Fit for the digital future? Guide for beginners

Are you ready for the digital future? If I hesitated with your answer, you are by no means alone. Small and medium businesses in particular still have to catch up. This is exactly where author Carsten Lexa comes up with his book of the same name. book review.

Digitalization defines our daily lives. Anyone who is now thinking: “Not another empty phrase”. Certainly right to some extent. On the other hand, it is now realistic that we live in a world shaped by digitization.

All we have to do is think of our smartphone. Definitely: for us, a practical device is just the further development of cell phones, which in the last century still filled small rooms.

However, in reality, the smartphone has digitized many tactile things and in some cases rendered them unnecessary. Do you want some examples? How about an alarm clock, laptop, calendar, compass, navigation or phone contact book?

Digitization makes our world more productive

But it’s not just the smartphone that has changed our world. Our business world is also changing as a result of digitization. Just think of email. Where messages should have been sent 60 years ago, today we receive replies from colleagues in Asia or the USA within minutes.

At the same time, humanity has become noticeably more productive over the past 30 years. Computers, smartphones, software, and artificial intelligence ensure that we can do more work at the same time. However, real wages did not rise to the same degree. The day remains 8 hours.

Fear of the new

But even this small digression shows that many managing directors – especially in small and medium-sized companies – have to deal with far-reaching changes.

This is exactly where attorney and author Carsten Lexa begins his book,Fit for the digital futureV. His Promise to Readers: He wants to convey the 11 most important digital trends and the eleven central success elements of the digital future.

By doing so, he initially focuses on ensuring that digitization and the resulting changes do not initially have any negative consequences. Fear is also inappropriate.

In order to successfully deal with digitization, it is important to understand that “digitization at the beginning is neither new nor negative, but merely a change through further development. Because the result of this development is open – and thus provides the opportunity to go into completely new ways.”

Fit for the digital future: Who is targeting the book — and who isn’t?

Karsten Lexa’s book is not a detailed or in-depth reading of the topic of digitization. However, the author of “Fit for the Digital Future” does not make this claim either.

Instead, the 140 pages are about providing an overview of the most important changes and skills central to managers and employees – from digital environmental management to blockchain and from digital education to change management.

This means: reading is recommended primarily for beginners in the digital world. Fit for the Digital Future is aimed at all people – primarily decision makers of course – who have to deal with digital changes professionally and have not yet done so.

On the other hand, not many people who are already in the digital world will learn. However, even here it is worth reading because it is a refreshing and concise summary of the status quo.

Conclusion and concluding remarks

In general, author Carsten Lexa addresses a higher target group with his book. And for this target group, the book is also a helpful support and initial guide to the digital future of the corporate world.

It is especially useful for beginners and newcomers to the world of digital read the book Final. For learners and advanced experts in this field, the work provides maximum incentives to reflect on certain topics.

Note: Due to a production error in Springer Gabler, the book contains several spelling errors. However, these will be eliminated with the second edition. This does not change the quality of the book’s content.

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