This article was originally published on http://itpeernetwork.intel.com
What did you think about Frank Wander comparing all of us to pieces of technology infrastructure? On the surface, it can seem dehumanizing. Like we’re just parts of a machine.
But the reality is much more powerful. Frank does see people as the human infrastructure that powers every organization. He believes, in fact, that people are every organization’s most important asset – and that we don’t pay nearly enough attention to those assets.
He challenged us with the question that if a piece of our technical infrastructure was failing and was unable to do the job, we’d pay attention and we’d take immediate action. And yet when part of our human infrastructure is in the state, we either don’t notice or don’t care. And that’s the problem.
In order to maintain our human infrastructure, we have to treat people as humans – NOT cogs in a machine. We must understand their emotional makeup and how that drives them. Treating our teams as “human infrastructure” is actually the least dehumanizing thing we can do.
Frank’s challenge to us was to prepare for the massive changes that are coming and build high performing, highly innovative environments. To do that you need to be prepared to be in a state of perpetual learning and become a student of both culture and the emotions that drive us as humans.
That might not sound like doing much, but educating yourself in these crucial areas is an important first step.
So what will that first step be for you? How will you begin your lifelong journey in cultural and emotional learning? Share that first step with us in the comments below of via Twitter using hashtag #ITChat.
If you missed Episode 4, you can watch it on demand here.
Also, make sure that you tune in on November 11th when I’ll be talking to James Jorasch & Rita J. King, futurists and founders of ScienceHouse. We’ll be discussing their interesting view of the future and how it will impact all of us. You don’t want to miss it. You can register for a calendar reminder here.
And don’t forget that you can join the Transform IT conversation anytime using the Twitter hashtags #TransformIT and #ITChat.