Digital Transformation OR Vanish!

Historically our world has experienced significant eras spanning from the medieval eras, Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, Industrial Revolution, World War Era and others. Humanity cycles/eras flow/transformation uninterrupted into our future. You either adapt and go along with the flow/transformation or you just give up and vanish through the times. 

Through the times we have attested several industries decline due to either not getting along the flow/transformation or not being able to avoid the unavoidable (i.e. Telegraph Companies, Film Photography, Video Rental Stores, Newspaper Printing, Typewriter Manufacturing, etc).

Some notable businesses decline due to misalignment with the flow/transformation are: 

• Nokia refused Android
• Yahoo rejected Google
• Kodak refused digital cameras

What is Digital Transformation?

Digital transformation in its essence is just a new era, a new cycle, a reboot, a new startup. Businesses across all industries must encompass the change and follow along the new flow/transformation blueprint. They must accept and adapt to the new era to survive and cherish.

Digital transformation is a mixture of technology changes where management, employees and stakeholders must fully embrace and accept. It’s the era of artificial intelligence (AI), digitisation and automations. 

An interesting point of this era is the fact that digital transformation is just a single weaving yarn of a more complex “art” design containing ESG yarn, work-life balance yarn, human rights yarn, Gen Z yarn and political instability yarn where companies must balance their actions between each weaving yarn to achieve the equilibrium.

Digital transformation dictates the companies to put all their processes, flows and controls under the x-ray. The results will showcase where the integration of digital technologies into these areas of a business, will fundamentally alter how the organization operates and delivers value to customers and stakeholders. 

Failure is part of the digital transformation journey (it’s about the journey not the destination!). It involves a cultural shift that requires organizations to continually challenge the status quo, experiment with new approaches and interconnect traditional process with digital technologies and automations.

Embracing the unavoidable (Digital Transformation)

Embrace! A big word that not only refers to acceptance of change but also adoption of the change, incarnation of the change. 

In today’s technology-driven world, digital transformation is no longer a choice but a necessity (necessary evil) for businesses striving to stay competitive. As industries evolve, organizations must adapt to new technologies, processes, and mindsets to meet changing customer/stakeholders’ expectations, optimize operations, and foster innovation. 

Digital Transformation Key Drivers

1. Customer Expectations: The omni-digital experience today means that a customer expects a seamless and unique experience in every interaction. Businesses must predict those expectations and deliver the same by using the power of data analytics, AI, and other technologies.
2. Employees motive:  Digital transformation would motivate employee’s by providing opportunities to work with cutting edge technologies and develop new skills. Training on digital tools, recognition of their adaptability, and innovation initiatives would be important in sustaining high levels of engagement for moving the transformation journey forward.
3. Technological Advancements: Cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things (IoT), and AI among other rapid developments in the field of technology have equipped the business fraternity to upgrade their offerings and introduce new products and services besides reaching new markets.
4. Competitive Pressure: As more firms build up their digital strategies, the compulsion for laggards not to fall behind has increased. Innovation needs to be continuous and more efficient for their businesses if they are to compete on an equal footing.
5. Operational Efficiency: Digital transformation smooths out operations by automating processes, reducing manual tasks, and improving collaboration. The eventual outcomes may include cost savings, quicker time to market, and better decision-making.
6. Regulatory Compliance: In many industries, demands for regulatory compliance are increasingly becoming heavy. Digital solutions help organizations maintain compliance while continuing to advance transparency and security.

Digital Transformation Challenges

Despite the advantages involved in digital transformation, several challenges exist:

1. Cultural Resistance: Changes in organization should change all levels of mindsets. The reaction or resistance to such change may come from employees due to fear of losing jobs or disrupting established workflows.
2. Legacy Systems: Several organizations have very old technology, and the modern digital tools face huge challenges to integrate. Upgrading or changing those systems is expensive and time-consuming.
3. Data Security and Privacy: While companies collect data, with each passing day, data security is the prime concern. Even a single breach of data may lead to legal and reputational consequences.
4. Skills Gap: Digitization requires a new set of skills and competencies. Unless organizations seriously invest in training and development, the gap will be huge, and it will prove to be an obstacle to progress at every step.
5. Leadership Buy-In: Any good transformation takes place with strong leadership commitment. Without this, initiatives cannot have proper direction, and expected outcomes will not materialize.

Digital Transformation Strategies

To overcome these challenges and achieve successful digital transformation, organizations should build ‘right-fit’ strategies:

1. Clear Vision and Strategy: There needs to be clearly defined vision and strategy regarding what digital transformation will actually mean to your organization and how all that falls under your overall business objectives. Create a roadmap that delineates steps, timelines, and resources required.
2. Digital Culture: Develop an innovative culture with 'full-fledged’ agility. Encourage collaboration across functions and hierarchy; empower employees to try new technologies and ideas.
3. Right Technology: Identify what digital tools and platforms are required to enable your goals of transformation, and make considered investments in scalability, integrative capabilities, and long-term sustainability.
4. Customer Centric: Drive the change with the customer in focus. Employ analytics insights to know the behaviour and preferences of customers, hence offering the customer exactly what they want.
5. Skilled Workforce: Upskill the existing workforce through focused training, workshops, and certifications. Bring in the required skill sets from outside, or even partnerships with technology providers if needed, to fill up the gaps.
6. Data Security and Compliance: Employ appropriate cybersecurity techniques and maintain acute awareness of constantly changing regulatory requirements. Create a data governance framework for dealing with data integrity, privacy, and compliance issues.
7. Measure and Adjust: Digital transformation is not an event; it's a process. One should measure the progress quite frequently and make sure feedback is always collected so that one can change or adjust the strategy if and where required.

Finale

It is not about the destination; it's the journey. A holistic journey of cultural fit and era flow alignment, which encompasses technology, process, and leadership. It opens new avenues to afford greater opportunities for organizations in their quest for growth and competitive advantage in an increasingly digital world. The only way a business will succeed and survive in an ever-changing digital future is by being agile, nimble, and always striving to improved.