Ride the Wave of Digital Disruption, Deliver Customer Value in Africa’s Healthcare Market

Pic:Courtesy of innovationsformnch.org

The concept of digital disruption has remained hugely mystical, especially among marketers and ICT4D practitioners. Digital disruptions have everything to do with marketing and every ticking marketer needs to understand the concept and absorb into the very nucleus of  marketing strategy for many reasons.

The concept of Digital Disruption refers to the disturbances that occur in markets that upset the value proposition of goods and services as a result of innovations or new value-adding uses of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and new business models.

 The growth in use of new ICT, by both consumers and organizations has had a revolutionary change on buying behaviour and the production and supply of goods and services and on business models. Innovation itself can be in the form of ideas, business models, technology or processes that are scalable at a reasonable cost and that meet a customer’s need .

Therefore, digital disruptions refer to more than just new technological inventions and engineering breakthroughs that displace old technology which other researchers have called disruptive technologies. It is important for organizations to pay attention and respond to digital disruptions which redefine the basis of competition and create new markets.

 Research has shown that organisations that fail to reinvent themselves and adapt to these new trends lose their competitive edge and may even fold. Contrary, the organisations that reinvent themselves through application of innovation of new products or processes and creative use of information flourish in new and uncontested markets, which  marketing gurus Kim and Maurborgne  have defined as blue oceans.

 Therefore, any organization or entrepreneur that uses creativity to apply information, imagination and adds value to already existing products or services can be termed innovative and it is this innovativeness that enable organizations to sail through turbulence s posed by the digital disruptions.

In the healthcare industry in Africa and in Malawi, major digital disruptions are in areas such as data or knowledge management, health service delivery, business models and insurance.

 In recent years, healthcare has experienced innovations that have gradually improved processes overtime called incremental innovations. However, healthcare is still experiencing innovations that are highly uncertain, those that explore new technology and focus on products or services with unparalleled performance feature use described as radical innovations. Radical innovations include drones or Unmanned Ariel Vehicles (UAVs). These are currently being tested by UNICEF in Malawi for fast delivery of HIV test results on newborns.

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) which refers to a universe of connected devices, including wearable body sensors like watches that tell vital signs and connect to other digital devices are all examples of radical innovations that are raising customer expectations, today, in Malawi and Africa as a whole.

 Radical or incremental innovation in healthcare have affected customer needs and expectations in various ways. For example today’s healthcare consumers, the patients, now expect more customized healthcare and increased participation in choosing health data and services. In my next post,  I present insights on positioning your organisation to ride the wave of digital disruptions.  We tackle, collaboration, co-creation, innovation and restructuring marketing functions for disruptive times.