Digital transformation is mandatory for enterprises that want to survive in a post-pandemic world. Yet, with such rapid change across IT systems, processes, and culture, enterprises risk internal rejection along the way. Kyle McNabb, SVP of product marketing at ASG Technologies, shares six best practices to create and execute digital transformation efficiently.Â
Digital transformation has become a requirement for organizations that want to survive in our constantly changing world and economy – and a time-sensitive one at that. Some organizations started this journey years ago, and that early investment has become a competitive edge in the post-pandemic world.Â
Other companies were rudely awakened by the race to remote work and regional economic shutdowns and have been forced to play high-pressure catch-up. A 2019 studyOpens a new window by Accenture found that if companies lagging in digital technology adoption don’t change, they could miss out on as much as 46% of their annual revenue by 2023.Â
That said – even with such high stakes, the digital transformation conversation often glosses over a major factor impacting organizations: internal rejection. In implementing new technologies, changing processes, and creating a culture for transformation, there are bound to be growing pains – many of which hold companies back.Â
To minimize internal rejection during digital transformation, enterprises should embrace these best practices and avoid common missteps made by other companies.
1. Understand Potential Barriers in the Digital Transformation Journey
What is one of the most destructive barriers hindering successful digital transformation? Easy answer: the people. Approaching IT leaders who built successful systems and processes 25 years ago and telling them everything needs to change is difficult. Those IT leaders and decision-makers know better than anyone that starting from scratch and retraining staff is no simple feat.Â
Naturally, there will be reluctance. Having this conversation becomes even harder when there is no clear path forward. IT leaders are presented with a problem, don’t know which solutions are needed to solve it, aren’t certain how to address legacy systems, and even more complicated, may not have the talent to figure it out. To mitigate the people barrier, enterprises need to define and create a digital transformation vision.
2. Define The “Why†For Digital Transformation
How organizations define digital transformation is important. Yet, many companies define digital transformation as the “what†they want to do, such as building a DevOps team, moving to the cloud, or starting a machine learning (ML) initiative. This mindset is limited and can misguide investments in technology and projects that fail to deliver transformation. People need to understand “why†things must change.Â
True transformation starts with making it clear “why†change is needed in terms of business outcomes everyone can understand. Today’s “why†for many organizations centers on improving responsiveness to constant change, often measured by improving speed, time to market/value, or margins. No single technology delivers those outcomes. Clarify the “why†for people and accelerate the adoption and scaling of “whats†such as DevOps, cloud usage, and ML initiatives. Â
3. Create a Vision
Focusing on the “why†helps enterprises choose which digital transformation projects to invest in. Each project must have its own vision, too. The best way to create this vision is to look at the current IT environment and determine which existing investments can be maximized and which inefficiencies can be eliminated.Â
Digital transformation does not mean starting over from ground zero. IT leaders and members of the C-suite can figure out ways to optimize the current environment. They should figure out what can be accomplished by doing so, rather than choosing a business outcome and retrofitting a digital transformation vision around that goal.Â
4. Bring in Outside Expertise
Creating a digital transformation vision is a thorough and time-intensive process. Many enterprises will bring in outside experts and consultants and collaborate with their partners/vendors to create a vision for the immediate and long-term future.Â
The end product should include year-end goals, as well as a three- to five-year plan, all based on a shared definition of what digital transformation outcomes the enterprise seeks. Bringing in outside experts can oftentimes provide the third-party, objective perspective needed to expedite and enrich decision-making.
5. Communicate the Vision
In reality, internal politics is the true barrier slowing down digital transformation. Organizations can’t just create a digital transformation vision – they need true buy-in. They must over-communicate the vision across the C-suite as well as at the team level.Â
Progress won’t be made until the people on the ground and in each department understand the value of digital transformation. IT leaders must be prepared to tell employees how all these changes will enhance their job on a daily basis. It’s the only way for the entire organization to be aligned on executing a digital transformation strategy.
6. Make the “What’s in it for Me?†Clear
In communicating digital transformation priorities to the organization, leaders should focus on answering “what’s in it for me?†for their employees. Transformation may demand employees learn new skills, abandon learned behaviors, or change the nature of their work.Â
Helping employees understand “what’s in it for me†enables them to see their value in the digital transformation initiative and overcome their inclination to reject what they don’t understand or what they may fear. For example, overcoming the potential rejection of DevOps by infrastructure and operations team members by sharing it arms them with new marketable skills and helps the enterprise improve speed. Prioritizing projects with a clear list of benefits for employees can reduce rejection and help scale transformation efforts.  Â
Sometimes, the less glamorous aspects of digital transformation get overlooked on the front end – from establishing the “why†to creating a practical vision to getting people on board. These steps may not be the drivers of big business outcomes, but they enable the programs and initiatives that do. If organizations don’t want to get disrupted by their own transformation efforts, it’s important to align every system, department head, and strategy from the get-go. That way, the foundation will be strong as enterprises begin to rebuild.
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