Digitalisation meets emotionalisation

Is digitalisation creating grossly motorised robot people?

When I think about it, I have the feeling that instructions are being given more and more often without any background information. We no longer take the time to explain things properly to other people and we take much less time to empathise with others. If the instructor had taken the trouble to properly explain the step of washing hair and the associated polite enquiry, the trainee would not look like a gross-motorised robot, but rather like a person who knows what they are doing. And then it is said that it has become a labour market and it is so difficult to get good staff. Perhaps we should take a good look at ourselves and ask ourselves how much time we really still invest in explaining to a colleague - not digitally - but face to face in detail how a task is to be carried out.

When did we lose our hearts?

When did that happen? When did you stop making an effort for someone, taking time and leisure? If you take a look at a modern office, you will quickly recognise it. It's because we all simply have far too much on our desks. Digitalisation means that more emails land in our email inbox every minute than we can process. It feels like everything now only happens via digital platforms, where tasks are clarified and distributed. The daily meeting is held via Skype. Nobody really has to leave their office to communicate anymore. But although they are the "digital natives", this is not going down well with the new generation these days. Even in a non-digital trade, such as hairdressing, the media take up so much time that email, social media and the like have a stronger influence than direct communication. We have a shortage of skilled labour in Germany. Perhaps we can change this by taking the time again to explain something in detail to employees or colleagues. And not just what they should do, but how they should do it, why and to what end. And above all, we must finally teach them to feel responsible again. This means being alert at work and thinking for yourself.

The world belongs only to the brave!

The world belongs only to the brave, thought dbh Logistics IT AG from Bremen. A company with a long tradition, founded in 1973, dbh was already working hard on digitalisation in logistics at a time when nobody was thinking about it. dbh has developed into one of the leading companies for software and consulting in the areas of customs and foreign trade, compliance, transport management, port management, SAP and cloud services in recent years. With its solutions, dbh reliably and proactively eliminates barriers in the global flow of logistics chains. The focus is on the efficiency of all goods flows so that they find their way to their destination as quickly, safely and cost-effectively as possible.

But in recent years, the new CEO Marco Molitor has realised that there is more to it than that. Earlier than many others, he realised that the ever-increasing speed of digital communication cannot take us forward in all respects. That's why he decided to change course at dbh. When I tell Marco about my visit to the hairdresser, he tells me that it is important to listen to the employees, to let the employees have a say and, above all, to welcome everyone's personality as the greatest resource. "At dbh, I can be who I am," a colleague told me at the last Christmas party. The resource "people" and the resource "authentic emotions" are lived and promoted at dbh. "Digitalisation needs heart" is therefore also dbh's motto. Because only those who feel emotions work with enthusiasm and enjoyment. Employees are motivated to seek, find and realise their talents. There are no longer any rigid boundaries here. "If you are hired as a receptionist, you certainly can't work in marketing" has long since ceased to exist here. It's not about job descriptions and plans that have to be worked through. It's about what the employee can and wants to contribute. Here, employees are allowed to be creative, to realise unconventional ideas and not just work according to instructions on a digital platform. At dbh, leadership means being approachable, finding a common heartbeat and fighting for the same cause. Isn't that what we all want in our hearts? We also want to feel joy and emotions at work, we want to laugh and perhaps sometimes cry with anger. Because only emotions drive us. Anyone who has the courage to finally allow emotions back into the world of work has understood that working life is part of our life, part of our existence and therefore part of our personality.

"There's still a lot to do, but let's be brave," Marco smiles at me, closes his laptop and sends me off for the day.