By Scott Gainey Published on Cherwell
Digital transformation is a culture and process shift as much as a technological one. Ideally, a transformation initiative should bring together leadership across the organization to develop a holistic strategy.
Sadly, too often, digital transformation is seen as a strictly IT concern. So how can IT leaders lead the expedition and gain buy-in from the whole organization? To help you start your journey, we created an interactive guide: The IT Leader’s Guide to Digital Transformation. You can check it out at the GIF below:
To help you start your journey, we created an interactive guide: The IT Leader’s Guide to Digital Transformation. You can check it out at the GIF below:
Aligning with the Executive Team
Despite the enthusiasm for digital transformation, only 34 percent of businesses have a transformation program in place. Deliberation about the best approach to digital transformation often doesn’t go beyond the boardroom. It can take moxie and more than a little tenacity to move leadership toward decisive action. Here are ways to influence high-level decision makers:1. “How do we involve management? I think you share the numbers. This is what we expect to happen to productivity. This is what we expect in regard to improved customer experience. This is what we think will be the impact on the bottom line. Then, they’re like, ‘Okay, this is how it impacts me.'” —Shelly Kramer, Principal Analyst and Founding Partner of Futurum Research + Analysis
2. “The CIO needs to be aligned with the CEO and the priorities of the company. When the CIO is aligned with the CEO and thinking like the CEO, they are best prepared to understand where technology can play a critical role in achieving and/or catapulting business objectives.” —Tim Crawford, CIO and Strategic Advisor of AVOA
Engaging Employees
Our recent report asked employees about the intangible benefits of integrated work processes. According to the results, advantages include: higher productivity (90 percent), improved collaboration (87 percent), and heightened job satisfaction (71 percent). But how do you get employees involved in the digital transformation process?
3. “The best way to gain employee buy-in for larger change initiatives is to involve them right from the start. Often the strongest ideas for improvement come from those closest to the work and customers, so it’s smart to include employees at the earliest stage of innovation.” —Andrew Spence, HR Transformation Director of Glass Bead Consulting
4. “The process needs to start with the people who are elbows-deep in solving these problems all day, every day. When they feel they are an integral part of the process and that their feedback is valued, they can help lead the company to the right solutions.” —Shelly Kramer, Principal Analyst and Founding Partner of Futurum Research + Analysis
5. “Cross-departmental collaboration is critical to empower and build trust, knowledge exchange, and continuous innovation. It counteracts those perennial issues of poor alignment across functions, fragmented data sharing, and entrenched siloed thinking and analysis.” —Sally Eaves, CEO and Director of Sally Eaves Consultancy
The Goals for Digital Transformation
In setting the corporate vision for digital transformation, there are key questions you should ask: Does it improve customer experience? Will it enable greater worker productivity? Can it eliminate redundancy or waste? When will we see a return on the investment? Will it help us attract and retain talent?
6. “The only goal should be to transform the business and operating model to deliver a differentiated experience to your customers. With that goal as your true north, you then must determine what changes you will require to deliver the experience you seek.” —Charles Araujo, Principal Analyst of Intellyx LLC