# Report: The Continuing Popularity of Korean Skin Care in the Global Beauty Industry

## Executive Summary

Korean skincare has experienced unprecedented global growth over the past two decades, transforming from a regional beauty trend to a worldwide phenomenon.

This report examines the philosophical foundations, unique characteristics, growth factors, and marketing strategies that have sustained Korean skincare's international popularity.

## Essence of Korean Skin Care Philosophy

### Core Principles

Korean skincare is built upon several fundamental philosophies that distinguish it from traditional Western approaches:

1.

**Prevention Over Correction**: Rather than treating skin problems after they occur, Korean skincare emphasizes proactive care to prevent issues before they manifest.

**Gentle Layering Approach**: The philosophy centers on applying multiple lightweight products in thin layers rather than using heavy, single-product solutions.

**Skin as a Canvas**: Korean beauty culture views healthy skin as the foundation for all makeup, prioritizing natural radiance over heavy coverage.

**Holistic Wellness Integration**: Korean skincare

# Report: The Continuing Popularity of Korean Skin Care in the Global Beauty Industry

## Executive Summary

Korean skincare has experienced unprecedented global growth over the past two decades, transforming from a regional beauty trend to a worldwide phenomenon.

Title:

Content: 7 Best Korean skincare products for dull skin tone

The best Korean skincare products for dull skin brighten a lackluster and tired complexion, making way for skin that glows inside out. A dull complexion that often appears ashy and dry with a patchy and bumpy texture is a sign that the skin needs some extra attention. The good news is that one can rediscover naturally radiant skin with the right dull skin treatment.

Treating dull skin is something Korean skincare products know all too well. Focusing on skin health with products infused with refreshing brighteners like vitamin C, niacinamide, propolis, and hyaluronic acid, they make tired skin glow again.

One can say hello to a more radiant complexion with this roundup of the best Korean skincare products for dull skin.

7 Best Korean skincare products for dull skin tone

1. Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Water Ex

The skin-rejuvenating effects of ginseng make it a favorite ingredient infused in the best Korean skincare products for dull skin. Formulated with Sulwhasoo’s signature Ginsenomics with steamed ginseng water, it provides intense hydration and nutrition for dry skin.

Coupled with a lightweight gel-in-water formula, it quickly absorbs and induces hydration and firmness, giving one a Korean glass skin glow.

2. Goodal Green Tangerine Vita C Serum

Anyone looking for the best Korean skincare products to transform sad and dull skin into glowy skin can consider Goodal Green Tangerine Vita C Serum. Packed with 70% vitamin C from Jeju green tangerines, it delivers a potent brightening effect to minimize dark spots and blemishes for an even skin tone.

Adding to vitamin C are 5% niacinamide and rice bran extract, revitalizing the skin and leaving it soft and glowing. It is available on Amazon for $22.80.

3. Isntree Chestnut AHA 8% Clear Essence

Dull skin is very often caused by dead skin cell buildup. Enriched with 4% glycolic acid and 4% gentler lactic acid, the clear essence is designed for anyone desiring the best Korean skincare products for dull skin. The use of two kinds of AHAs gets rid of skin impurities and dead skin cells, exposing new, more radiant skin. All these AHAs act as humectants to keep the skin hydrated.

Combined with other skin-healing ingredients like Centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid, and panthenol, it helps with overall dullness. It is available on Soko Glam for $18.10.

4. Some By Mi Propolis B5 Serum

Formulated with a high concentration of propolis extract, anybody dealing with dull skin can take advantage of the brightening effects of the serum. Adding to propolis are vitamin B5 and ceramides, creating a trio that locks in moisture and fortifies the skin for a healthier complexion.

The serum’s honey-like, silky texture absorbs nicely into the skin, keeping it hydrated without being sticky. The best propolis product retails for $18.70 on Amazon.

5. I’m From Beet Energy Ampoule

Beetroot is rich in antioxidants, an incredible way to combat the signs of stress and transform even the dullest of skins. Made with 81.5% beetroot extract, the ampoule is packed with revitalizing properties to revive the skin’s glow. Meanwhile, adding niacinamide and squalane helps with hydration and brightening, ensuring the skin is smooth and supple.

With regular use, the ampoule reduces the look of fine lines and wrinkles, improving overall skin texture. Formulated for all skin types, Soko Glam sells the ampoule for $22.00.

6. Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Hyaluronic-Cica Blue Serum

Dull skin due to dehydration can get a transformation from the serum’s signature Hyaluronic-Cica formula. The five layers of hyaluronic acid and Centella asiatica work synergistically to give the skin the moisture it needs for long-lasting hydration.

Adding to them is ivy leaf extract, which helps energize dull skin, leaving you with a renewed complexion. It retails for $14 on the official website.

7. Ma:nyo Galactomy Essence Cream

Galactomyces extract is the star ingredient, giving the cream a potent skin-smoothing and revitalizing effect, leaving one with softer, more elastic skin. Adding to it is shea butter to moisturize and protect, niacinamide to help fade dark spots, and abalone enzyme to relieve tired skin.

Although it has a rich and creamy texture, it readily absorbs into the skin for improved hydration without leaving a tacky feeling. Designed for anybody desiring the best Korean skincare products for dull skin, it retails for $35 on the official website.

The lack of skin glow and plumpness may be because of dead skin cell buildup, dehydration, environmental pollutants, aging skin, or UV damage. But, more often, it’s caused by a combination of several of these problems.

Hence, the best Korean skincare products for dull skin, as we mentioned above, have a unique blend of ingredients to provide a multi-tasking skincare action: hydrating, moisturizing, brightening, and protection.

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Edited by Tiasha

This report examines the philosophical foundations, unique characteristics, growth factors, and marketing strategies that have sustained Korean skincare's international popularity.

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When it comes to skincare, we've all been guilty of falling for the lure of beautiful packaging and extravagant formulas.

But, slathering on an expensive cream or indulging in a treatment that promises to renew your skin like nothing that's come before is all very well until you discover the product doesn't work or worse, aggravates your skin. That's where unsexy skincare products triumph.

