Navigating the digiverse anno 2023

These two questions seem to be on everyone’s minds these days, in business circles and civil society alike. The first question has been a constant and constantly changing conundrum since the industrial revolution. The second is one of the commercial imperatives of our time. The answers, of course, can be very different, depending on your perspective, knowledge and passions.

Whenever I’m involved in discussions concerning them, I recall the sage advice of my late mentor, the serial entrepreneur and tech genius Eduardo Ibacache Rodriguez: “People first, process second and technology third – always!” Thus, I was happy to hear an executive from the technology sector, NOVA Group CEO, Geir Allan Hove, give equal importance to the ‘human’ side of the business equation at a recent event in Oslo, Norway.

I spoke to Geir at NOVA Day 2023, where he sincerely hoped that participants would leave with two main takeaways, “an optimism about the future and the possibilities offered by utilizing technology, plus a deep understanding of the importance of collaboration.”

NOVA Day 2023 gathered more than 200 participants from Scandinavia to hear experts from the media, technology, marketing, advertising and consulting industries address these critical questions. Hosted by NOVA Consulting Group, the event put the spotlight on “How to navigate the digital business landscape”.

NOVA Day moderator, Paul Grønseth, Senior SEO Consultant at digital marketing company Rocket, explained that the gathering was held in a cinema built in 1939 that was now being used to ask questions that never go out of date. He reminded participants that “knowledge is power, but only when you start to use it.”

Futurist and thought leader Tobias Degsell, founder of Combiner and former curator at the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm, has a many faceted and sometimes idiosyncratic take on business issues. He employs a wealth of examples to illustrate the importance of combining in-depth knowledge with new perspectives to promote creativity, collaboration and innovation. Tobias uses Stockholm’s bridges as an analogy for the vital process of connecting disparate silos of knowledge and Denmark’s iconic Lego bricks as a metaphor for how to build organizations and society – by enabling multiple combinations.

Based on his deep knowledge of the Nobel prize system, Tobias draws parallels between innovators and Nobel prizes laureates, suggesting their success is more down to persistence than individual genius and intelligence. Likewise, he underlines that Nobel prize recipients are called laureates, not winners, because they create new knowledge that allows others to succeed and be winners.

Therese Becke, CEO of advertising agency POL, is not fazed by today’s uncertain financial situation, volatile markets and rapidly-changing digital terrain. She says the answer is to do smart marketing: reinforce your share-of-voice, use test-and-learn processes to stimulate innovations and maintain a focus on teambuilding.

Mårten Bokedal, SaaS platform provider Optimizely’s Swedish Director of Product Strategy, is often described as someone who “gets an audience to experience the Stockholm syndrome”. And who wouldn’t love someone with such a passion for addressing technology opportunities from a managerial perspective? Mårten says there are two key essentials to understand: the dynamics of technology expectations and hype cycles; and how to leverage technology across value chains for managing and achieving strategic business goals.

Magne Ilsaas, CEO of digital agency Dekode, agreed, adding: “It’s refreshing to be at an industry event that explores people issues and ways of working rather than hyping technology. It’s not often you hear a keynote speaker tell a business audience to avoid jumping on the tech train too early. Similarly, I enjoyed hearing a speaker say ‘don’t panic, lower your shoulders and take a breath deep’. Unless we can do this, it’s difficult to focus on the skills we need to hone for the future.”

A good example of how to leverage technology for achieving strategic goals is how Gaute Tyssebotn, product and development director at Story House Egmont, and his team used digital management to transform Egmont's digital portfolio from a legacy of loss to major profits in just three years. Their simple, secret sauce is twofold: acquire good data and create a clear digital management strategy.

A good example of how to leverage technology for achieving strategic goals is how Gaute Tyssebotn, product and development director at Story House Egmont, and his team used digital management to transform Egmont's digital portfolio from a legacy of loss to major profits in just three years. Their simple, secret sauce is twofold: acquire good data and create a clear digital management strategy.

Hege Nilsen, Head of Communications at digital services agency Egde Consulting, is passionate about bringing out the value of diversity for organizations, individuals and wider society. She argues that truly enabling a diversity of perspectives involves being willing to change the structure and processes of your organization where necessary. Hege uses an example from her years at outdoor and activity clothes brand Stormberg to illustrate this. Stormberg created a workplace opportunity for an unemployed woman suffering with social anxiety. After a unique, supportive process, she became a loyal, top-performing store manager and now helps youth into the workforce.

Kjetil Manheim, Head of interaction, quality and marketing at Nova Consulting and CEO of Novalab, also acclaims the power of diversity. To enable innovation in the technology space, Kjetil’s advice is “to create a culture that welcomes diverse perspectives and experience and encourages multidisciplinary collaboration. Likewise, if you are looking for a project team, get a multidisciplinary one with diverse perspectives.”

NOVA Day 2023 was an eye-opening exploration of technology, digitalization, collaboration, inclusion and diversity. Paul Grønseth called it “a powerful reminder of our humanity and the universal need to belong.”

I leave you with a few reflection points and a question: life is not a puzzle, but a Lego construction process with infinite possibilities; get comfortable being uncomfortable; solo performers may shine, but working together can yield greater results. And the question? What’s YOUR top tip for creating successful teams, business models and strategies in today’s digiverse?