Four things to do in 2020 | Digital Transformation
2019 has been the year of Digital Transformation projects for us here at After Digital. Indeed, all of my digital disrupting colleagues have seen a massive surge in the need for our particular skills and expertise. So, I thought I’d conclude the year with four insights from this year that you can take forward into 2020..
1: It remains all about the people
Despite technology and digital platforms making the headlines, it is the impact on people that continues to be the overarching challenge for any Digital Transformation programme. For your staff, change is never easy and digital change can seem almost beyond their abilities. Always start with the impact your Digital Roadmap should have on your customers and the impact it will have on your people. Then you can review processes and systems, before finally looking at what technologies will deliver the necessary outcomes. It should flow in the following order: customer/people > Processes > Technology
2: Do what you should NOT what you could
Don’t be blinded by all the shiny new tech and deafened by the sales calls and marketing pitches of their exponents. Define what you need digital to do for your customers and your organisation. Then look at processes and only after this should you look at the technology you actually need to use to achieve this. Not every solution is a digital one.
3: Skilling your team's to deal with change
The World Economic Forum states that by 2022 54% of ALL staff will need reskilling to function efficiently in the digital age. 54%!
Don’t wait until 2022; start now, start quickly and be generous. Special focus should be given to Meta (Or soft skills), as these are the skills that will make the decisive difference in your digital success. Team building, leadership, collaboration, empathy and flexible working capabilities are critical to build and maintain the rate of change needed to succeed.
4: Inclusion is critical
There is no longer a single point of accountability for starting, defining and delivering digital transformation. In line with the fact that technology and digital touches every part of your organisation; every part, every team, every department MUST input into the road mapping exercise and buy into the delivery process.
The responsibility for digital is EVERYONES’ AND NO-ONES’.
Support and buy-in happen when everyone feels they have ownership of the ideation, the development and the delivery of your roadmap.
