Goodbye to Traditional Era, Welcome to the Digital Age
By Ayo Moses Ogedengbe
According to the history of the world, prior to the explosion of human population on the face of the earth, man worked almost the same place where he played across the various ages before the industrial age.
Without a doubt, this was the agrarian age and naturally, man planted what he ate and basically hunted the animals he consumed without having to travel far even though he still had to work to feed anyway.
Indeed, in relative sense of space, he had enough land that also accommodated animals in relative propinquity.
Many times, before the outbreak of Covid19, it was very difficult to keep up with the professional obligation of going to the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations in the face of other “bread and butter” issues, as well as logistic encumbrances.
Today, I experienced the power of Technology in another form and got the feel of almost exactly how the world was in the early days, as it relates to work and play.
Today, I hosted a WhatsApp Event that was an Interactive Session, whilst attending the very first and historic NIPR Virtual Professional clinic , even as I worked on a document for a client.
All these happened within two hours and I saw that I achieved, in record time, what could have taken me much more than 10 hours to achieve in the ” traditional” world minus the traffic factor.
It may really not be out of place to state that working from home, even though a habit that won’t pick up immediately for people who are used to 9-5 out of home model, could be a more effective and efficient way to work, particularly in a country where traffic takes the majority of one’s productive life.
And really, the times I actually get to give deep consideration to leaving this country, even at this age, is whenever I get trapped in traffic. Traffic is a destiny stealer and nobody should be happy spending 25-30% of their productive life demobilized.
Interestingly, between Yesterday and today, I have attended a Harvard University and Africa.com organised event, thanks to Temi Wright, an NIPR organised event and hosted one for CLAD Book Club via digital channels, with the three events focused on the new global economy that is emerging based on work life, the digital space and how to effectively position to face the reality that comes with the consequences of covid19.
Three things I took away from the events are:
1. Collaboration will be much more important in the new world order, just as it was in the early days of the industrial age.
2. Greater opportunities are here for the Start-ups that will adapt quickly to disrupt spaces hitherto controlled by mega corporations
3. Focusing and Strengthening the core of your business will be much more important than ever before in other to be able to deliver more in the nearest future.
As if that wasn’t enough, logging into a Harvard Business School Free course tonight, I saw a link that took me to a report projecting that the world will have to adopt social distancing till 2022 so as to be able to effectively control the pandemic called Covid19.
After reading the report, I quickly said to my self that, “Boy, finally the world has changed forever”. Interestingly, many of us, including advocates of Digital Work Space like the respected woman who led the session at NIPR Professional Clinic today, Mrs. Terae Onyeje, and the woman who led the Harvard Event on Crisis Management, Prof. Linda Hill.
Samson Davies, a Strategic Marketing Management also shared some of the challenges that organisations faces when they refuse to adapt , as well as the benefits that they gain when and shared nuggets from the cases of Amazon, Netflix, and Apple Incorporated.
Nothing compares to the light that is coming out is the haze of covid19 pandemic as we all struggle to catch up with the realities.
In concluding his piece, I will leave you with a quote from Professor Linda Hill, Faculty Chair, Leadership Initiative at Harvard Business School: ” This is the time to learn and lead at the same time” as I look forward to attending the session to be led by Hakeem Belo- Osagie, Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer of Business Administration on the 29th.
It is no longer time to doubt.
Actually, the Digital Word arrived a while ago, before Bill Gates Authored his book titled BUSINESS AT THE SPEED OF THOUGHT. Covid19 is only here to let it sink in further.
Let us braze up!
Ayo Moses Ogedengbe is a
PR and BrandStory Strategist
