5 common mistakes in digital transformation
Over the last few blogs, over the last few weeks, I’ve written too much about digital transformation. The reason – the need of the hour! Companies that fail to acclimatize and evolve to meet the needs of today’s digital customers and market quickly succumb to the wayside. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: digital transformation is no longer an alternative, it’s a requirement. The problem is that assuming you’re going to make a “digital transformation” isn’t enough – it’s a lot harder than it sounds.
The need to accelerate digital transformation keeps managers up at night. According to Forbes Insights, digital transformation is now the number one strategic priority for many organizations. The report revealed that 50% of senior executives consider the next few years to be crucial in driving digital efforts to plan for the future.
The reason companies are focusing on digital transformation is because they see it as the key to exponential growth, according to Forbes Insights.
As organizations apply technology to increase efficiency and improve competitiveness; however, they can make digital transformation mistakes along the way.
Here’s a look at five of the most common problems business owners need to avoid.
Whether it’s the scope of development, the adoption of technology or the reorganization of legacy business systems, digital transformation changes people, processes and technology, making it difficult for employees to adapt to and integrate change. McKinsey found that organizations with fewer than 100 employees are 2.7 times more likely to communicate a successful digital transformation than those with more than 50,000 employees. For this reason, organizations must make a point of adapting the way employees work and think. One way to do this is to put the employee experience at the center of your digital workplace strategy. To do this, you need to encourage employees to share their ideas, to ensure that innovation isn’t buried under layers of bureaucracy. By promoting an environment of creativity and innovation, companies will be able to enhance their employees’ experience and support a digital workplace.
Too often, companies adopt technology without first setting clear objectives around what that technology should achieve, and without defining a plan to get there. By using an agile methodology, the company can evaluate the effectiveness of changes before moving on to the next level. The company may need to adjust or even modify certain changes based on the knowledge gained in the previous step. In addition, the company will have to rethink and adjust certain business strategies and processes to deliver the desired result, but these changes will not be noticeable at first. The agile methodological approach guarantees versatility and the necessary resources throughout the process, enabling us to do what’s essential to achieve the desired results.
Digital transformation isn’t as simple as installing new software on anyone’s computer. It’s not something that can be completed in a day or a year. This is by no means something that will ever be achieved, given the speed at which technology is changing. Trying to implement too much too soon will become overwhelming and discouraging. The most important part of the means is to create a firm digital transformation strategy that intelligently leads you through the digital transformation process. Just because your IT specialist has told you that this tool is excellent doesn’t mean that it will solve all your problems? N°. Tool configuration can be faulty, because there’s not enough training, no support, incorrect integration between tools; just because you buy and install a device doesn’t mean it will work well for you! You need to understand your process.
Digitization is transforming the core of employees’ work. Anyone who will be affected by the changes needs to understand the importance of this transformation. In many cases, employees need to be trained and kept abreast of the implementation of new technologies. By doing so, you will make them appear empowered by the parameters after the transformation. They need to realize that digital transformation is paramount to the survival of the organization. You can’t simply hire a young, competent resource thinking that: he knows the technology, he must be able to configure the new tools for us! There’s a big difference between being good at Facebook, etc., and understanding your company’s process to properly configure your new tool. Therefore, hire someone with enough experience to understand YOUR language! This will help you save time, money and problems along the way.
The main objective is people… your staff must adopt the new way of working. To achieve a successful digital transformation, your whole company – from your management team to your frontline customer service reps – should be moving in the same direction. Your employees are essential to the success of your business, and when it comes to a successful digital transformation. I always say that digital transformation is based on technology, but people are motivated. In short, people are driving digital transformation. By giving them more authority, communicating with them regularly, sharing your mission and valuing the connection between people, future parameters will be more manageable, faster and welcomed with open arms. This is the key to your victory.
As mentioned above, digital transformation is no longer an option.
It’s a necessity. But digital transformation is also a necessity. Today, the majority of companies are not achieving their objectives through digital transformation. This suggests either that they don’t understand what the technology is there to do, or that they aren’t thinking strategically to integrate it. Yes, digital transformation mistakes to avoid, but why not avoid them altogether by planning properly, being smart and investing in decisive digital transformation initiatives. Don’t think you can do it alone; instead, you need the support of employees to work alongside you to succeed.
