Technology & Innovation

Humans and machines

March 05, 2013

Global

March 05, 2013

Global
Denis McCauley

Consultant

Denis McCauley contributes to EIU research published on a bespoke basis in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

He works closely with the research directors and editors in each of these regions to improve the insightfulness, relevance and timeliness of their analysis.

Mr McCauley previously directed the company's global technology practice, with responsibility for managing research projects dealing with the impact of information and communications technology (ICT) on businesses and societies.

He is often interviewed by the media, including the BBC, CNBC and Financial Times, for his views on technology industry developments.

A programme of research, sponsored by Ricoh, on how organisations are dealing with the challenges posed by human and technology interaction

Humans and machines: The role of people in technology-driven organisations is an Economist Intelligence Unit report, sponsored by Ricoh. The report consists of a series of articles examining issues posed by human-technology interaction in selected sectors (financial services, healthcare, education and manufacturing) and their implications for decision-making, customer relationships and other areas. The sector-specific articles are also being published separately, and can be found here under the "Thought Pieces" tab.

The analysis in the report is based on a two-pronged research effort. The first is a survey of 432 senior executives (including 63 from the financial sector; 40 from healthcare, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals; 50 from education; and 80 from manufacturing), conducted in November and December 2012. The sample is global, with roughly equal numbers emanating from Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. All respondents are at a senior level: 50% hold C-suite or board positions. They hail from over 20 different industries, with the aforementioned ones being the most heavily represented. Just over half of the firms in the survey (53%) have annual revenue in excess of US$500m, with nearly one in five having US$10bn or more. Complementing the survey was a series of 20 in-depth interviews conducted with prominent business and technology thinkers as well senior corporate executives across different sectors.

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