It seems like a new must-have product is launched everyday but some are experiencing the side effects of incorporating too many steps into their routine. Inflammatory conditions like perioral dermatitis, which Hailey Bieber recently opened up about, are on the rise but most of us think we're helping the skin by adding in even more products like acid toners, face masks and essences.

Skincare addicts are catching on to the pros guidance of stripping back your routine though, as views of 'unsexy skincare' on TikTok have shot up recently by 103.57%.

READ: What is Botox in a bottle? 7 best serums to shop now

MORE: How to look less tired: facialist-approved hacks for brighter, energised skin

Why is unsexy skincare popular?

Consultant dermatologist Dr Alexis Granite explains why so many are making the switch: "Too many ingredients can cause the skin barrier to become compromised, leading to skin irritation and potentially skin allergies."

But, where to start? "For a simplified skincare regime, I would start by paring down to general products rather than ingredients per se. A basic skincare routine should include a cleanser, moisturiser and sunscreen," says Dr Alexis. "These are the essential building blocks."

How we chose:

  • Performance and personal testimony: The buys chosen below are products that I (Hello! Fashion's Deputy Beauty Editor Emma North) personally highly rate.
  • Ingredients: After scrupulously testing a range of unsexy skincare, I have picked out the formulas that deliver hydration, are hypoallergenic and non-irritating formulas that feel lovely on the skin.

Hello! Fashion shares the best unsexy skincare products to shop now:

  • Best unsexy skincare products

    Moisturising Cream

    CeraVe

    Key Ingredients

    Ceramides, of course.

    What we love:

    • Contains CeraVe's three essential ceramides
    • Contains hyaluronic acid
    • Unscented
    • Non-greasy

    What we don't like:

    • Nothing, we love this!

    If you're after a no-frills, does exactly what is says on the tub body cream, look no further. It's non-greasy, non-sticky and keeps skin moisturised for days. It's a total gamechanger for flaky, dry skin.

  • Gentle Skin Cleanser

    Cetaphil

    Key Ingredients

    Niacinamide, glycerin and panthenol.

    What we love:

    • Suitable for even the most reactive skin
    • Gentle, non-foaming formula
    • Unscented

    What we don't like:

    • Nothing, we love this!

    When cleansers are irritating your skin or leaving it feeling dry and stripped, swap to this. The holy grail of simple, unsexy cleansers and Hello! Fashion Deputy Beauty Editor Emma North's favourite.

  • Original Protecting Jelly

    Vaseline

    Key Ingredients

    Triple purified petroleum jelly.

    What we love:

    • Hypoallergenic
    • Great for protecting the skin barrier
    • Unscented

    What we don't like:

    • It does feel greasy
  • Vitamin C Daily UV Brightening Fluid Invisible SPF 50+

    Garnier

    Key Ingredients

    Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and peptides.

    What we love:

    • Sheer and no white cast
    • Lightweight
    • Hydrating
    • Great as a makeup base
    • High protection

    What we don't like:

    • A small tube
  • Nappy Care Ointment

    Bepanthen

    Key Ingredients

    Provitamin B5

    What we love:

    • Forms a protective barrier on skin
    • Unscented
    • Water in oil formula

    What we don't like:

    • It might look strange applying it to your lips in public
  • Moisturising Shower Gel

    Sanex

    Key Ingredients

    Prebiotic complex and glycerin.

    What we love:

    • 0% sulphates
    • Gentle on skin
    • Lathers nicely
    • Smells fresh and clean but not overpowering

    What we don't like:

    • Nothing, we love this!
  • Aquaphor Soothing Skin Balm

    Eucerin

    Key Ingredients

    Glycerin and panthenol.

    What we love:

    • Fragrance and preservative free
    • Suitable for use all over body and face
    • Soothing

    What we don't like:

    • A little greasy

Why you should trust me:

Emma is Hello! Fashion’s Deputy Beauty Editor. Focusing on all things hair, makeup and skin related, there's not a foundation she hasn't tried nor a cleanser that hasn't graced her bathroom. When not writing about beauty, you’ll often find her trawling the Beauty Halls of Harrods, seeking new launches and discovering the latest formula developments.

HELLO!'s selection is editorial and independently chosen – we only feature items our editors love and approve of. HELLO! may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. To find out more visit our FAQ page.

## Essence of Korean Skin Care Philosophy

### Core Principles

Korean skincare is built upon several fundamental philosophies that distinguish it from traditional Western approaches:

1.

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The Open Run phenomenon penetrates all youth groups
# Panorama Korean news l 2023-04-10
Seoul Panorama
KOREA SEVEN
Recently, the phenomenon of "Open RUN" began to appear prominently among young people during the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The term "open run" refers to the act of waiting in line when people have to go quickly to buy something before they run out of stock.
Created in the online community in 2019, this expression is used as a daily phrase among young people these days.
From store-bought bread for 1,500 won to luxury branded bags that cost more than 10 million won, there is always an Open Run wherever the public is interested.
For example, when luxury brand Chanel announced a price increase in May 2020, a large crowd gathered in a department store where the Chanel store was located even before the store began operating.
Around the same time, OpenRun was necessary to acquire a Nintendo Switch gaming console.
In this regard, analysts say that the phenomenon of Open Run intensified with the explosion of consumer sentiment that was suppressed by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Also, at the time, part-time jobs for Open Run, which had long stood in line in front of the store on behalf of buyers, were common.
However, the Open Run phenomenon, which was limited to a few popular products in the past, is now generally starting to spread among young people in their twenties and thirties.
These days, young Koreans are doing ‘ Open Run ’ not only for fancy goods, but also for bread with posters of famous cartoon characters inside the bread wrapper, celebrity Korean soju, and deposit products with high interest rates.
According to a survey of 1,000 Korean adults conducted by a local research firm last year, 47.4 percent responded that they had “done OpenRun. ”
In particular, women and young people in their 20s and 30s who used social media more often were found to have more experience with OpenRun.
They answered that they usually do "open runs" in famous restaurants, amusement parks, cafes and bakeries.
At the same time, the reason for the Open Run phenomenon must be seen from the marketing side of companies, because companies stimulate consumer desire to buy by increasing the scarcity of products by limiting the quantity, period of sale and location.
Korean consumers have the characteristics of following a trend very quickly when there is a trend in society, and they are very satisfied with a product obtained through fierce competition.
It seems appealing to the younger generation in Korea that they can have a special experience before anyone else if they have the time and desire.
From sharing information about OpenRun to sending photos of purchased products to social media, OpenRun itself has become a play for the younger generation.
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**Prevention Over Correction**: Rather than treating skin problems after they occur, Korean skincare emphasizes proactive care to prevent issues before they manifest.

