New Book “Radically Human” Shows Business Leaders New Path to Success by Taking a Human-Centric Approach to Technology Innovation

Sequel to bestselling “Human + Machine” delivers a new playbook for driving growth and value by applying technology across human dimensions of trust, experience, talent and sustainability

Technology innovation continues to accelerate exponentially and become more deeply linked with human capabilities. As a result, technology solutions are empowering humans in unprecedented ways. A new book shows that in order to achieve success in today’s “radically human” era, business leaders must adopt a bold new strategic framework that challenges previous assumptions, and focuses on the human issues of trust, experience, talent and sustainability. Those who master these core business differentiators will be best positioned to lead and succeed.

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Co-authored by technology experts Paul Daugherty, group chief executive — Technology and chief technology officer of Accenture ACN, and H. James Wilson, global managing director of thought leadership and technology research at Accenture, “Radically Human: How New Technology is Transforming Business and Shaping Our Future” reveals how leading companies are adopting a new generation of human-centric technology to drive innovation amid rapid change. Radically human systems are modeled on human brains and behaviors and are able to listen, see, talk, and understand in more humanlike ways than previous generations of intelligent technology.

Research from Accenture shows that leading companies that amplified their technology investments during the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly extended their growth advantage over competitors. In fact, by stepping up investments in cloud, artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies, these leading companies are now growing revenue at five times the rate of companies that lag behind. “Radically Human” builds on this shift and explains why in an age of emerging technologies such as brain-inspired computing, emotional AI, blockchain, extended reality, synthetic data and the metaverse, it’s ultimately people — not the algorithms deployed or technologies used – that will be the reason most companies succeed.

A follow-up to their highly acclaimed bestseller Human + Machine, “Radically Human” provides business leaders with a new playbook for defining success — a strategic framework that upends commonly held assumptions around five business fundamentals — Intelligence, Data, Expertise, Architecture, and Strategy (IDEAS) — and explains how they are transforming competition. Presenting each of these new fundamentals through the lens of talent, trust, experiences, and sustainability, the book offers a new formula for applying technology in business and society.

“In the past, people had to adapt in order to use technology. Now, radically human technology is adapting to people, accelerating their potential and changing the way we live, collaborate and work,” said Daugherty. “Our book gives leaders a new framework for innovation that encourages them to re-evaluate and flip commonly held business expectations in order to chart a new path to the future.”

With groundbreaking insights and research on more than 10,000 companies, “Radically Human” provides leaders with a blueprint for navigating a complex, yet exciting, future while building more human-centered, trust-based, and sustainable enterprises. Rich examples show how leading companies are taking a human-centric approach to using technologies to innovate, grow and transform their businesses, while also achieving advancements rooted in human values. For example:

• Aesthetics are notoriously challenging for AI, but one e-tailer’s engineers built a unique program that tapped into each customer’s style to create a one-of-a-kind experience;
• Thousands of changing SKUs make warehouse fulfillment a tedious task — but a new generation of smarter robots are learning from humans and changing the game; and
• After a fast-food chain put data-based decisions into employees’ hands, they tapped into unexpected value for their customers and created a radically human experience.

The book also explains how many companies are taking bold steps to unlock the full potential of their people by democratizing technology and putting a renewed focus on digital literacy skills.

“In this new era of business, every company is a technology company,” added Wilson. “The future has arrived far sooner than expected, and it requires rapid proficiency in new approaches to innovation that are just beginning to emerge. Our book offers business leaders an easy-to-understand breakdown of today’s most advanced human-facing technologies and provides a clear roadmap for companies to lead in this radically human era.”

Complimentary Harvard Business Review Webinar

On April 26, 2022, Daugherty and Wilson will lead an interactive, one-hour Harvard Business Review webinar from 12:00pm—1:00pm ET to discuss key aspects of the book and share how leading companies are changing everything they know about innovation and strategy. To register to attend, please click here.

Available Starting April 26, 2022

“Radically Human: How New Technology is Transforming Business and Shaping Our Future” (Harvard Business Review Press) is available everywhere starting April 26, including at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other major booksellers. Proceeds from sales of the book will be donated to help fund education and training programs focused on individuals in the middle of their careers who need extra support as they develop new skills that will enable them to succeed.

Advance Praise for “Radically Human”:

“In today’s business world, the greatest challenge is that most Homo Sapiens think linearly – but these people are playing the wrong game. Radically Human offers a set of tools and frameworks to remind everybody that the business world is not linear, but exponential.”

– Stephane Bancel, CEO, Moderna

“From emotional AI to the metaverse, digital technologies are rapidly advancing. Daugherty and Wilson offer a compelling blueprint for leaders to create business value while building a more human-centered, trustworthy, and sustainable society. A must-read!”

– Erik Brynjolfsson, Professor and Director, Digital Economy Lab, Stanford University; author of The Second Machine Age

“Radically Human offers businesses and leaders a startlingly fresh perspective on how the increasingly human face of advanced technology is transforming innovation. Paul Daugherty and Jim Wilson provide a clear roadmap that enables leaders to build their future in a way that maximizes talent and human potential.”

– Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive

About the Authors

Paul R. Daugherty is a leading authority on how technology innovations are shaping the future of business and society. As group chief executive – Technology and CTO of Accenture, Paul oversees all aspects of the company’s Technology business. He also advises the world’s top leaders on reimagining and reinventing their organizations’ futures. He is co-author of Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI (HBR Press) and is a frequent speaker and writer on technology innovation.

H. James (Jim) Wilson is global managing director of thought leadership and technology research at Accenture, where he leads research programs on the impact of technology on work, innovation, and business performance. He is the coauthor of Human + Machine (HBR Press) and the author or contributing author of numerous books and articles on the impact of technology on work and society. Wilson is a frequent keynote speaker and recognized by Codex as one of the top 50 innovators in the world.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services — all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 699,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at accenture.com.

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