TEDx Talks - “El futuro no te reemplaza, te evoluciona” | Diego Pérez Grandamarina | TEDxBarrioSanNicolasSalon
The speaker shares a personal story about implementing a system that replaced part of their job, highlighting the inevitability of technological change. They draw parallels with AI, noting fears of job loss but emphasizing evolution rather than replacement. The speaker describes a course on AI where industry leaders discussed its implementation in businesses. They highlight the challenge of technology adoption, not just due to technical complexities but also user acceptance. Innovation teams play a crucial role in easing this transition by understanding user needs and connecting with startups and universities to stay ahead of trends. They also foster internal collaboration through initiatives like hackathons and idea fairs, encouraging employees to propose and develop new ideas. The speaker stresses the importance of innovation being accessible to all employees, not just a select few, and outlines strategies for integrating new technologies into company processes.
Key Points:
- Embrace technological change as an evolution, not a replacement.
- Innovation teams should connect with startups and universities to stay ahead.
- Foster internal collaboration through hackathons and idea fairs.
- Ensure innovation is accessible to all employees, not just a select few.
- Use practical tools like design thinking and user journey mapping to implement new technologies.
Details:
1. 🚀 Embracing Change Through Automation
- The company, consisting of 100 employees, identified inefficiencies in its manual vacation request process, which involved handwritten notes, supervisor signatures, and physical delivery to human resources, causing delays and errors.
- Employees manually calculated days taken and remaining, leading to inaccuracies that were compounded when entered into an Excel sheet by HR.
- Recognizing the outdated nature of this process, the company initiated the design and implementation of an automated system, aiming to streamline operations, reduce manual workload, and minimize errors.
- The new system is expected to improve efficiency by automating calculations and submissions, allowing HR to focus on higher-value tasks, thus enhancing overall productivity.
2. 🤖 The Rise of Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact
2.1. AI's Perceived Threat to Jobs
2.2. Corporate AI Implementation Discussion
2.3. Frequency and Challenges of AI Use
3. 🎯 Harnessing Technology and Innovation Departments
- Many users do not fully utilize CRM systems, indicating a gap in technology adoption. This can be addressed by providing targeted training and support tailored to user needs.
- Advanced spreadsheets are underutilized, with many resorting to basic data entry tasks. Introducing more intuitive tools or training can enhance productivity and data analysis.
- Project management tools are available but often not fully leveraged for daily operations. Streamlining processes and demonstrating the benefits of these tools can improve their adoption.
- Innovation departments should focus on facilitating technology adoption and bridging user needs with available tools. They can achieve this by regularly assessing user requirements and customizing solutions accordingly.
- It is crucial to connect with internal users to understand their needs and challenges, utilizing methodologies like design thinking to foster innovation and user-centric solutions.
- Innovation areas serve as a buffer, integrating new technologies and aligning them with user requirements, ensuring that technological advancements are practical and beneficial.
4. 🤝 Collaborating with Startups and External Partners
- Startups provide agility and new technologies that help corporations fill gaps that they cannot address due to limitations in time, structure, or resources. For example, a partnership with a tech startup led to a 30% reduction in development time for a new product line.
- Engaging with universities and researchers helps in evaluating future trends and identifying talents to stay ahead when these trends materialize. A collaboration with a leading university resulted in the creation of a talent pipeline that increased recruitment efficiency by 25%.
- Collaborating with other companies, even competitors, can lead to adapted solutions to common problems, enhancing innovation through shared insights. A joint venture with a competitor in the renewable energy sector resulted in a 40% increase in shared market presence.
- Internal collaboration within the company ensures that innovation is accessible to all employees, not just a select group, fostering a company-wide culture of innovation. A cross-departmental hackathon involving sales and HR teams led to a new customer engagement strategy, improving customer retention by 15%.
- Different strategies and programs, such as hackathons, are employed to encourage cross-departmental collaboration, exemplified by sales and HR teams working together to solve problems in a short time frame.
5. 💡 Encouraging Internal Innovation and Agile Implementation
- The company's initiative fair encourages all employees to present their projects, allowing them to become protagonists and inspire others, fostering a culture of innovation.
- A platform is available where employees can propose initiatives, detailing the problem, solution, impact, and resources required, making it accessible for everyone to see and provide feedback.
- Proposals are evaluated based on their alignment with company strategy, resource availability, and potential for quick implementation, with a focus on achieving results within three months and minimal cost.
- Agile teams, composed of multidisciplinary specialists, are formed to address initiatives, ensuring holistic perspectives by including various departments such as sales, operations, legal, and compliance.
- The innovation area plays a crucial role in prioritizing and facilitating innovation, providing training and creating action plans, utilizing methods like blueprint service to map processes and identify bottlenecks.
- The user journey and persona tools are employed to understand customer interactions and address digital gaps, ensuring comprehensive training and adaptation for successful implementation.
- Employees are encouraged to identify impactful changes in their work that can improve communication and collaboration across departments, emphasizing continuous evolution rather than replacement.