Digital transformation is the cultural, organizational and operational change of an organization, industry or ecosystem through a smart integration of digital technologies, processes and competencies across all levels and functions in a staged and strategic way.
Digital technology has been unsettling markets and disrupting businesses and industries for more than two decades. However, many business leaders are still struggling to understand and deploy disruptive technologies, and manage the cultural and market-related changes they are bringing about.
The best place to start your digital transformation journey is first to establish a vision with the needs of your customers at its heart, but that also includes the needs of employees, shareholders, and other business stakeholders. Research and choose technologies, infrastructure, resources, and expertise – whether internal or external – that will help you achieve that vision. Alter practices both internally and externally as suits that vision, and create a culture that fosters continuous innovation.
While DX is predominantly used in a business context, it also impacts other organizations such as governments, public sector agencies and organizations which are involved in tackling societal challenges such as pollution and aging populations by leveraging one or more of these existing and emerging technologies.
Many companies are now opting for digital transformation as the benefits and advantages of such a revolution are very promising. However, some companies may experience difficulties in developing a strong hold on this transition of technology. How can we overcome such difficulties? What are the right ways of implementing digital transformation strategies? These questions will be answered as we explore them in this article.
Step 1: Identify your objectives
Step 2: Focus on customer needs
Step 3: Establish new processes
Step 4: Choose your technology wisely
Step 5: Restructure to accommodate change
Step 6: Execute your plan
Step 7: Allow space for agility
With proper planning, observation and adaptation post-implementation, long-term sustainability is attainable. As your plan rolls out, track and analyze your team’s performance.
Look for advice on how to develop a digital transformation strategy that leverages your company's competitive advantage and develops initiatives to preserve it for the future. The most effective strategy goes beyond just having the right technologies in place. It provides a clear understanding of what the technologies can do, ensures the appropriate organizational change and builds extensive capabilities.
