Recently Kelly Ireland, CEO of CBT and Connected World Editorial Director Peggy Smedley had an opportunity to catch up to talk more about the biggest cultural challenges and opportunities reshaping the connected worker across services industries, healthcare, transportation, and beyond. They addressed what’s holding organizations back, what’s finally starting to move, and where mindset and technology must meet if there is going to be real transformation.
CW: What’s the biggest cultural belief with the connected worker that still slows transformation today?
KI: It’s not the technology. For many companies, the barrier is the culture that has developed over decades—combined with new fears tied to the current AI narrative.
One persistent belief is that seasoned, experienced, or older workers will not adopt new technologies, or will struggle to do so. The assumption is that they will fear the unknown: the device, the workflow, the visibility, or simply the idea of learning a new way to do something they have done successfully for years without technology. This becomes even more relevant when those workers are nearing retirement. Too often, management questions whether the investment is worth it, even when the technology provides a simple, practical way to capture the institutional knowledge that is about to walk out the door.
The more prevalent belief is that connected worker technology is just another path to reducing headcount. We have seen the opposite. When deployed correctly, connected worker solutions improve worker capability, safety, training access, and knowledge transfer. They help newer workers learn faster. They help experienced workers extend their expertise. They give frontline teams realtime access to the people, processes, and information they need to do the job better. The result is a more capable workforce, stronger operational performance, and higher-quality work.
The biggest transformation challenge is not getting workers to adopt the technology. It is getting leadership to stop viewing the technology through an outdated cultural lens.
CW: How has the legacy of failed IoT (Internet of Things)and POC (proof of concept) projects shaped the skepticism you still see on the factory floor?
KI: Peggy, unfortunately this is still a big one across all industries, not just manufacturing. Those who have experienced smart glasses suffered from one or more of the following which all have led to lack of belief and acceptance that IoT brings value:
- The hardware and/or software product(s) didn’t deliver the capabilities as presented/showcased so users’ expectations weren’t met and they continue to not believe in the products;
- The team/personnel weren’t trained properly on devices and/or software leaving users lost, confused, skeptical;
- With smart glasses gaining the reputation of “this stuff doesn’t work”, changing these attitudes has been difficult;
- The OEMs (original-equipment manufacturers) and ISVs (independent software vendors) focused on selling the device and software separately, not as a solution, and that left projects rudderless;
- There are very few VARs (value-added resellers) who invested in gaining knowledge & experience but still re-sold the products, leaving customers with unanswered questions and lack of faith in these products and the majority of VARs are still stuck in this lack of knowledge providing little value to customers;
- Without help from VARs, most project or program leaders couldn’t provide quantifiable ROI (return on investment) data to support getting past the POC or pilot stages.
CW: When manufacturers say “that didn’t work before,” how do you break through that mindset and reset expectations?
KI: Start with displaying an understanding and knowledge of their business first and how an IoT solution can directly impact it based on their needs, not just a generalized approach. Follow with well researched examples of the capabilities of the solution (not the product) and how it could impact the customer specifically.
CW: What’s the most common pattern you see in organizations that stall out on digital initiatives?
KI: Much of what I listed in #2. With very limited expertise available in these initiatives, lack of proper professional guidance continues to hamper our industry. Our industry also muddies the message with “AI,” which isn’t relevant until the basics are jointly developed and delivered successfully. Once that happens, AI integration can provide excellent value based on identified needs and ROI benefits.
CW: How do you help leaders quantify ROI when they’ve been burned by past technology promises?
KI: By starting with the basics and building from there. Not by trying to boil the ocean. Crawl, walk, run. Pick one specific project that provides an element that can be measured against internal company data that they can use.
CW: What does it take to rebuild trust in new technologies at the frontline level?
KI: Prove that you have the knowledge and experience required. Prove that you understand and have the capabilities to provide a fully integrated solution, nots parts & pieces, and that you can support all factions of service and support after delivery. Prove that you understand what baseline data is needed and how you are going to deliver a quantifiable, verifiable ROI against that. Prove that others in their industry or relevant frontline workers in other industries have achieved substantial ROIs with these solutions.