Bridging the digital leadership divide
Digital twin technology is solving a mind-boggling array of place-based problems from flood resilience to traffic management. When it comes to connecting and scaling however, the skills gap is huge. What is being done to equip place leaders with the digital tools they need?
The technology is not new – digital twins were introduced at least 20 years ago in industries like aerospace, automotive and other manufacturing sectors. But now they are being adopted more widely, particularly by cities, as powerful ‘place-based’ innovations.
Digital twins have emerged as a transformational tool in how places are planned, designed and adapted for a future where resilience is key. What increasingly sets them apart is the ability to connect with myriad real-time data sources – and other digital twins – to create decision-making platforms for leaders that are no longer just the domain of data scientists.
Yet while the technology is not new, its application to place-based problems is, and it is not just a lack of awareness that often holds things back.
“It begins with value,” says Justin Anderson, Director of the Digital Twin Hub (DT Hub), hosted at the Connected Places Catapult. “That’s what should drive an organisation to embrace digital technologies and it needs to be understood and championed at the very top. It always comes back to value.”
Under the umbrella of the Gemini Alliance the DT Hub is on a mission to bridge the gap between its network across industry, government and academia, and the education providers to address the socio-technical skills needed to finance, design, build and connect digital twins.
A new toolbox
This urgency to address the skills gap is why the DT Hub and Cranfield University have launched the Digital Twins for Senior Leaders course. The course is designed to give leaders a baseline competency in digital twin skills, developing awareness, knowledge and knowhow that will help build confidence in creating real world solutions.
“Our aim is to align buyer needs with seller capabilities”, says Anderson. “The DT Hub is uniquely placed to translate market intelligence into clear and concise skills requirements.”
As course leader and Head of the Centre for Digital Engineering and Manufacturing at Cranfield University, Prof. John Erkoyuncu explains how the course begins by asking leaders the question: “What is value?”
“We start with that prime question”, says Erkoyuncu, “then you can start to understand whether a digital twin can help in delivering that.”
“Leaders need to understand the potential for a digital twin to impact their organisation; what the use cases are, where they’ve worked, and where they haven’t. They need to know how to choose the right use cases, and how to build out a strategy that’s of interest across their organisation,” he explains.
For Erkoyuncu, the digital twin conversation with senior leaders requires delving as much into the decision-making process as the technology itself. There are significant questions to answer around how to design and develop digital twins, including the data that is needed, how to collect it, and how it compliments an organisational strategy.
The bigger picture
Ultimately, the aim is for leaders to understand how digital twins can be enablers for making better decisions.
Since launching in 2023, the course has had its share of “a-ha” moments for Erkoyuncu. “The discussions we’re having are really fruitful,” he says. “Everyone is learning from each other and trying to understand how they can take things back to their organisations.”
But for both Erkoyuncu and Anderson, the Digital Twins for Senior Leaders course at Cranfield University is more than an important learning programme. By upskilling the right leaders in the right industries and sectors with a laser focus on unlocking value, the wider business case for connected digital twins is
also being strengthened.
“This isn’t just about filling the skills gaps, it’s ultimately about bridging the gap between vision and reality. That excites me.”
Justin Anderson, Director of the Digital Twin Hub
Further Reading
Register for the Digital Twins for Senior Leaders Course, delivered by the Digital Twin Hub in partnership with Cranfield University.
This article featured in the print version of the Connected Places Magazine.
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