Modern enterprise exists in a fast-paced world where change has become the norm. In a Darwinian fight for survival, it’s adapt and adopt — or else.

Old-school business leaders are quietly quaking in their shoes; threatened by technologies whose nuances are only understood by the information-technology team. Establishing a decisive and discerning digital strategy is essential. And these leaders know they need to bridge the digital divide. But how?

“There’s no excuse for an executive today, not to at least understand the fundamentals of technology,” said Beth Devin (pictured), managing director of innovation network and emerging technologies at Citigroup Inc. “So many decisions have to be made around investment, capital, hiring, investment in your people, that without that understanding, you’re operating blind.”

Devin spoke with John Furrier, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Mayfield People First Network event in Menlo Park, California. They discussed how IT has become central to business strategy and the need for business leaders to find a Tech Whisperer to help them keep up to date with technology trends (see the full interview with transcript here).

New culture calls for expert advice that crosses the digital divide

C-suite execs are used to calling the shots. And not so long ago, technology was comfortable playing a supporting role to the strategic decisions of the execs. But then the tables turned. Cloud made apps a hotline to the customer and threw the established corporate culture into turmoil.

“This changes the personnel equation,” Furrier said. “Now you have engineering and product people talking to sales and marketing people, business people, and customers.”

The culture where development and operations collide is known as DevOps, and embracing it is essential for a business to fully make the transition from traditional to digital, according to Devin. Just implementing the new technology without the cultural change “is just going to be a clumsy version of what you use to do with a new name on it,” she stated.

Devin suggests non-tech-savvy executives consider bringing in an external consultant, whom she calls a Tech Whisperer, to “whisper” expert advice. A digital innovation leader herself, Devin has experienced multiple waves of change sweep across the industry.

“Tech transformation is not simply about updating old systems; it is about establishing a holistic new vision,” she said. And creating that new vision requires more than investing in new technology.

“Technology is going to come and go; there’s going to be different flavors,” Devin stated.

More important is understanding how to take advantage of technology to address the needs and demands of the core customer base and keep them engaged. “[Customers] set the pace now,” Devin said. “Industries and businesses are changing because consumers have set the bar on the way we all want to interact, engage, communicate, buy [and] pay.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Mayfield People First Network event:

Photo: SiliconANGLE