For many organizations, digital transformation is top priority because it promises profound benefits. However, while hard to believe, 70% of these initiatives fail to reach their goals. Harvard Business Review reports that, of the $1.3 trillion that companies invested in digital transformation, almost $900 billion was wasted. So, why do so many efforts fall short? Companies often focus exclusively on implementing technology, and they overlook important stakeholders and existing processes. Given this, here are 3 keys to leading a successful digital transformation.
Engage Employees in the Digital Transformation Effort
The success or failure of a transformation effort hinges on the organization’s people. First, employees engage when they recognize and experience the value that change brings. Additionally, they engage when the organization acknowledges and addresses emerging concerns. Unfortunately, conveying value and addressing broad-reaching concerns can be an elusive task.
To help with this, Thinaer’s real-time feedback technology gathers feedback from employees throughout a change process. With this input, we use AI to evaluate sentiment, identify challenges, and highlight specific concerns. This provides leaders with the insight needed to support change that people embrace.
Plan for End-to-End Process Innovation
Lasting digital transformation occurs when leaders apply changes to a full process or system. This reduces redundancies, identifies opportunities, engages multiple stakeholders, and drives business results. According to a Harvard Business Review article, “A process orientation is a natural fit with these needs. But many have found process management—horizontally, across silos, and focused on customers—difficult to reconcile with traditional hierarchical thinking.”
Refine the Implementation with Data
An impactful, achievable, and sustainable digital transformation effort must be guided by data. Rigid, ‘one size fits all’ solutions fail because they do not incorporate the unique nuances of each organization’s data. Overcome this challenge by creating a structure for collecting and analyzing data. For one, this provides leaders with the insight needed to refine the transformation strategy. Furthermore, this data helps leaders evaluate incremental success. Finally, it provides opportunities to identify and mitigate emerging challenges.
Digital transformation is a substantial undertaking. However, effective implementation offers long-term benefits. At Thinaer, we have tools to define needs, develop a transformation strategy, and support the transformation initiative end-to-end.
Want to get started on your digital transformation project? Contact us to help you map the process.