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Moving from one company to another: the choice of young Koreans to face uncertainty
# Panorama Korean news l 2023-03-07
Seoul Panorama
Getty Images Bank
Mr. Han, who is in his 30s, said during a questionnaire that he had experience moving from one company to another.
In 1818, he moved from a foreign company to a local automaker.
Although the annual salary difference did not exceed five million won (about $3,800), he decided to move.
The main reason for this was insecurity and anxiety.
Mr. Han explained that the industrial model was shifting from internal combustion engines to electric cars, and that he could not be sure that he would be able to work in the old company until he taught his children until university, so he decided to move to another company.
For Mr. Li, who works for a medium-sized pharmaceutical company, moving to another company is a survival issue, and he has therefore developed a plan to move in the third year of his employment at the current company.
This is why he is currently learning data processing technology after completing his work at the company while working to generate additional income by setting up his own shop through the NEVER portal.
He stressed that he is aiming for ordinary living, not wealth, and says this can be done on the condition that the best efforts are made.
It shows that this is an era of transition from one company to another, which is what most young Koreans are planning, mainly due to uncertainty about the future.
In this context, the online job information platform Saram Ein conducted a survey of 1,471 Korean employees last January.
I asked them why they wanted to move to another job, fifty-two percent said they were not satisfied with salaries, and forty-three percent responded with a low level of work environment.
Forty-one percent responded with twice the growth potential of their current companies.
Mr. Kim, who is currently working at a well-known consulting firm, believes that it is necessary to move to another job in order to carry out his life cycle smoothly.
He believes it is better to move to a company that provides a balance between work and leisure during marriage, childbearing and child-rearing, and then to a new job that provides more money after fulfilling his family duties.
A business official said the idea of working in a single job for life has faded in Korean society as the transition to a new job has become a natural phenomenon.
He explained that the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the transformation of the economic and industrial structure and the Coronavirus pandemic contributed a lot to the promotion of this phenomenon, so many young people in particular are interested in moving to another job as a result of increasing uncertainty about the future.
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**Gentle Layering Approach**: The philosophy centers on applying multiple lightweight products in thin layers rather than using heavy, single-product solutions.

**Skin as a Canvas**: Korean beauty culture views healthy skin as the foundation for all makeup, prioritizing natural radiance over heavy coverage.

**Holistic Wellness Integration**: Korean skincare


# Report: Understanding 21st Century Luddites in the Workplace

## Introduction

As an intern navigating workplace dynamics with a technology-resistant supervisor, understanding the modern equivalent of Luddites is crucial for building effective working relationships.

The term "Luddite" originated from 19th-century English workers who destroyed machinery they believed threatened their livelihoods.

Today's "Luddites" are individuals who resist technological change in the workplace, often for complex psychological, social, and practical reasons.

## Why People Resist New Technology in the 21st Century

### 1.

**Trust and Supervision Issues**
Organizational culture often lags behind technological adoption.

According to research, many managers feel that "a lack of face-to-face supervision creates a sense of distrust among managers and employees.

" This resistance stems from traditional management approaches that relied heavily on physical presence and direct oversight.

The shift to digital monitoring and remote work can feel threatening to established management practices.

### 2.

# Report: Understanding 21st Century Luddites in the Workplace

## Introduction

As an intern navigating workplace dynamics with a technology-resistant supervisor, understanding the modern equivalent of Luddites is crucial for building effective working relationships.

Title:

Content: Home / Opinion / Columns /  How should humans respond to advancing artificial intelligence?
Back

How should humans respond to advancing artificial intelligence?

AI's economic impact is a major concern, but its potential to replace critical thinking and creativity is also worrying. While AI can generate content, create sub-tasks, and make decisions, it lacks discernment and intuition. As AI becomes more advanced, it may distance humans from ethical decision-making, leading to potentially harmful outcomes. It is important to recognize that AI is human-ordained and must be used responsibly by those with a conscience.

Man is a survivor. Surviving wars, diseases, communism, imperialism, machines and automation, humankind will probably endure the economic onslaught of Artificial Intelligence (AI), even against doomsday scenarios predicted by the likes of Elon Musk (bit.ly/3AGJg8N). But is that where concerns around AI end?

Ever since it sprung from tech-intelligent fora to our mobile phones in the form of ChatGPT, AI is suddenly as ‘real’ as it can get. Within months of its launch, besides its mass adoption, reams of digital paper have also been spent documenting its superhuman uses, promoting it as a quick-fix panacea to all problems involving a faculty that computers had not breached till just now—Critical Thinking. Technology, to date, could digitize and reproduce innumerable books. Still, the ability to skim through thousands of written words to produce an original formulation, until recently, was under the sole purview of humans. That barrier has been breached. Now there are enough screenshots and videos to show the magical tricks it can pull out of a hat, from market analysis, decryption of ‘Fedspeak’ (on.ft.com/3Hryx60) and sentiment analysis to book summaries, financial planning, website building, economics research, etc. It thinks, plans, decides outcomes, creates sub-tasks and auto-downloads resources to fulfil them.

Amidst this flurry, let us not forget that AI is human-ordained. Creativity, in its truest essence, was divinely bestowed on us. What AI today does, at best, it does by leveraging the output of human creativity over thousands of years. Words, music and art are all made by humans and learnt by AI. Now, as we stand at a juncture where the winning entry in the Sony world photography contest (bit.ly/3VzCk7f), unknown to its judges, was AI-generated, we are looking at a different creative future—one that’s hard to predict.

