Digitalization is changing everything and we are already on the second half of the chessboard. Anyone who knows the story of the chessboard and the grain of rice knows what that means: exponential growth, not higher speed. If we don't proactively shape this change, it will inevitably destroy our business models, as we can already see with some companies. That's why some companies started their digitalization strategies a decade ago, navigating difficult waters. As a digitalization expert, I am often asked how to accelerate this journey.
Upon closer inspection, I found a fairly constant gap between the grand vision and the actual results achieved. There are several reasons for this, but today I want to highlight some fundamental questions we can ask ourselves for an efficient and effective digitalization journey, or what I call the data strategy and its implementation:
- Are consistent and common principles defined for all functional areas and projects? For example: Do we have binding standards for data, interfaces and architecture to enable openness, interoperability and flexible solutions? Have we established "data centricity" as an overarching principle with all its consequences?
- Do we have reliable blueprints for data integration architectures that work consistently across all functions and at the enterprise level?
- Is digitalization not only understood, but executed consistently across all functions with a focus on business value and not just as IT technology?
- Do we have a common data language that makes it possible to share knowledge from different fields in a clear and machine-readable way, including for the use of advanced AI technologies?
- Does our data strategy also include a "FAIR Data Strategy"?
- Does our design take into account practical and proven implementation experience? Do we prioritize data-centricity when selecting and developing solutions?
- Does our company's Data Office have the necessary interdisciplinary presence and, above all, the influence?
- Are we managing and leading the change? At the end of the day, people are driving change, and they need to be emotionally invested and take responsibility.
- Are managers and employees involved in a way that they understand and agree on the goal and journey? Do we have a common goal?
In my experience, the speed of digitalization is often inhibited by the lack of precise answers to these questions. For example, when we have a clear picture of the common goal, it creates connection and orientation. As Seneca once wisely said, "If you don't know the direction, no wind is right for you."
We also need a common language within our organization. When different functions use different terminologies or have different interpretations of the same terms, breaks occur. This not only affects organizational efficiency, but also collaboration, data integration, and interoperability of systems.
How Connectivity Is Shaping the Future of Digitalization
In the previous section, we discussed the fundamental questions and challenges of digitalization travel. Now, let's dive deeper into a specific topic: the importance of connectivity and standards for successful digitalization.
Connectivity is key in the digital age. We know this at least since everyone owns their smartphone. However, many organizations still struggle with proprietary interfaces, limited access to systems and data, and organizational silos. It is astonishing to experience such obstacles in an age of digitalization when data centricity and data assets should be in the foreground.
To address these challenges, open standards and cross-disciplinary collaboration on data enable seamless innovation. The future of business works like an organism in which cells work together, create new cells and discard what is no longer useful. For this to work, common principles are needed to provide orientation. Otherwise, we have cancer and that's exactly what we all don't want. And let's not forget the technical "cooperation of systems", i.e. interoperability based on standards.
Teams need a common alignment that focuses on the benefits. This is certainly a truism, but it is often not practiced. Often it is about self-interest and, in the worst case, a hidden agenda, then people work against each other instead of with each other. This results in a proliferation of systems.
Laying the foundation for the digital lab
In the pharmaceutical industry, the Allotrope Data Standard for laboratory data and IMDP ontology have been introduced for better collaboration and seamless interoperability.
The Allotrope Data Standard enables system interoperability and harmonization of data across the diverse instrument landscape in pharmaceutical laboratories. This creates a foundation for the digital lab, which will eventually lead to faster and more informed decisions, automation and efficiency gains, and acceleration of drug development. In addition, scientists will be able to analyze and interpret large amounts of complex data more efficiently. They can gain new insights and make better use of the capabilities of artificial intelligence because the foundation is right. By connecting digital labs to clinical data, scientists will be able to gain deeper insights into disease mechanisms, identify novel drug targets, and develop personalized treatment approaches for patients more easily and quickly.
Creating collaboration and interoperability for an entire industry
The IMDP Ontology is a project initiated by the Pistoia Alliance and involving major pharmaceutical companies. Again, the goal is to enable seamless interoperability and harmonized collaboration in the pharmaceutical industry. In this case, for product and substance data.
Ontologies, in general, allow for the precise description of terminologies and data concepts with their relationships in an unambiguous way. A father has a daughter, the daughter has a sister, so the sister is automatically the daughter of the father.
Although the term "ontology" may sound technical or complicated, it is a concept that Google has successfully used since its inception. Google's use of ontologies has allowed it to better understand the semantic meaning of search queries and provide relevant information. Similarly, ontologies in the pharmaceutical industry can ensure that all stakeholders from different fields, organizations, and regulators can speak their own language and still understand each other.
The Power of Ontologies in Shaping Our Future
Let's go back to our example from Google: by leveraging ontologies, Google can better understand the semantic meaning of search queries and provide relevant information. For example, if someone searches for "apples," Google can tell that the query can include different types of apples, recipes with apples, or the health benefits of apples.
From this, we can imagine the potentials of ontologies in the pharmaceutical industry. Based on the IDMP ontology, all stakeholders in the industry, including people from different fields, organizations, and regulators, can converse with each other, even if they have different understandings under a particular product name. This fosters collaboration and effective communication across the industry, but most importantly, it benefits the people who are waiting for new innovations and it strengthens patient safety.
Let's take a quick digression on Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. While the U.S. is expanding its technological leadership, Europe is leading the way in moral concerns. They are justified, but the train has long since left and only a few are still able to jump on. And within society, I'm even more worried, because many people haven't even heard of what I'm writing here.
No matter how, we owe it to ourselves and our environment to shape the development and not to be left behind. In this sense, ontologies allow us to pour the knowledge found in people's minds into systems and make it machine-readable. With this concept of "interoperability by design", we can use LLMs more efficiently and effectively with our own data and gain new insights.
The allotrope data standard and IDMP ontology may be small but important contributions to fostering more innovation, accelerating processes, and ensuring patient safety. I understand that some of these points may seem technical or specific, perhaps even considered "details" from a management perspective. However, I firmly believe that if we want to understand and shape the future, we need to grasp the links between (technological) innovation, leadership and development. This understanding should extend to our personal growth, our collective efforts, and our organizational strategies, keeping the big picture in mind but taking action one step at a time. Perhaps 4 principles can help as guardrails in these increasingly fast-paced times: focusing on results as direction, continuous self-improvement based on building trust, and taking responsibility.
What is your current focus in shaping the future? Whatever it may be, no matter how many tasks and responsibilities we have, every step we take counts and brings us closer to where we want to go.