From Looking Digital to Being Digital: The Impact of Technology on the Future of Work Conclusion In 1996, Nicholas Negroponte, then director of MIT’s Media Lab, wrote that being digital was almost genetic... and that each generation would become more 40 digital than the one that preceded it. Observing developments in a growing number of companies, it is hard not to see the prophetic nature of that remark. There is also something very contingent about it. That is, being digital is a profound shift that an organization is not likely to stumble into or blindly evolve toward. The benefits of being digital may be substantial—as indicated by the case examples laid out in this report. However, the deep shift from looking digital to being digital is predicated on intentional efforts to employ these tools in new ways, to develop and deploy the right talents, and to drive new management mindsets. Therein lies the challenge for leaders: to recognize that a deep shift is necessary and to start building the foundation for it right away. 40 | Accenture | Copyright 2014 Accenture. All rights reserved. ©