None Can Sit Out of Digitalisation

9:41 AM

Digitalisation – Everyone is In Because There is No Option to Sit Out

Admit it or not – we have all enjoyed the convenience digitalisation brings to our everyday life. Before digitalisation, doing your banking after hours was unheard of. Similarly, the idea of working remotely was also unimaginable.

But today, thanks to digitalisation – we can conduct business as usual (almost) even with the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. And truly, digitalisation not only presents opportunities for the tech industry, it has just as much to offer for non-tech industries – both for age-old professions like accounting and law, and modern industrialisation such as manufacturing.

Surprisingly – despite these attractive rewards – the reception and attitude towards digitalisation are relatively polarised. On one end, digitalisation enthusiasts tend to get caught up in chasing after new technology without examining their value and relevance. On the other, digitalisation naysayers either cite high costs or incompatibility and irrelevance as reasons for not adopting technology. The good news is, non-tech associations such as Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF), Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) and Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) are taking the lead to encourage tech adoption and facilitate digitalisation. Of course, the role of leaders like Justice Aedit Abdullah also cannot be undermined. Their beliefs and advocacy for technology are core to driving change in systems, processes and people.

Truth is, as Diana Chen from Singtel has pointed out – digitalisation is not always costly or complicated. Furthermore, given all the indications that digitalisation is here to stay, we will all do well to accept and embrace it – before it is too late!

Let’s choose to be the boss rather than be bossed. Happy reading!

TAN TENG CHEONG Editor Fellow, SCS tan.teng.cheong@scs.org.sg

EDITOR Tan Teng Cheong

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Hans Gunawan Vladyslav Koshelyev Josh Lee Kok Thong Joseph Lum Samuel Tan

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