5 internal changes for a successful Digital Transformation
So much has been said about Digital Transformation. Most of what one gets to read, however, is outward facing. Being customer focused and re-orienting the organization for the customer. Considering vendors and partners. Also (not the last priority) employees. Fair enough. But, that isn’t all really. DX has a lot to do with the philosophy which will drive your organization, not just how you do sell and do business. Our experience in the market throws up five important areas to ponder over, plan and take action on.
Cloud First
Being on-premise is so passé for most, and the way forward is cloud only. Cost is certainly a factor, but isn’t the only one to make the call for cloud migration. We must realise that, cloud hosting isn’t always the cheaper option. The more compelling reasons to host on the cloud related to virtues of collaboration and openness, and co-existing in today’s exuberant eco-system. Much of what DX is, and what is below, will get missed out without being on the cloud.
Hyper Speed
Organizations vary in their approach to coverage vs speed. Some still consider each version and iteration to be as near perfect as possible. While others look for market viability and release their products (or services) as soon as possible not bothering about perfection. Both approaches have their pros and cons, of course. But, what is undeniable is the need for speed, either in terms of Go to Market, or even directional movement due to the transformation. It is crucial to complete and go past the Proof of Concept (POC) stage and start implementation with wide coverage.
New World
The new world is one of using the eco-system around and of co-opetition. On the ground that translates to, apart from the philosophical change for many, two specific shifts. First is, not necessarily consider competition (and peers) as enemies but people who can be on the same platform and one can still shake hands on certain areas. Second is start using the tech eco-system around you who likely have ready made solutions for a lot of what you intend doing, at the call of an API[1]. Both these, you would appreciate, need you to have a decent cloud footprint.
Collaborative
You, as a CXO, must look to break down silos inside the organization that you need. There must be fluid movement of data inside the organization. Yes, that does imply erasing some turfs and might cause some heart burn across. This creates the need for a robust and long running Change Management program which is run by the people in line functions.
Open Talent Models
Finally, not the least important, is people and partners. The current Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing challenges must have indicated the need for an overhaul in your talent strategy. There is no one size fit all, but considering a set of gig-workers[2], outsourcing, smaller office space (because of larger work from home), the different skill sets do hold merit. Neither can you hire the same way or the same (exactly) type of people that you did in the past.
So, five things to do inside the company and maintain now onwards. Cloud, the Eco-system, internal Collaboration, new Talent strategy and SPEED! This is really the gut of your company.
Which of these five internal changes have you considered so far? Have you started your cloud migration yet? We would love to hear from you.
[1] An application program interface (API) is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. Basically, an API specifies how software components should interact. Additionally, APIs are used when programming graphical user interface (GUI) components
[2] Workers belonging to a labour market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.
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