With the recent revanchist wave, Nationalism has made a startling comeback. This is evident in the world of “work,” as world leaders in many major countries denounce globalism and open trade in favor of nation-specific boundaries, tariffs, and jobs. Made in “X” by “X’s people” has become an economic clarion call, albeit ones that flies in the face of decades of liberalization and high-end labor flows; in no area is this more evident than in technology.
Given its successes and ubiquity, the technology industry has captured the imagination of the world. As IT and business have converged into a singularity, and as consumer and personal life is increasingly mediated by technology, this industry has created an indelible mark on the present and future.
Many of the brightest young minds flock to technology hubs to chase their dreams.
These dreams are not limited to people of one nation, race, sex, or creed. In fact, technology’s strength is its ability to unify people of all backgrounds into a narrative of positivism and progress. This, combined with the hope of economic growth and gain, impels people from all over the world to think of technology as a globalized playing field. Different aspects of the technology chain can be enacted anywhere by anyone with skill, irrespective of national boundaries. In no sector is this more clear than in technology. Innovation is connected deeply to the openness of people, flows, and immigration. Technology organizations are incredibly diverse places not only in terms of who works and inhabits them but also in terms of the globalized connections that are part of daily work.
Technology as a model for globalization is not an accidental phenomenon. After all, technology has enabled the smooth, real-time collaboration of people from across the globe, across time, space, belief systems, and experience. Digitization of products and processes has an inherent global quality, bounded not by the national biases but only by the laws of physics!
Technology as a model for globalization is not an accidental phenomenon.
In an earlier historical epoch, progressive thinkers conceived of free-trade as a solution to narrow, nationalistic outlooks. For many, though, free-trade was a misnomer and trade was hardly ever truly free. When it was, people mingled learned from each other, and in many cases mutually benefitted. When it wasn’t, some gained while others suffered.
Technology does not need to be like that. With technology, we can create a common narrative of benefit. This is the promise of digitization.
In order to make this idea functional, we must change our rhetoric. As a country, we cannot think of “our jobs” versus “their jobs.” We have to think of increasing the collective possibilities in the world, knowing that all can benefit if we build and distribute the fruits of technology freely and fairly. We have to conceive of work as something that transcends the nation or tribe.
The real-time aspect of Digitization is key to this narrative. With the ability to engage, transact, and modify products, services, and campaigns at scale in shorter and shorter time frames, the need for a globalized resource pool increases. Great organizations never sleep; the sun never sets on them. As businesses and consumers demand instant solutions to problems – whether intellectual or commercial- organizations must grasp “the global” as a source of comparative advantage. The only way to get the right people for the right job at the right time in the right context (a key for true digital transformation) is via a dynamic global resource pool.
This has been a core belief at Akvelon from the start; in fact, our organization represents this belief every day, not only through our team but also through the projects we undertake and the outcomes we seek.
As we usher in an era of Digital-nativity, the more importance we put on globalization and the realization that when it comes to technology and innovation, no people and no place has a monopoly.
Constantine Korovkin is the COO and Co-Founder of Akvelon. He is passionate about excellence in execution, building successful high-tech businesses, project management, and exceeding clients’ and customers’ expectations in every way.
