Data is the digital water.

"Data is Worth Gold"

Politics, economy, and society talk about how digitization and Industry 4.0 are the driving force for maintaining our prosperity. Suddenly everything is 4.0: Economy 4.0, Work 4.0, Society 4.0, Water 4.0 – without most of us being able to explain the distinction from 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0. Digital transformation has become one of the buzzwords of our time. Driven by the spirit of departure and the economic success of Silicon Valley companies, our economy and our lives are changing at a rapid pace. Innovative technologies and smart products enable completely new business models and allow startups to emerge like mushrooms from the dry ground of the Valley, achieving capital values in a short period that surpass those of companies over 100 years old. Their business models are based on what humans have always needed most besides water for survival – data. But not just on the data that organizations already collect to be successful, but on "Big Data," huge amounts of real-time data and their "artificially intelligent" analysis and utilization. It has long been known that those who can collect and analyze more data in real-time have a significant advantage. Even the ancient Germanic tribes knew that they could win any battle if they had more (real-time) data about the enemy. Therefore, data and information were already worth gold in tribal society. In the new system structures of an economically and ecologically oriented society, the new business models of a data-driven platform economy play a central role. Companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook know exactly how to build economically successful global firms from the vast amounts of data we unwittingly provide them every second. For these companies, data is like water, where the goal is to collect, clean, and provide it in a way that benefits humanity and improves quality of life. Water and data – both are essential for survival. They represent essential basic needs of life. Both must be protected, but also utilized. And herein lies the real challenge that we encounter today through digitization: the mental shift and the recognition of the new potential uses. Digital transformation first demands a mental realignment. Innovative and creative thinking become the economic competitive factors in a world where robotics and artificial intelligence increasingly take on standardized tasks. The new leadership task, so-called leadership, therefore consists of enabling today's employees to think in this new way, so that they can recognize and utilize the potentials sensibly. User-centered thinking as a new strategic orientation is a change process that requires a shift in mindset to unfold. In the age of digitization, it is not about the technology, but about the benefit of the technology for humans! And always remember: Data is the digital water. [button color="gray" size="medium" link="https://www.excellente-unternehmer.de/redner/wolfgang-henseler.html" icon="" target="false"]More information about Wolfgang Henseler[/button]