In the commercial world, ‘digital transformation’ is a term used to describe the use of new, fast, and rapidly changing digital technologies to solve problems. It often utilizes cloud computing and other technology to create new, or modify existing, business processes, cultures, and customer experiences, among other things, to meet changing business needs and market requirements. This reimagining of business in the digital age is known as ‘digital transformation’, and it is something that every business needs to prepare for.
Digital transformation is not solely about the technology, however. It is just as much about the mindset of an organization, agile employees, and the creation of value for its customers, and more. Although incorporating the latest, relevant tech into an organization is great, it is important to ensure that employees are educated and empowered too.
Preparing Your Business for the Digital Transformation
Although there is understandably no single guide that can be followed step-by-step by an organization in preparation for the digital age, there are a few ‘tips’ that can business leaders can draw inspiration from to gain a better understanding of what a digital transformation may entail for your own business.
Change your organization’s approach to IT
The approach to IT services within businesses has traditionally been one where departments respond slowly to innovation and view themselves as technology gatekeepers; if you want to use something, it must be approved by them first. IT teams have done this because they think of their primary roles as system guardians because the goal of any IT department, particularly in a large enterprise, is to take care and not mess anything up.
For as long as IT departments have existed, there has been a battle between them and business leaders for control of resources, and this has grown as technology has developed. If organizations wish to stay competitive, however, IT and business teams must work together.
With cloud technology and digital solutions being widely used across modern enterprises, there is the potential for huge security gaps and a layer of instability if rivalries are not taken care of. Instead of gatekeepers, IT departments should consider themselves as tech enablers and should work together with business teams and leaders to search for technology and platforms that offer business users the opportunity to create their own solutions.
Invest in the appropriate platforms
Platforms are set to become the technological go-to solution as we embark upon a new decade. Although technological products dominated the 2010s, platforms and cloud solutions will overtake these as organizations seek to implement fully customizable and tailored solutions.
In addition to implementing third-party technology solutions, groups within organizations increasingly want to build their own custom applications, so it is important to make sure that your company has the best possible technological infrastructure that is multifunctional and robust.
Empower your employees
One of the steps that should be taken before embarking upon the process of digital transformation is that of employee empowerment. In order to train your staff and provide them with valuable knowledge and skills that will keep your new systems safe, secure, and efficient, you will need to have already settled on the systems, processes, solutions, and technology that your organization will be using post-transformation. From here, you can deliver well-structured training packages that enhance your employees’ skills.
Don’t just train them for your own benefit, though. Empower your employees with the skills needed for the future. Although you may not realize it, you may well have plenty of budding tech enthusiasts, potential developers, and untapped cybersecurity talent within your ranks already. Many of these people may be too intimidated to dive into the world of building their own applications, so give them a push by offering specialist training courses and educational programs for those that show genuine interest, enthusiasm, and drive.
Having these people within your organization already and fostering positive relationships by training them for the future will only serve to benefit your bottom line in the future.
Identify where change is needed the most
Since the digital transformation is never-ending, new technologies and solutions can be brought in whenever they are needed; there is no rush to implement everything you may or may not need from the start.
In order to avoid investing in technologies that your organization may not need, it is important to identify where technological change may be needed the most. Furthermore, with the goal of aligning your organization’s transformation with its strategy, select the technology that will help you achieve your overall business goals—this should always be the first question asked and is the most important consideration.
Have You Considered Org Charts?
Organimi is the go-to choice for serious organizations that want to use the best org chart software to create intuitive organizational charts for use in project planning, employee onboarding, roadmap creation, staff rostering, and more.
Our cloud-based SaaS platform is simple to deploy in organizations both large and small, and can be customized to a high degree to allow for seamless use with or alongside your company’s existing tools, processes, and workflows.
If you would like to try out Organimi for free as part of your own digital transformation, contact us today