Ignore the Connected Worker at Your Own Risk

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 ...