Don’t look now, but the digital transformation ship may have left you on the docks. So, what is a digital transformation? As you might guess, there are more than a few definitions floating out there, but here’s a good one that I found in a Forbes article by Jason Bloomberg:
“The realignment of, or new investment in, technology and business models to more effectively engage digital customers at every touchpoint in the customer experience lifecycle.”
Many companies have already embarked on the digital transformation journey, and inevitably, most will follow. According to Gartner, “by 2020, 75% of businesses will be a digital business or will be preparing to become one.”
My colleague Linda Lamppert is writing a blog series on when “everything old is new again” that focuses on learning. Reading her blog made me think about the recent conversations we’ve been having with our customers on digital transformation. I worry that inevitably there will be those who will invest too much on the technology hype and forget to place the right focus on what is arguably the most important variable—people—just as many did for most of the age of ERP.
Naturally, customers are an important focus of this investment, but where is the mention of the other people, the people whose worthy efforts day in and day out are the foundation of any successful business? Failing to elevate the frontline workforce that supports digital initiatives to the appropriate level of importance will place a costly drag on that initiative and put the overall strategy in serious jeopardy.
We are really in exciting times when in-memory, real-time data access is at our fingertips and where mobile, social, the Internet of Things, the cloud, and other technologies of digital transformation promise to take us to previously unheard of levels of competitiveness. Some even talk of a place where we can leverage these capabilities so that we need have no more fears about our competition disrupting our business and surpassing us. Could it be possible that we will be able to disrupt our own business to create never before imagined success? Imagine the possibilities.
Yet at the same time, although the role and impact of technology in business may help enable incredible success, some basic things remain the same. Yes, what is old is new again! To be successful, humans have to occupy a central focus. The technology is only as good as the worker’s ability to assimilate that data; make quick, insightful decisions; and produce value that will impact the business in a positive way.
Some suggestions as you consider your people strategy:
If you’re looking for a differentiated customer experience and competitive business agility, you should know that a digital platform alone will not deliver that to you. The ability to drive unprecedented value happens on the business front lines. So, if critical roles in your organization do not know what value they must produce at the right time and place in the process, your digital transformation strategy will toil needlessly at sea or it will be doomed to sink.
If you’re interested in reading more about creating programs that are focused on driving this kind of performance, check out this award-winning book The New Game Changers by Butler Newman and Greg Long, two of my colleagues, and get your initiatives to smooth sailing by having the right people in your organization focused on doing the right things.
What are some of your tips for smoother sailing?