How to Prepare for Digital Disruption
It is impossible to foresee all potential digital disruptions that could take place. However, there are certain ways to ensure that you, your workers, and your business are prepared for what could happen in both the immediate and distant future.
Provide Opportunities for Your Employees to Upskill
Putting new and emerging digital technologies to use in a positive way for your organization requires skills. Rather than solely looking for hires who already have these skills, consider how your in-house employees can learn, grow, and adapt.
That’s not to say when you have an opening you shouldn’t look for these qualifications. However, you also shouldn’t dismiss employees for lacking the skills they didn’t realize they would need.
Offer learning opportunities—courses, seminars, tuition reimbursements, and so on—so your employees can upskill. Help them become well versed in pivotal technologies that could have an incredible influence on your business.
Embrace New Disruptions
Take stock of new and recent innovations. Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and big data are but a few of these digital disruptions. Chances are, we will see more and more applications for these increasingly relevant tools. Your business must be at the precipice of change itself.
Consider ways of incorporating these and other digital innovations into your model, looking to what consumers demand, as well as what your competitors are doing.
Look to Digital Transformation
Digital transformation involves infusing your processes with digital technologies to make them stronger, bolder, and more effective. More and more organizations are overhauling their operations by, for example, automating painstaking manual processes.
Infusing your business with technology will allow you to streamline processes, engage with consumers, and better equip yourself with tools for the future. It will also allow you to build a digital-friendly culture, one that is prepared to tackle the disruptions it encounters.
Digital disruption sounds intimidating, and it’s normal to be apprehensive. However, it could very well be a positive step for many organizations, particularly those that equip themselves with the necessary skills and make an effort to prepare for this type of change.
Remember that customers want new technologies and all things digital. By embracing the changes, you will better engage current and prospective consumers and likely find that they are more satisfied. You’ll also create more value in terms of products and services.
Moreover, you could very well see tremendous growth and gain a competitive advantage in your market. And, as you know, it’s critical to stay ahead of the curve.
Ultimately, considering digital disruption a positive phenomenon will allow you to evolve and transform as a company, ushering you into a better future.