Managing the digital challenges

As corporations grew into larger and larger conglomerates, the managerial positions became further removed from the organization’s core activities, and increasingly geared toward delivering commands from higher-ups and exerting control on others who occupied subordinate role. As modern economies shifted away from manufacturing and toward information and knowledge management became a separate “science” with its own tools and techniques for modelling, mapping and measuring. In this new era of professionalism, the function of managers became more and more based on generalized abstractions of people as human systems that could enable them to exert control from a distance.

Organizations have drastically changed the way they do business in the wake of the digital age. Goodbye paper, hello digital document management! Contracts are signed with electronic signatures and recruiting is done through social media. Managers are the ones who must lead by example. That’s why we’ve narrowed down some of the most important management skills to help you lead your employees and business into the digital age.The rise of technology has made way for an array of new business practices that many organizations are still growing accustomed to. Virtually all major businesses see digital transformation as a top priority, but some companies just need a little push getting there. That’s where managers come in! As a manager, you can set the tone for your whole team. Remind employees to think about the trees before printing, or allow clients to electronically sign contracts to speed up the process!In order to do that, you need the right management skills for this digital age we’re living in. So, keep reading to find out if you have what it takes! It’s easy to get stuck in your comfort zone. Organizations can easily fall into a routine with the way they manage their business and employees. With technology constantly evolving, it’s important for managers to be open and flexible to these changes. Managers should be looking ahead to the future, not stuck in the past. Look towards 3D image printing, not back to fax machines! The ability to be flexible and look towards the future are key management skills that need to be embraced before anything else. Managers should be willing to embrace change and keep their team up-to-date with the newest technology and workflows. Organizations can never fully embrace the digital age if their managers are not willing to change the way they work and manage their employees.

 Tech Savvy:  Tech savviness is one of the essential management skills for working in the digital era. Managers should have extensive knowledge about using various programs and technologies to help give their employees the best resources possible.So spend your time playing with apps and engaging in the world of social media. Technology is constantly evolving, and if you’re not learning, then you’re missing an opportunity to benefit your business.

Ability to Manage Data Digitally: With paperless offices taking over the world, many companies are making the shift away from paper and towards digital documents. Say goodbye to the piles of documents piled high on office desks, and clunky filing cabinets blocking dimly lit hallways. If your company wants to be relevant in the digital era, they better start digitising everything.While many offices want to go paperless, few have achieved it. The paperless dream needs leaders to help guide the process. This is why creating an efficient digital document management system is one of the key management skills in the 21st century. Managers should work with their team to create a system that works best for everyone. Ideally, one that discourages the use of paper trailing around the office. Digitise old documents and use digital document software like Soda PDF to help create, manage, store, share and sign digital documents from multiple devices and operating systems. In fact, with SharePoint integration and the ability to work with Google Drive and Dropbox, Soda PDF is the perfect document management system when working with multiple contributors and clients, in businesses both big and small.

Virtual Connectivity: Managers should be keeping up-to-date with their company’s social media presence, as well as that of competitors. You’d be surprised what companies share on social media nowadays – so get scrolling! Staying up-to-date virtually can also help managers search for new talent, evaluate their standing with customers, test marketing strategies, and communicate with clients on a more informal basis.

Extensive Knowledge of Social Media: You may have never thought that Facebook and Instagram could be so essential to your business, but they are. Management skills have shifted from the ability to manage people face-to-face, to managing them virtually as well.

Business model transformation : The transformation of business model to deliver the products/services is key. Companies like Amazon, Uber, Netflix are couple of examples how they digitisation has helped transform the business;

A manager to be successful in his profession must acquire the knowledge of science and the art of applying it. Therefore management is a judicious blend of science as well as an art because it proves the principles and the way these principles are applied is a matter of art. Science teaches to ‘know’ and art teaches to ‘do’. For example a person cannot become a good singer unless he has knowledge about various ragas & he also applies his personal skill in the art of singing. Same way it is not sufficient for manager to first know the principles but he must also apply them in solving various managerial problems that is why, science and art are not mutually exclusive but they are complementary to each other. Management is both an art and a science. The above mentioned points clearly reveals that management combines features of both science as well as art. It is considered as a science because it has an organised body of knowledge which contains certain universal truth. It is called an art because managing requires certain skills which are personal possessions of managers. Science provides the knowledge & art deals with the application of knowledge and skills. A manager to be successful in his profession must acquire the knowledge of science & the art of applying it. Therefore management is a judicious blend of science as well as an art because it proves the principles and the way these principles are applied is a matter of art. Science teaches to ’know’ and art teaches to ’do’. Example. a person cannot become a good singer unless he has knowledge about various ragas & he also applies his personal skill in the art of singing. Same way it is not sufficient for manager to first know the principles but he must also apply them in solving various managerial problems that is why, science and art are not mutually exclusive but they are complementary to each other (like tea and biscuit, bread and butter etc.). The old saying that “Manager are Born” has been rejected in favour of “Managers are Made”. It has been aptly remarked that management is the oldest of art and youngest of science. To conclude, we can say that science is the root and art is the fruit.

The writer is MD and CEO of Community Bank