Man is surely a survivor. AI is surely a gargantuan computing force. Neither is an immaculate predictor of the future. More so when, time and again, an emphasis on economic consequences precludes a discussion around social ones. The economic fears about job losses are not misplaced. As someone recently told us, “ChatGPT is like a smart intern." Basic copy editing, content creation, websites and research tasks can be outsourced to AI even today, let alone after humanity has put its heads together to make it reach the stars. Musk already says that a ‘universal basic income’ (bit.ly/3LHnS9B) will have to become a reality as some jobs turn obsolete. In a consumerist pro-profit market, with requirements of short timelines and a large quantity of work, AI is like manna for its users. This parallels the human story, as machines first replaced manual work—ending many jobs, but creating many more.

But, this time, the survival instinct of man will be tested against the self-spawning and ‘thinking’ power of machines. Earlier, technology did our bidding. This time, we are not sure.

The use of machines freed humans to pursue more ‘thoughtful’ ideas. It seemed sweet, but look at us today. We generate more stuff than we can consume—mountains of content, for example, of poor quality. Already, the attention span of a young adult is a fleeting moment. We struggle to find that one rare virtue that will soon be in demand once our AI lords start producing drivel—discernment.

Unlike the tech of yesteryears, AI has a quality similar to bio-particles, a la the covid virus. It can decide for itself and self-propagate, which can lead to catastrophic consequences in the absence of discernment. Meanwhile, free from the necessity to think even basic things through, humans will have a lot of time. But is that good for humanity? Most kids today find it difficult to produce a beautifully written or thoughtfully analysed work, let alone written by hand. With AI at their disposal, mandated by the labour productivity generation required by corporates, their learning curves can be packed in suitcases and put away.

All good things take patience and focus, like the works of Tolstoy, Valmiki, Shakespeare. Or paintings by Rembrandt and calculus by Newton. It is this base that AI is learning from today, but 50 years down the line, in the absence of a human creativity-facilitative ecosystem, will AI learning from AI be good for us?

Humans and accountability have had an interesting relationship. If ‘distance from direct action’ is mapped on the X-axis of a graph and ‘accountability’ on Y, the farther humans are on the X count, the less they feel directly accountable. This is seen in the Nuremberg trials for war crimes, or the Trolley problem (bit.ly/40R0ECq). We already know this through our everyday experience: think of a signature in ink versus a digi-sign versus checking an ‘I agree’ box. With further action-distancing as AI takes decisions, we remove ourselves from the ethical compunctions we would have if we were the deciders. Say, for an “improve firm profitability" instruction, AI sub-tasks the termination of 50 employees. Advanced intelligence without discernment is a potentially lethal weapon, even in the human case, let alone if the AI is opaque (on.ft.com/3AEadKm) and data-corruptible.

We asked ChatGPT what it thinks about the disadvantages of AI. The top answer was “lack of creativity and intuition", followed by “ethical concerns". That should be a signal. AI is a great tool so long as humans with a conscience are its master.

V. Anantha Nageswaran & Aparajita Tripathi are, respectively, chief economic adviser to the Government of India and director with KPMG.These are the authors’ personal views.

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
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The term "Luddite" originated from 19th-century English workers who destroyed machinery they believed threatened their livelihoods.

Today's "Luddites" are individuals who resist technological change in the workplace, often for complex psychological, social, and practical reasons.

Title:

Content: Menu Close

The need for businesses to adapt to the workplace demands of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies, with clear implications for jobs and workers.

But just how much employees worry about the threat of automation – and how real those fears are – can have implications for workplaces beyond the technological change itself.

Our new research examined how employees feel about the introduction of “robotic process automation” (RPA) to the workplace. We also looked at how the willingness to embrace these new technologies influenced employees’ assessment of the software bots and their work.

RPA refers to software that interacts with different applications, such as a payroll system or a website, in the same way a human would.

Software robots – the so-called worker bees of RPA – can conduct mundane, repetitive and rule-based tasks such as transferring, entering and extracting data, accounting reconciliation, and automated email query processing. And they can do it at a fraction of the cost of employing real people.

The 24/7 worker

Unsurprisingly, organisations have embraced RPA for its cost and productivity benefits, but it’s not without its challenges. As RPA interacts with various applications, for example, it can “break” when one of the underlying systems is upgraded and the user interface changes.

RPA is also a double-edged sword for employees. On the one hand, with mundane and repetitive tasks outsourced to software robots, workers can focus on more complex tasks that require “soft” skills, empathy and decision-making capabilities.

Read more: Companies are mitigating labour shortages with automation — and this could drastically impact workers

On the other, some feel threatened by the software robots because they are generally more productive, make fewer errors and don’t cost as much as human employees.

Employees can also end up having to do additional tasks, picking up the work that used to be completed by the staff replaced by RPA. Paradoxically, fewer human employees can lead to an increased workload rather than the expected decrease.

Similarly, as employees shift from a mix of mundane and complex tasks to mainly complex ones, the variety in their work is reduced. This can lead to feeling alienated at work, or a sense they lack control over their role.

Fear and enthusiasm

These various perspectives on automation were clear in our research. We interviewed employees and automation team members at a financial institution in New Zealand about their perceptions and responses to RPA and software robots.

We found that reactions to RPA are influenced by what employees imagined would be the consequences of software robots on their jobs. In turn, this influenced their collaboration with the automation team, their attitude towards change in their tasks and work processes, and ultimately their interactions with software robots – including how they judged the bots’ performance.

Perceptions and responses to RPA can be categorised by employees’ views of software robots as either burdens and threats, tools, teammates or innovative enablers.

Those who considered software robots as a burden and threat before they were introduced tended to have a negative view of their experience with RPA. They were concerned about job security, had negative reactions to having greater responsibility added to their workload, and were dissatisfied with the robots’ performance.

Read more: Can machines invent things without human help? These AI examples show the answer is ‘yes’

Lessons for employees and employers

At the opposite end of the spectrum, those who viewed software robots as enablers of innovation saw the opportunities of RPA and the benefits of using robots to improve work quality.

Some eagerly accepted the robots as team members, even giving them human names and joking that the bot was taking a sick day when it stopped working. This group also appreciated the reduction in their own workloads through RPA.

Little surprise, then, that employees who view software robots as innovative enablers or teammates tended to collaborate closely with the automation team to find the best way to integrate robots and improve their performance.

