The
challenge. Building
awareness in the enterprise is the starting point to any digital transformation
initiative. Transformation drivers from the top must put digital transformation
at the top of the enterprise’s agenda. It is essential that people in the
organization understand the scale and pace of the digital impact their industry
is undergoing because of the disruptions brought in by the nexus of forces –
Social media, mobility, information flow pattern and analytics and the Cloud.
The creating awareness drive can gain momentum if this awareness process is
made experiential.
The approach. It is essential to build a coalition
of believers who can understand the potential impact of digital technologies on
the business and the need and the urgency with which this transformation has to
be pursued. Align the top team with this temperament will make things easier
for the enterprise to drive this sentiment down to the last rung of employees
whose participation would hasten the transformation.
Businesses
need to identify potential threats and opportunities that they possess as an
organization that will either contribute to or hinder the endeavor. Creating a
risk profile containing the consequences that the business would have to
encounter in the absence or slow pursue of this transformation journey would
contribute to the overall support of the executives towards this strategic
change in the business model. In most cases the CEO is responsible for roping
in the senior leaders into the transformation team.
It is also
essential that enterprises know their starting point in the journey. They need
to measure how mature their digital competencies are, and which strategic asset
will help them to excel amidst the competition. Assessing the strategic assets of the
enterprise and defining those that will be relevant in a digital world and
those that won’t – physical assets, competencies, intangible assets and digital
assets like data which in most cases would turn out to be a high value currency
can set the framework for further acquisition, development or realigning of the
resources.
It is also
essential that enterprises know their starting point in the journey. They need
to measure how mature their digital competencies are, and which strategic asset
will help them to excel amidst the competition. Assessing the strategic assets of the
enterprise and defining those that will be relevant in a digital world and
those that won’t – physical assets, competencies, intangible assets and digital
assets like data which in most cases would turn out to be a high value currency
can set the framework for further acquisition, development or realigning of the
resources.
Enterprises should focus on their potential and the distance between
where they are and their potential – not the distance between them and their
competition. The executive sponsors who have grasped the reality of the digital
transformation mandate would have to digitally challenge their current business
model by craft the transformative vision and charting out the transformation
journey. Unifying the company through a strong IT vision of the company’s
digital future would be a sure step towards a successful digital
transformation.