Helping Your Employees Adapt & Embrace Digital Transformation

Help Your Employees Embrace Digital Transformation

The concept of digital transformation is not new, but it is becoming more significant as organisations, both large and small, seek new methods to grow. For good reason, digital transformation is at the forefront of everyone’s attention. From quicker and more efficient fleet-tracking technology to application delivery, digital transformation has become a pervasive voice in discussions about bringing enterprises to the next level by decreasing operational costs and building a flexible business model.

Why is Digital Transformation Worth Talking About?

When looking at a company structure from the ground up, it is clear that satisfied customers are the core of every winning empire. Consumer demand for services has expanded so rapidly over the years that only a few industrial titans such as Amazon, Google, and Apple can meet it.

The prospect of having to wait too long or drive too far for a commodity is particularly unappealing to city dwellers. According to Arise’s Google Consumer Survey, the maximum wait time acceptable by consumers on the phone in 2014 decreased from 13 minutes to an incredible 2-minutes or less before they cancel the call. This mindset isn’t going away anytime soon, and why should it?

When it comes to changing how a company operates on a daily basis, both executives and employees are sure to experience difficulties. However, adjustment is required in the aftermath of a digital revolution. Employees that do not keep up will be left behind, and digital transformation will most likely fail. As mentioned in our previous post, 4 Pillars of A Successful Digital Transformation Framework, CMOs, CIOs, CTOs, and CEOs all have a role in digital transformation leadership. It is their obligation to persuade staff to embrace the shift.

So, what can leaders do to ensure their employees are able to keep up?

1) Create a Dialogue

Without communication, no transformation can be effective. Employees are sometimes reluctant to change when it is imposed on them. With this in mind, it is critical to engage staff in debate and keep the floor open for discussion. Leaders should proactively ask staff what digital advances they would want to see.

To encourage company-wide adaption, certain executive members must be advocates of digital transformation. After all, transformation is a collaborative effort. Open communication should begin at the top and include all levels of employees. The CIO should play a key role in creating digital-based relationships across the company. The CIO must also effectively bridge the gap between real technology deployment and workplace culture and demands.

Even when the change is complete, C-suite executives must maintain open channels of communication with employees and solicit input on a regular basis. All the while demonstrating to employees that they are dedicated to providing their own feedback and demonstrating to employees that they are adjusting to the imposed digital changes. Company-wide communication is critical during the early phases of transformation.

2) Invest in Training

Employees must first comprehend the “why” behind the digital transformation. “Let people understand why the change is happening, and make sure they have a clear vision of what will better when they get there,” says Dr Daniel Cable, professor and head of organisational behaviour at London Business School.

However, awareness and a clear goal are insufficient for a digital organisation to prosper. Organisations that are winning the digital transformation race, on the other hand, spend a lot of work on cultivating a culture of change. This entails perceiving setbacks and barriers as necessary components of success and coping with failure swiftly in order to develop.

Furthermore, successful businesses invest in new capabilities and ensure that their staff learn the skills necessary to stay up with a fast-paced and dynamic workplace. It is vital to establish a comprehensive training program for employees to understand about the immediate and indirect effects of the changes. This leads to mastery of important skills and lessens frustration during difficult periods. To boost acceptance, all workers, regardless of rank or department, should be expected and encouraged to participate in the immersive training program.

Gain the necessary knowledge and skills in digital transformation with our beginner-level course – Digital Transformation Foundations.

3) Allow Experimentation

For many employees, digital transformation requires them to step outside of their comfort zone. A culture that allows and even encourages experimenting is reassuring to individuals who are new to the digital game. Employees can then freely explore without fear of negative consequences. Second, individuals who may experiment frequently discover novel and faster ways to do routine jobs, enhancing efficiency and, in turn, production.

4) Encourage Collaboration

Online and offline communication may be effortlessly harmonised while employees remain connected via their own devices. This enables “anywhere, anytime” access to work papers and resources, which has become so prevalent in our daily lives.

Digital connections frequently serve to bridge generational divides and bring employees of all ages together. New digital communication facilitates departmental and organisational collaboration. Finally, the digital revolution should seem less like “technology” and more like natural ways to do activities.

5) Improve Employee Involvement

Increased employee involvement makes it easier to embrace digital change. With technological advancements, staff can simply and directly connect consumers while staying ahead of the competition.

Consider the business Connected House, which was established by the British energy company Centrica to develop “smart home” gadgets. Their staff was designed to operate in the manner of a startup, with an emphasis on user research, feedback, and a dedication to lean operations. This strategy aided Connected Home’s Hive “smart thermostat” product in becoming a market leader in a matter of years. Gaining the kinds of insights that would propel a firm to the top requires a significant shift in organisational norms, allowing staff to be brought closer to customers.

Older employees frequently struggle with digital revolutions, but their knowledge and expertise are vital. Employees might feel more valued and fulfilled if internal employee engagement is improved, making them more open to change.

Adoption is driven by engagement, but digital transformation may also promote engagement. In fact, 72% of respondents in a recent poll said that flexible work hours improve employee engagement. And, in the digital era, implementing flexibility is easier than ever. Employees may work remotely, bring their own devices, and use digital tools to engage effectively with customers and coworkers. They are more likely to recognise and adapt to the practical benefits of digital revolutions.

Finally, digital transformation involves more than simply technology. The way a firm structures itself, motivates and fulfils its people, invests in training and develops a workplace culture that is open to change all play a part in an effective transition.

Transformations are hard and digital ones are harder

Years of transformation studies have revealed that the success rate for these initiatives is typically low: less than 30%.

The results from this year indicate that digital transitions are even more challenging. Only 16% of respondents believe their organisations’ digital transitions have enhanced performance and enabled them to withstand changes over time. An additional 7% believe that performance increased but that the gains were not sustained.

Even technologically aware businesses like high tech, media, and telecommunications are failing. The success rate in these industries does not surpass 26%. However, digital transformations are much more difficult in more conventional industries like oil and gas, automotive, infrastructure, and pharmaceuticals, with success rates ranging from 4 to 11%.

Success rates differ depending on the size of the organisation. Respondents from organisations with less than 100 workers are 2.7 times more likely than those from organisations with more than 50,000 employees to claim a successful digital transformation.

Give your employees an overview of digital transformation with our guided training – Digital Transformation Foundations.

If you’re looking to educate your employees in a customised or in-house setting, please contact us at 6720 3333 or training.aventis@gmail.com

 

Source:

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Helping Your Employees Adapt to Digital Transformation