Read more: Brain-computer interfaces could allow soldiers to control weapons with their thoughts and turn off their fear – but the ethics of neurotechnology lags behind the science

In the middle ground, employees who viewed software robots as tools tended to be accepting, but remained sceptical about changes to their workloads and robot performance. They were reluctant to offer full cooperation with the automation team to configure robots’ tasks that would have consequences for their own roles.

Some level of automation is inevitable for businesses. To harness the benefits of RPA without alienating staff, organisations should communicate clearly and often, debunking the myths of robots and their capabilities early to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings by employees.

Employers should take the time to understand how different employees feel about the introduction of automation initiatives. And they should consider incorporating employees’ ideas to increase the overall benefits of automation.

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## Why People Resist New Technology in the 21st Century

### 1.

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How to Lead a Multi-Generational Workforce in the New Normal

When my office first went remote, I expressed strong opposition. But I'm starting to see that hybrid and remote workplaces have a lot to offer.

By
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

When Covid first challenged the traditional workplace environment and sent everyone home, as a leader, I was adamant that being in the office was necessary to support company culture. Getting past the idea that coworkers would no longer be in the same physical spot was hard for me. Since then, I’ve come to embrace new ways of doing the same things. In many ways, I have the younger generations to thank.

With their ability to disrupt models and question anything worth questioning, younger generations — , Gen-Z’s — have brought new insight to the table that I think no one was expecting. Now, I see how breaking old rules can have its advantages. By adopting this youthful adaptability, anyone can keep up with the new multi-generational workforce.

Related: How Small Businesses Can Meet and Exceed the Expectations of a Hybrid, Multi-Generational Workforce

Challenge the sacred status of authority

One of the attributes I admire most about this younger generation is how they have figured out how to break through bureaucracy in the corporate environment. They don’t let it frighten or intimidate them. For me and others in my generation, we had to gain some level of success in our careers to feel that confident. Instead, they come out of the gate questioning bureaucracy and looking for ways to do things better.

Of course, this is a reflection of the different generational attitudes toward institutional authority. We were rule-followers; most of us were raised to be that way. Members of this next generation look at rules that might have made sense a few decades back, but make less sense today, and ask why they still need to exist. Especially in the remote and hybrid Covid workplace, this approach is probably for the best. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t have rules, but the ability to question those we’ve assigned sacred status is an asset. To keep up with the changing world, we have to accept that very little can be allowed to remain sacred.

Related: What's the Future of Work? A Hybrid Workforce

Job hoppers bring more to the table

When the younger generation first entered the workforce, I was pretty critical of their job choices. A year here, a year there — all this job hopping, I thought, was counterintuitive to a company’s success and the advancement of their own careers. As the phenomenon played out, however, I came to my mind.

Companies hire these job hoppers, and in each unique environment, they gain a smattering of knowledge that expands their base and accumulates into a set of valuable experiences that they bring to their next job. This seems to be how they figured out corporate bureaucracies: After witnessing and participating in so many, the job-hopping generation learned how to navigate them in a way that my generation only managed after years at a single company. It makes you wonder whether staying in the same place was ever an optimal strategy.

Adapting is a responsibility

Managers can lead great teams, but to do that, they have a responsibility to keep up with changing employee demands. As Richard Branson said, “Train people well enough so they can leave, but treat them well enough so they won't want to.” Keeping good people longer is the magic any company has to work at, but as the times change, that magic might need changing too. One employee left our company for a great opportunity, and even though I wanted to keep him, I couldn’t help thinking, “Good for him. I must have done something right.” Even if the good ones leave, take what they brought to the company and write their departure off as another contact in the industry, but never stop adapting your methods to keep them.

With hybrid environments here to stay, companies are already forging new ways of nurturing culture in a hybrid workplace. We might have lost the “go out for a beer” factor without an office, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change our approach in the ways we bond. The hybrid workplace gives you opportunities to do more events with purpose, which can be harder to execute in the office. Schedule out-of-work activities to volunteer at a senior center. Spend a Saturday morning cleaning the beach, or an afternoon at a food bank. Get involved where the community needs your help for positive public exposure and an opportunity to bond at a deeper level with your team.

Related: New Strategies to Cope With Your Supply Chain and Pandemic-Related Disruptions

Everyone can come along for the ride

Growing up with technology developing all around them, younger people have cultivated a more fluid mentality around adapting to change. My generation came into it after we had already settled into our old ways, and we’ve been catching up ever since. If you’re really struggling to catch up with technology, take an online course. If I have a problem sending Zoom invites, there are likely others at my company who feel the same. Identify the key areas where people are having issues with tech and the top people who are capable of explaining them and host a webinar to get the whole company on the same page.

When the workplace shifted to hybrid, I also had trouble adapting from home. I was caught up finding a million things to do besides work until I learned a whole new way of disciplining myself. Meanwhile, my son travels the world and manages to work every day. In an airport, on a train, in a bad AirBnB — nothing seems to bother him. When change comes, he just figures it out, so I did too. I created a space where I could walk in, close the door and say, “Now, I'm focused on business,” and my outlook started to shift. My generation might have to think more about it than younger people, but we can adapt too.

With age,  and knowledge, older generations might feel like we know everything, but time matters, and everything changes. Younger people may approach differently than our generation, but the leaders of tomorrow are the ones disrupting the old patterns of today. We should listen to them consistently and learn from youthful insights to stay adaptable because, whether or not we’re ready for it, their generation will shape the future of business.

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**Trust and Supervision Issues**
Organizational culture often lags behind technological adoption.

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Content: Technology Executive Arsenal: Must-Have Skills for Leaders

Can today's technology leaders really handle the pressures of a fast-paced digital world? With these five skills, you can stay competitive and effectively tackle new challenges.

Sam Ferrise, CTO, Trinetix

May 29, 2024

5 Min Read
Mohd Izzuan Roslan via Alamy Stock

While successful innovation adoption is a collective effort, technology executives are managing a wide range of expectations. According to a Deloitte study, around 35% of technology leaders admit to being tasked with developing a digital strategy. In the same study, 22% of respondents are expected to accelerate innovation adoption, and 15% of them are responsible for ensuring technological agility across their organization.

