Copy others and succeed

Digitalization, often associated with skillful use of technology in various operating models, has one rarely appreciated feature: it transfers insights from one field to another at an incredible speed.

Conversely, digitalization's seemingly unlimited strengths juxtaposed to employees’ often limited skills presents feelings of intimidation in the workplace. Employees fear they must forever keep pace and learn new skills.

Enter a new and highly regarded group of professionals – multipliers.

Benefitting from good practices

Many often equate multiplying with copying, which, unfortunately, has a negative connotation in everyday speech.

However, multipliers do not see themselves as copiers, but as individuals who are able to broaden their skills sets by taking advantage of established practices. They do not want to be chained to a specific sector, because they would no longer have anything to replicate. At worst, they begin to duplicate their own slogans, something that no doubt sounds sadly familiar to many organizations.

From a digitalization point of view, multiplying means scaling and exploiting proven benefits. So it is a rational move in every way.

Understanding different perspectives

Traditionally, workers are encouraged to choose their own areas of specialist expertise. This still applies for many professions, but for employees working with digitalization, a very narrow spectrum proves to be problematic.

Future leading experts will be interested in constantly tracking what happens in other industries. It will be necessary to rapidly take tried-and-true lessons forward: in other words, to replicate best practices. In the best case, replicating best practices improves them even more.

At no other time in modern economic history has so much been learned from other industries as today. And best of all, using these lessons has not only been restricted to economic life; it also serves the wider society. At its best, digitalization fosters an understanding of the views of different players and promotes cooperation. Digitalization has made copying beneficial!