Digital technology is creating changes in business systems and customer experience. It is now steering the quest of business leaders towards transformation, finding new markets, and improving business performance in a world filled with massive competition and rapid change.
While CEOs are acknowledging why embracing technology is critical for business success, they must also address how ready employees are in embracing new technology.
In today’s workplace, successfully competing can only be guaranteed by an intersection between people and technology. In other words, quality digital tools are not enough. The mental adoption and readiness of employees to new technology are key factors. Technology integration has been proven to rely on a solid digital culture for effectiveness. Therefore, organisations that seek to optimise performance require a work environment that adopts digital technology. They must ensure that their employees are informed, engaged, and empowered to help cultivate a digital-first mindset from the top-down.
This article highlights below some critical performance tips for businesses that seek to compete in a digital world:
Embrace the Journey
Typical of some digital transformation programs is a framework that ends with purchasing a great digital tool expected to disrupt the market. However great this may seem, viewing digital transformation as a destination can be limiting. Digitally mature companies have achieved that status because of their ability to adopt a culture that considers digital transformation as a journey to embrace. The organisation can constantly adapt to evolving customer needs and market changes with improved capabilities in this approach.
Encourage Collaboration
Because the interdisciplinary requirement of digital technology will continue to grow, continuous sharing of learnings and insights between functions in an organisation becomes paramount to drive performance and ensure digital transformation. Teams can no longer work in silos, and the responsibility for improving the business’s digital capabilities cannot be left to the IT department alone. CEOs must move quickly to create a collaborative environment where employees enjoy spending time working together, with ideas, learnings, and insights flying around the room at great speed.
Align the organisation’s vision to the new ways of working
Leadership has a major role to play in fostering collaborative ways of working and establishing a digital culture. There would be several moving parts in the transformation journey, and it is important that the leadership is thinking about change management to institutionalise a new direction, mindset, and behaviour. The vision to be digitally transformed must be 100% affirmed by the leadership through words and deeds to achieve success. They must translate the broader digital vision into compelling business outcomes that employees can relate to and take accountability.
Close the Talent Gap
Talent can be a big hurdle in the digital transformation journey. Highly skilled digital talents that possess the traits and aptitude to be digitally ready are scarce and in high demand. Hence, there must be a comprehensive talent strategy that addresses all aspects of the digital transformation vision. The talent strategy may begin by identifying digital leaders and influencers across the organisation to Invest in digital skills. Employees should be helped to retool and reskill as a step to overcoming the hurdle to digital transformation.
Organisations have not had a better opportunity for record-breaking performance than in today’s digital world. However, there must be a deliberate attempt to engage the right people initiatives to stay competitive. Technology is great, but people remain the star consideration for success in today’s market. CEOs must therefore be prompt to access their readiness to digitally transform by taking a digital culture assessment, using tools that will highlight their position across the drivers of digital culture.
At pcl. our digital culture assessment is apt in diagnosing the digital readiness of employees regardless of sector or industry. You can contact us today for a free assessment by sending an email to people@phillipsconsulting.net
Written by:
Kelvin Chiazor
Consultant