Given these new responsibilities, do technology executives have the skills and knowledge to integrate them successfully across their enterprises?

To answer this question, technology executives need to self-assess their skill set, map out new priorities, and identify the blind spots on the transformation enablement journey.

Leadership Evolution: Proactive, Creative, Agile

Understanding what skills technology executives lack requires examining how digitization is transforming the role of tech leaders. The difference between then and now is significant and can be characterized by these three aspects:

  • Agility. Many business roles have transcended beyond their historically rigid constraints. The role of technology executives is no different in that regard: proactivity, quick responses to potential improvements, and adaptability to new conditions are part and parcel of what it takes to be a digital transformation leader.

  • Value, now. Slow and steady no longer wins the race. Technology leaders are expected to respond to opportunities right here, right now. Experimenting, evaluating results, and calculating value should be conducted at a dynamic pace to seize promising options and discard everything non-viable.

  • Creativity. Technological leadership is no longer about complying with routines. To make a difference in their company, technology executives should not only organize operations but also ideate new concepts and pave the way to their realization.

What's important to take from these observations is that the role of technology executives is no longer static. It relies on professional insight, experience, and the unique human qualities of a leader who brings innovation to drive business value.

5 Skills That Get Technology Execs Through Modern Challenges

As companies that commit to innovation have been documented to improve their performance by 20% on average, lagging behind is becoming a highly undesirable outcome for technology executives. To put their enterprise among the leaders in innovation adoption, they need to practice versatility and considerably diversify their skill arsenal.

1. Embracing operational discipline

Operational discipline is far from interesting. However, this is what enables good organizational hygiene and prevents metaphorical fires. Technology executives want more time to focus on finding alignment between business and tech, adopting new ideas, and accelerating change. To do so, they need to build a solid framework that includes a robust support system, cost-efficiency management, and technology use policies. Such a solid foundation makes it easier for technology executives to generate business value and get a clear picture of their tech health.

2. Building a culture of innovation through leadership

As leaders, technology executives should be proficient in communication, team management, and setting trajectories. However, in the context of enterprise digitization, tech executives also assume the role of innovation evangelists. Experimenting and driving innovation requires a new mindset -- and technology executives are the ones who are expected to establish it by removing organizational resistance, democratizing experimentation, and collaborating with department stakeholders. Additionally, as nearly 44% of previously full-time employees have switched to remote, tech executives are in charge of developing productive hybrid strategies.

3. Maintaining direction with strategic planning

Technology executives are tasked with making digital change happen, and their work involves ensuring synergy across the entire organization. Therefore, they need to build feedback loops, explore opportunities beyond their current technology stack capacity, and apply future vision to their enterprise journey. A successful strategy is built on merging several perspectives (human, technology, business) into a single high-precision lens (with an ever-widening aperture) to identify key opportunities.

4. Honing technology knowledge

Technology takes more than just planning. Technology executives should always understand what it takes to create a product or operate a platform and what obstacles can be encountered throughout the journey. It is an imperative for technology leaders to consistently update their knowledge and practices, from deepening their understanding of DevSecOps and Agile methodologies to keeping abreast of the latest disruptive technologies, such as generative AI.

5. Setting course toward resilience and sustainability

In a time of uncertainty and security threats, technology executives need to be a beacon of resilience and stability. They are expected to have a planned response for potential AI exploits and hacker attacks, update their security posture, and educate employees. In addition, technology executives are prompted to contribute to social responsibility, technology use regulation, and carbon footprint reduction, selecting responsible vendors and investing in sustainable technology options.

With Great Responsibility Comes Great Opportunities

While technology executives have an overwhelming amount of new duties and roles to manage, they are also presented with unique options to make a groundbreaking difference for their organizations -- and even their industry. Making the most out of these options is a matter of initiative, communication, and experimentation. New achievements are made from great discoveries, which start with informed decisions, normalizing failure through experimentation, and a desire to go beyond limits.

About the Author(s)

CTO, Trinetix

Sam Ferrise is the Chief Technology Officer at Trinetix, where he is responsible for the company’s technology strategy, accelerating value delivery for clients and ensuring alignment with the latest architecture, engineering, and security standards. Trinetix is a global technology company that provides strategy, design, and innovation services to Fortune 500 and fast-growing businesses in professional services, logistics, financial services, healthcare, and agriculture.

Sam progressed from a solution architect to a senior technology delivery leader at Deloitte US. He led the delivery and support of enterprise and client-facing products, from internet-scale mobile products to sophisticated mission-critical enterprise applications, from risk advisory services to travel and hospitality.

In 2022, Sam co-founded Emergest as Chief Digital Officer to provide unique technology globalization services to businesses across various industries.

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Can Remote Work Be Sustained? Minding The Gaps In Hybrid Workplaces

I'm seeing cases of corporate cultures just drying up and blowing away after months and months of full-time remote work. Many managers or leaders seem incapable of keeping connected and engaged with their people virtually — their attempts at communication are stilted or non-existent, and they make no efforts to share developments across their companies. Worse yet, they inflict online monitoring tools on their remote workers, in misguided efforts to make sure they’re putting in their eight hours. What corporate cultures may have existed before have been reduced to disparate networks of disenchanted people in front of screens.

At the same time, other cultures are thriving on the flexibility and autonomy provided by remote work experiences, unbound from office cubicles, and growing as vibrant networks of employees and contractors from across the world.

It’s clear that organizations built on forward-looking corporate cultures are ready to sustain, on a permanent basis, hybrid workplaces that provide for both remote work as well as in-office experiences. The question is, are more rigid organizations ready for this kind of model? It seems many may be seeing the light, a recent Google Workspace survey of 1,244 managers and employees and associated research project, conducted with Economist Impact finds.

In the wake of the great office work dispersal, three in four executives and employees in the Google survey believe that hybrid and flexible work is here to stay. Tellingly, 70% say they never worked remotely before the pandemic. But there are also challenges to making a hybrid model work in the long run.

