Is digital transformation real?
Is digital transformation real? Are the benefits achievable? Every few years there is a new management fad. How do we separate the hype from the value? We look at what digital transformation promises and what it delivers, so let’s do that.
What is digital transformation?
The full incorporation of computer-based technologies into your organisation’s products, processes and strategies to change how you operate and deliver value.
The promised benefits of digital transformation include:
- Better customer experiences
- Improved products and services
- Higher efficiency and productivity
- More sustainable use of resources
- Lower costs
- Bigger profits – or more value for money
- Better use of data
There is no doubt that “digital transformation” is a buzzphrase that has been used to sell services and products that are not needed and that don’t deliver value. Does that mean it doesn’t stack up?
No. It doesn’t. You can achieve some or all of the benefits above. I know that because I have just been on a best practice judging panel evaluating organisations that have done it.
What evidence did I see of digital transformation?
- Organisations partner with others to share complex information through very secure firewalls and build trust doing so
- People able to access services and solutions not previously available
- Thousands of businesses benefitting from scrapping of paper processes
- A hugely complex industrial organisation integrating and digitally controlling production processes to respond to markets in real time
- Process times slashed by 60-90% on a sustainable basis
People-driven digital transformation
Most importantly, what I saw was technology enabling change driven by people:
- Courageous leaders willing to upend the way they had always worked
- Open and honest discovery
- Willingness to review and redesign processes
- Thorough and ongoing stakeholder engagement
- Committed teams across organisations
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Celebration of success
So the answer is yes. Digital transformation can be real but the secret is people.
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Phil Guerin, Consultant/Director, Hague Consulting Ltd. © Hague Consulting Ltd 2024.
Posted in Blog, Building Capability, Collaboration, Operational Efficiency, Strategy Implementation