Fri, 16 Jun 2017 13:18:28 +0000
By Thembani M.Tembo
If you’re an avid reader of this column and have gimlets eyes, I envisage the message I have been beating the African drum about with a view to transform our adopted understanding of our identity and history, and most imperatively, our prevailing general mental and emotional state as a people is transcending our tribal cleavages.
But this week, my palms are swollen and I am compelled to focus on fundamental topics which to a certain extent are somewhat overlooked but are transforming business and perhaps every aspect of our lives.
Big Data Analytics, The New Human Resource Economy and New Media Branding are topics of core value which enhance or foster the success of any entity or individual in whatever endeavour in this global village. Put your thinking cap on as I attempt to succinctly explain the value of three (3) topics and their relevance to social-economic development.
(1) Big Data Analytics
Despite the hype, Big Data is more than just a media speak. Its ability to excerpt correctly and specifically, information needed at any opportune time is of immeasurable monetary worth – This is indeed every CIO’s greatest challenge. Information is expensive, and technology continues to reduce the cost of creating, capturing, managing, and storing data. But what is the stimulus behind this current ignition within the digital sphere? Big Data leverages computational dynamism to process briskly insurmountable amounts of data to make it easily accessible to people in real time.
In August 2013, a Survey by EMC Corporation that asked 803 IT decision makers reveals that companies are increasingly seeing the transformative benefits that are achievable with Big Data Analytics technology. Not only are senior management executives engaging with the idea of Big Data Analytics but the majority of businesses are aware of the huge competitive advantages the technology brings as well as the security benefits. This is a core part of IT transformation, a process which businesses are well underway with.
Due to innovative solutions and technologies, not to mention the development of organizational best practices, we have now embarked upon a major period of change: Technology convergence is not only transforming the way we do business, it is also changing all aspects of our lives.
(2) The New Human Resource
Economy
In the new Human Resource Economy, Workforce analytics, constantly evolving recruitment and talent management methodologies, and aspects of technology and digital convergence, will continue to reinforce the need for HR to make people an important agenda in boardroom meetings in various organisations. With the current economic and business climate on the African Continent, leaders are recognizing the potential of HR integration to revolutionize the traditional HR function, turning it into a strategic component in the drive for increased customer loyalty, market share and ultimately profitability.
Human Resource issues matter at the bargaining table in any boardroom today. It’s not just about the money; it’s now more of the deserved respect and recognition of the HR Function in any organisation. In a nutshell, the Human Resource Professional now more than ever before, understands their worth, and they want to be treated that way. “Welcome to New HR Economy”.
The Human Resource Function is the backbone of any business. It deals with the most important resource in the business – “people”. For any business to achieve its objectives they must plan their resources and one of their key resources is people. They need to get the right people and develop them well in order to meet the organisation’s aims successfully.
(3) New Media Branding
With regards to new media branding, its becoming more apparent the world is becoming more collaborative, and Inbound Marketing is marketing’s response to this shift. According to a research by GP Bullhound, they’re over 208,000 photos uploaded on Facebook, over 350,000 tweets, over 100 hours of video uploaded on Youtube, over 120 new accounts on Linkedin, over 3.5 million search queries on Google and over $120,000 in revenue on amazon.com every single minute.
Are you maximising social media or digital marketing to its greatest potential as individuals or organisations? Is there an intersection between your valuable content, social media and search engine optimisation? It’s no secret that consumers, clients and recruitment firms are increasingly going online to discuss products and brands, seek advice, and offer guidance. How can you and I influence these conversations in these diverse online communities, and do we have the necessary skills to do so?
Application of the Topics
In a previous article, i had intimated that we are experiencing social-economic changes that are constantly depicting the rise of different phenomena that are immensely influencing the lives of people in Zambia and the Region. Notably, the imminent Industrial Revolution, and the Economic and ICT Globalization phenomena. One refers to the impact of fundamental transformations in the economic environment in human civilization; the other is a multi-faceted irreversible phenomenon within the system of market economy.
Globalization has birthed the emergence of worldwide production markets and broader access to a range of foreign products for consumers and companies, particularly the movement of material and goods between and within national boundaries, but unfortunately the African continent still remains at the peripheral of the global economy and multilateral trade, and as a region our collective GDP is less than 5% of global GDP. Sub Saharan Africa is approximately 2%. We contribute less than 2% of global added value in manufacturing. There is an economic and trade imbalance and risk being marginalized.
Therefore, leadership in Zambia should permeate all areas of society and exist at all levels, be it political, civil and parliamentary and community. It must play a vital role in our development paradigm referred to as governance, and every citizen of this nation should actively participate and contribute to economic growth.
To realize a more meaningful transformation, we require a well mechanized national system equipped with ideal human, material and government institutions with self-generating financial systems and resources. We need to advocate for government to make further improvements to some existing government infrastructure and machinery. Continue to bolster gender equality and the empowerment of women, improvement in maternal health and reduction of child mortality. We need to be persistent in ensuring environmental sustainability, pursue and develop global partnerships for continuity in national development. Advocate for a more cohesive and integrated ICT system in all government institutions. Advance our ICT regulatory authority (ZICTA) with enabling resources to devise a well-articulated ICT Policy. Make more use of big data, leverage computational dynamism to process briskly the insurmountable amounts of data we have stored in our office cabinets, to make it easily accessible to people in key decision making positions in real time. We need to advocate for government to enact inward policies similar to those pursued by a number of countries in order to protect our respective growing industries. We require a considerable number of craft skilled workers, continuous innovations in technology to support our growing industrial and agricultural sector, and create new products and markets.
Conclusion
In my opinion, radical economic transformation should start with you in that portfolio in your organisation. We should be able to buy into and where necessary provide solutions or rally our superiors to appreciate key aspects of these topics and their applicability, and improve on them, rather than invest countless hours on social media wallowing in political slander or satire during working hours. By and large, be the change you want to see. It shouldn’t always be about what the government should do for you, but what you can do for Zambia. Be the difference in your home and organization. If you focus on the intricate intrinsic aspects of these three topics as professionals in any organisation, it will dawn on you that change starts with you.