For starters, organizational culture seems to lag behind the hybrid movement, the survey’s authors find. The majority of respondents said that “a lack of face-to-face supervision creates a sense of distrust among managers and employees, and that they feel stressed by increased monitoring associated with flexible work.” In addition, more than 62% said that limited networking opportunities with senior employees and co-workers has a negative impact on career growth.

Along these lines, more than 70% indicated that the culture of trust between managers and employees needed improvement. “Training and management best practices — 60% of people want more of both — might help fill some of the gaps, but a manager can’t build trust with their hybrid teams by going through a training program,” states Prasad Setty, vice president of digital work at Google Workspace. “The role of manager must itself evolve to meet the demands of a hybrid model. How can we empower managers to be the bridge between the ‘office of one’ and the ‘office of many’?” Look away from monitoring, and assume a more activist role as a coach-and-connector, he urges.

The Google-Economist study unveiled the following challenges with the emerging hybrid work model:

  • Loss of human connection. “Many interactions are moving from the physical to the virtual realm. Fewer traditional office interactions—such as before and after meeting walks; coffee breaks; water cooler discussions; and in-person collaboration with managers and teams—can cause employees to feel socially and professionally isolated, as they perceive themselves as disconnected from colleagues and the company itself.”
  • Collaboration and coordination failure. “Widespread hybrid work will necessarily involve communication channels of varying quality and consistency. This raises some fundamental questions about how employees will work together. How, for instance, should employees in the office, who can share a meeting room, best interact as a group with their remote colleagues? Which employees need to be working at the same time, and for how long must they overlap? These and other questions will have to be suitably addressed by organizations before widespread hybrid work can be implemented successfully.”
  • Equity issues. “Consider that even the ability to work remotely is a privilege. Some tasks require physical presence. Remote work potential for certain jobs — such as caregiving, retail services and essential IT services requiring specialized fixed equipment — is non-existent. Unfortunately, a significant number of these jobs are filled by workers from socio-economically disadvantaged groups in relation to the overall workforce. Hybrid work has thus far benefited primarily workers in higher education and income brackets and this will likely continue.”
  • Technology and network access. “Modern technology offers unparalleled flexibility for workers, who have more options than ever when it comes to where and when they work. However, this could place those with limited ability to use or access appropriate technological tools at a disadvantage. Similarly, limited access to WFH spaces and poor internet connectivity in developing countries—as well as in some rural locations in developed countries—can severely impact performance and productivity of workers in those areas. Working from home is often challenging for many in Asia because of poor connectivity or confined, shared living spaces.”
  • Generational divides. “Senior and established employees are reportedly doing better compared with younger workers and new hires. Younger employees have reported feeling more stressed, less motivated, less productive and more isolated. They are seemingly more affected by the loss of informal knowledge sharing, networking opportunities and passive learning moments.”
  • Gender gaps. “In terms of gender equity, although multiple experts interviewed worried about the possibility of hybrid work exacerbating existing gender gaps, the impact of hybrid work on gender equity remains unclear. Thanks to gender norms and societal expectations, greater work flexibility for women has historically often translated into increased time spent on caregiving and household responsibilities, while increased flexibility for men has led to greater productivity and improved work-life balance.”
  • Career advancement. “Without appropriate safeguards, frequent in-person workers may gain advantages over others in terms of visibility and recognition, as well as access to information and resources. Hybrid models also threaten compensation fairness. Unfairness can result from the absence of support plans or additional compensation structures for workers who cannot be granted the same degree of flexibility as other colleagues.”

Hybrid work on a widescale basis is still an untested model, and these are some of the challenges that will arise as companies seek to develop a balance between in-office environments and work-from-anywhere arrangements. Corporate culture — once framed by the regular, in-person relationships and interactions in the course of the workday — will require new modes of rituals and reinforcement.

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According to research, many managers feel that "a lack of face-to-face supervision creates a sense of distrust among managers and employees.

" This resistance stems from traditional management approaches that relied heavily on physical presence and direct oversight.

The shift to digital monitoring and remote work can feel threatening to established management practices.

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Content: Skip to main content

Build a better team to enable a hybrid future of work

The acceleration of digital work has been transformational, but also disruptive. In the last year, the pandemic triggered the rapid adoption of digital tools across all organizations, upending their ways of working.

While most organizations identified digital workplace (DW) programs as a business priority, Gartner research showed that most employees felt that using information technologies for work took more effort than it should at least weekly.

About the author

Tori Paulman is is a Research Analyst in Gartner.

This disconnect revealed the key tenet for any successful DW program: business leaders who want to improve digital business outcomes and drive digital dexterity within their organizations must prioritize human experience, keeping it at the core of their program.

If companies are looking to enable a hybrid future of work, they will need to build a better DW team by identifying the DW leader spearheading the DW core team, understanding new ways of working from other departments, and spotting emerging trends.

The digital workplace core team: Identifying the DW leader

Establishing a core team is essential for any business practice. Whether it’s in finance, sales, or HR – at the heart of any successful business result is the people delivering it.

For the DW team, the core leadership will be IT. However, this doesn’t mean that the CIO should be the person leading the team or taking on the responsibility of the DW leader.

Instead, there should be a dedicated leader for the DW who holds ultimate accountability for the strategy, execution, and success of the digital workplace program.

This is critical for a successful team because – unlike IT leaders – DW leaders have a combination of strong technical proficiency, business process, and interpersonal relationship acumen. DW teams are tasked to manage IT resources, as well as understand the different business processes while also building relationships with employees to see how they’re engaging with new tools and ways of working.

Therefore, the DW leader must work with business stakeholders to understand the vision of the future and to paint a compelling picture of digital transformation across the business.

Understanding new ways of working requires critical team members

DW leaders looking to build effective programs and enable a successful hybrid workforce, will need to understand how technology can play a crucial role in supporting new ways of working. To achieve this, engage with other business practices to secure the participation of key players, including the HR leader, corporate real estate leaders, and the business unit leader, among others.

These key players are essential when shaping successful DW programs. They can offer new perspectives and feedback, as well as help DW teams identify organizational and department goals – alongside digital gaps and opportunities. Moreover, they're critical for ensuring adoption among employees.

