Two steps ahead: How Leadership Succeeds in the Digital Transformation
“If I stop, I fall behind.” The old running slogan of industry sounds quite different today: “If you don’t take two steps ahead, you fall three steps behind.” The digital revolution and with it the profound transformation of all areas of life and work is like the triumphant advance of the steam engine in the 19th century – nothing stays the same; knowledge and inventions pick up speed. The digital transformation has also permanently changed our understanding and approach to illness. Bringing ever more sophisticated digital applications and technologies to market maturity has become the driving force of R&D departments in medical technology. For example, AI offers benefits that go far beyond traditional diagnostic and clinical techniques. The alliance of man and machine, located in the “Internet of Medical Things” (IoMT), is progressing rapidly. Thanks to a medical technology industry that sets standards worldwide and is among the leaders in global trade, Germany is in the middle of the dynamics of this change. It is also proving to be a good location for establishing high-quality, innovative applications in healthcare.
On the transformation journey
IT-equipped products and production. Horizontal and vertical networking across company boundaries. Visionary medical goals. In today’s medtech cyber world, CIOs (are ideally at the helm, fully engaged in the transformation journey and therefore know where the company is right now, including in terms of efficiency, productivity and growth.
They understand automation controlled by digital systems and are close to production or production management. Increasingly, they are engineers from the mechanical engineering sector who can score points here with their experience and a range of innovative technology concepts. Psychologically, what these CIOs 4.0 have in common is the persuasiveness and charisma to accompany the entire workforce on this not always easy journey. If jobs are cut as a result of robotics, the CIO 4.0 looks at where these valuable specialists can be deployed elsewhere in the company so that they are not lost. That is transformation in action.
New generation of skills
The biggest challenge, however, is the speed at which everyone has to keep up. Always at least two steps ahead. If a company does not manage this innovation-hungry pace, it will inevitably lose out in global competition. Leading and not lagging behind others is the name of the game. Germany’s medtech giants have internalized this maxim and are on the lookout for protagonists who understand how to implement the new 4.0 paradigm. Small and medium-sized companies must be advised to do the same. Horton International knows the fast pace of digital transformation. And Horton International knows the personalities who bring willingness to change and fast thinking. There are no empty phrases behind this, but rather our many years of experience: change begins with people. And for the present and the future, we need leaders who can guide us through change in tense times. They are communicators, networking masters, human deep learners and visionaries. Without them, the representatives of the new CIO 4.0 generation, the digitization pressure to which medical technology is exposed will come to nothing. With fatal consequences.
“Transformation requires a willingness to change. Opening up to the new and shaping it remains the only chance to help set the agenda in global competition.” Dr. Markus Neumann, Business Unit Manager Lifesciences & Healthcare
