Users, not technology, start driving digital transformation.

According a article published in The Economist, the most noticeable result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic will be "the infusion of data-enabled offerings into ever more aspects of life." Digital transformation is expected to become increasingly important for businesses in the near future.

As per a 2019 survey of Chief executives, directors, and some senior executives, the top concern is risk associated with digital transformation. Even so, 70% of their initiatives in support of this motion fell short of their objectives. Sadly, $900 trillion dollars of the $1.3 trillion spent on new endeavours in 2019 was squandered.

Why?

Profoundly, despite the potential for growth and efficiency gains, digital transformation teams fail because people lack the mindset for a change. It is extremely difficult to completely transform an organisation with flawed organisational practises. Furthermore, digitization would magnify flaws, making them appear larger.

What exactly is Digital Transformation?

When introducing a new system into an organisation, it is organic to become a little overzealous with the plans for implementation, specification, and counting.

Today, one of the most critical processes for ensuring organisations' relevance and profitability in this competitive market is digital change.

Innovators should be integrated into the procedure.

 Integrate new technologies and services into existing business practises to improve efficiency. The goal is to improve and increase the value of the final product. This entails the addition of new tools and applications, the storage of data, the recording of information, and a plethora of new techniques.

That is, of course, the online component of the situation. But, if you think about it, we're talking about "transformation," which means bringing in new ways to collaborate with the existing team.

?Tricky, isn't it

Anyone would be willing to purchase a new set of digital suites with more up-to-date tools, but who would run people? The key here is to ensure that the talent, or people, are on board and that the company culture is adaptable. Managing change is the key to a successful transformation, and only people can make that happen.

Including Your Team in the Process

Any kind of change is difficult. If you want to make significant changes in your organisation, you must ensure that everyone, not just your leadership team, is on board. Yes, you cannot delegate major decisions about the company to the team, but involving your team in a process can yield better results.

According to a McKinsey study, whereas 84 percent of CEOs are decided to commit to major projects,transformation changes, only about 45% of the frontline employees agree. Obviously, connecting the dots is a primary obstacle to enact a successful strategy.

There are many ways to achieve this:

• Take feedback from the team about the changes you implemented

• Keep your team abreast of the implementation strategy

• Incentivize the team with internal marketing to convince new technology to the most reluctant team member

Only about 45 percent of frontline employees agree on transformational changes. Clearly, connecting the dots is a major impediment to implementing a successful strategy.

Invest & Train Your Team

Going digital would have hurdles. Some of the team members may not be as tech-savvy as others. However, you cannot leave them behind. To bring them up to that level, a lot of training is required to help them adapt to the latest technology and tools.

Remember, people have different ways of learning too, and speeds may differ. For instance, some team members may understand the concept in one demo session, whereas others may require multiple days of training to get a grip of the new technology.

Experiment with varied training materials, such as online courses and hands-on learning, and give them the flexibility to choose how they want to learn.

It may take some time to learn how to use new technology for better results, especially for team members who do not possess the natural inclination towards technology. Investing in training is a sure-shot way to leverage this transformation.

Digital Transformation Framework Doesn't Change Everything

The digital transformation framework is not about changing everything at once.

When you start transforming the business, getting carried away is easy. However, it's critical to know about the technologies to adopt. You may consider the one that employees would find easier to implement, and being selective to choose the best way.

Anything that glitters is not better. When you are planning to transform your business processes digitally, it is only to simplify the work process and facilitate your team members. So, do not make it complicated. If you have any doubt about the changes, consult the frontline staff.

For instance, if you want to adopt a new platform for online communication, but you cannot decide between Zoom, Teams, and Slack, consult your staff and take their opinion.

Broaden Your Vision

Do not have a myopic vision when it comes to a major transformation. Digital transformation services aim to make lives simpler and better. A successful transformation strategy is about introducing new changes into the business to make it more efficient and reduce employee workloads.

If executed properly, such a digital revolution can lead to improved working practices, increases value of customers, and lesser workload for the team. If your digital move is not ticking all the boxes, something is amiss.

Bring Change Right from the Top

The concept of grassroots change is intuitive. However, in reality, change is more likely to take place if driven right from the top. Again, that does not indicate a hierarchical or autocratic structure or a culture that breeds fear. It simply implies leadership, both transformational and transactional.

When digital change is concerned, the primary implication is that no major change or even an upgrade to the organization is possible unless you select and develop the top leaders to start. It's very clear that leadership, both good as well as bad, flows down to affect every aspect of an organization. The single most factor that determines the effectiveness of the transformation of an organization is the CEO or the top leader of an organization. Of course, industry, culture, context, legacy, people, and real tech matter, just like other resources.

However, these things are rather too similar among competitors, while values, mindset, integrity, and competence of senior-most leaders stand out to be the primary differentiating factor. Needless to add, everything in an organization can be imitated, but not talent. So, invest in the best talent for greater impact, which is exactly where you would get the highest value.

Final Thoughts

Technology is all about doing a lot more with minimum resources, yet the arrangement is effective only when technology is paired with the best human skills. Like technological disruption leading to automation and eliminating out-of-date jobs, it has created more jobs. This is precisely why innovation is also called 'creative destruction.' Any creative facet of innovation depends on people. So, leveraging human adaptability to upskill and reskill the workforce can augment technology and humans simultaneously. Simply put: a brilliant innovation would be irrelevant if we do not have enough skilled workforce to implement it, and the most inspiring human minds would be least useful if they do not connect with technology. The core implication is - when leaders want to invest in new technology, they should consider investing in people who make technology useful.