For example, HR is the only department that has a deep understanding of current and future workforce challenges. They’re also key to delivering new ways of working. For instance, they help decide which technologies to use and how they can be used to boost employee motivation; they play a key role by identifying the value of technology and recognizing the impact it has on the overall employee experience. As such, DW teams that leverage the partnership with HR will benefit greatly from their insights.

The same is true for the relationship between the corporate estate leader and the DW team. Since the pandemic, ‘the office’ has taken on a new meaning. According to Gartner research, 73% of employees want to come to the office slightly more than one day a week.

Technology forces such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and mixed reality (augmented reality and virtual reality) are introducing myriad new possibilities for creating smart workspaces. At the same time, these new workplaces can improve employee experience, further demonstrating the valuable relationship between corporate real estate leaders and the DW teams.

Finally, the business unit leader can describe the challenges facing employees in the front line. They can offer a clear vision of the benefit they expect from new DW tools and how these can help employees – and the wider business – achieve their goals.

Ensuring that the core DW team is continuously working with other critical players from the organization – beyond the ones already mentioned – will be essential to helping deliver digital transformation and dexterity across the business.

The DW will always be a source of innovation and progress for organizations. It's in their DNA to always encourage participation to anyone who can have an impact in the digital transformation of business. That's why most DW leaders are always on the lookout for members who can represent a wide range of people and issues that will shape the future of the workplace. Engaging with these key players will be critical to effectively spot the emerging trends that will shape new ways of working.

In the last year, we saw how the acceleration in digital adoption came with its hurdles, leaving gaps in knowledge and skills for business leaders to bridge these through hiring and technology investments.

Consequently, DW leaders are playing a more important role than ever before in shaping the future of the workplace. But for DW programs to truly improve digital dexterity and business outcomes, they'll first need to build an effective core team, understand new ways of working, and spot emerging trends by being always on the lookout.

Tori Paulman is is a Research Analyst in Gartner's Digital Workplace - Content and Communications team.

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Content: Why Agility Holds the Key to Digital Transformation

By Lee Jones

‘Agility’ is one of these concepts which has become more and more popular in the wake of the Covid pandemic. It is tempting to simply view the term as another overused corporate cliche. However, increased acceptance and use of the term amongst professionals of all industries seemingly demonstrates a growing understanding that a business’s ability to adapt and deploy new processes quickly, in order to reflect the latest trends in the market, is a necessity, not just for growth but for survival  in today’s recovering economy.

So, what steps should business owners and/or decision-makers take to implement agility, secure further growth within their organisation, and why does it matter?

Acceleration of digital transformation

Digitalisation did not appear with Covid; the pandemic simply accelerated the phenomenon. Over the past couple of years, the expansion of digitalisation across all sectors has enabled a protracted increase in the operational agility of businesses. Driven by enhanced connectivity and extraordinary new data capabilities, organisations now have the wherewithal to benefit from real-time information and insights, enabling better decision-making.

Once upon a time, implementing change was tough. But arguably this is no longer the case, rather the opposite. Also, given the shifts in the global economy, not only is change happening quickly, but it’s also forcing businesses themselves to react rapidly. It’s a constant flow of innovation, disruption — and sometimes chaos — that is moving us forward, faster than we ever imagined.

It is often said that agility is the key to survival in an increasingly globalised age full of constant technological twists and turns. According to KPMG, 81% of companies have identified agility as one of their most important initiatives, by beginning their own agile, digital transformation projects within the past three years.

A commitment to being better

When it comes to implementing changes or technological innovations, more often than not, business owners are held back by the assumption that “but we’ve always done it this way and it has always worked, so why change it?”

No matter how appealing, this line of reasoning fails to understand that in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing ecosystem, the most successful businesses are those which actually do embrace change, take risks, and embrace initiatives that hone their models and procedures. This is especially true for those dealing with customer journeys.

The past couple of years have been especially challenging for companies, across all sectors. And if there is one lesson that we have learnt, it’s that the key to ensure the survival of your business is having the will to constantly search for ways to improve. You simply cannot rely on legacy systems, stubbornness or an attachment to the past.

Making Customer Experience (CX) a priority

Digital transformation is compelling companies to change their business models and adapt to the new market reality. Having said that, what drives this trend is not the businesses themselves, but rather their customers’ changing behaviours. In other words, CX fuels digital transformation, by encouraging businesses to show agility and improve their customer journey.

Consumers today have particularly high expectations when it comes to relevance, convenience, and simplicity. They want omnichannel capabilities, in the format and device of their choosing for a speedy and frictionless experience. To keep up with this hyper-connected user, businesses must embrace technology and be prepared to pivot, in order to deliver an unmatched customer service.

Fortunately, putting CX at the heart of their agility strategy is already a priority for many businesses. According to a recent survey by HBR, 72% of respondents said they were excited about the accelerating shift towards digital because of opportunities to create better relationships with customers.

Embracing failure

One of the greatest challenges for organisations looking to become more agile is overcoming the well-established fear of failure which continues to be engrained in so many businesses across different sectors. But in an agile environment, and in the context of digital transformation, failure is an essential part of what is otherwise known as the test and learn process.

In the end, agility is exactly that – a series of trials, testing something new, figuring out if something works well, benefits the organisation and achieves the expected outcome, i.e.  benefits your customers. But failure will always be a part of this progression. That does not however necessarily mean that the whole process is doomed. Quite the opposite; a temporary failure always brings lessons to help improve and move forward.

A willingness to learn

The out-dated ‘fear of failure’ culture has created a situation where leaders choose to somehow extract apparent success from a project that has not necessarily achieved its goals. As a result, businesses often continue to invest in unsuccessful initiatives irrespectively. By embracing experimentation and ‘test and learn’, companies can create a new culture of transparency, where every stakeholder understands the true performance of a new project and, therefore, how to improve upon it.

Taking an agile approach means setting an ultimate goal, but not being tied to a methodology, the amount of time needed to implement it, or the cost involved in achieving it. In the end, change is inevitable and ongoing – there is always more to do. It’s this that makes agility so important in digital transformation. Brands must be smart and lean enough to stay ahead of the curve, no matter what size they may be.

About the Author

Lee Jones is the Chief Executive Officer of Worldline Merchant Services UK Limited

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