The future of work is transforming through the use of technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR). It’s critical now more than ever for your workforce to increase skills and learn how to leverage digital technology to be more efficient, strategic and innovative. The companies that have successfully adapted to the digital workplace are seeing rapid growth, while companies that are failing to adapt are falling behind.
Darden’s faculty experts in data analytics and digital strategy, many of whom teach in our Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs, share actionable tips for leading in a digital world.
Do More With Digital
Darden faculty members Alex Cowan and Michael Lenox discuss how we have landed in the Post-Information Age. Improvements in the design, development and deployment of software, along with AI/machine learning, have reframed the definition of success for digital projects.
For the manager wanting to do more with digital, they recommended three actions to take: increase self-service and codeless interfaces, invest in digital literacy and build less custom software.
Learn more about these actions in-depth. Cowan and Lenox teach in Introduction to Digital Transformation. Lenox also teaches in the Data Science for Business Strategy program series.
Market Smarter With Artificial Intelligence
Today’s tech giants like Google, Amazon, Netflix and Facebook have assumed a powerful new role in the marketing dynamic through a heavy reliance on AI. Professor Rajkumar Venkatesan stresses that marketing has become more complex. For brands to be successful, they need to behave like a network — a market channel that facilitates interactions among consumers themselves and with their brands.
Venkatesan proposes an AI “canvas” for marketers, which outlines the journey from node to network and through which marketers can deploy machine-learning technologies to compete for customer attention.
Read more about his four-step canvas and get more in-depth insights from his latest book, The AI Marketing Canvas. Venkatesan teaches in the program series Data Science for Business Strategy, Digital Marketing Innovation and Introduction to Digital Transformation.
Improve Communication Through Virtual Reality
Unsurprisingly, VR is making inroads into the workplace. “Virtual reality — and the use of avatars in particular — is spreading as an emerging management and communication tool in organizations,” says Darden Professor Roshni Raveendhran, who studies the future of work and the integration of novel technologies into the workplace.
By simulating real-world interactions, VR and other immersive technologies can make computer-mediated communication feel more inclusive and engaging. However, as Raveendhran’s research demonstrates, there are other significant benefits of using VR in the workplace. “We now know,” says Raveendhran, “that people can adopt VR technologies to psychologically buffer themselves from uncomfortable situations. And this distancing aspect can sometimes be as useful in the workplace as the immersive experiences that VR might offer.”
Read more about Raveendhran’s VR psychological study. Raveendhran teaches in Introduction to Digital Transformation.
If you’re considering an Executive Education & Lifelong Learning program, connect with a concierge to help you find the right fit for your development needs and career goals.
