Recent IDG research found that 89% of businesses have either adopted, or are planning to adopt, a digital-first business strategy. That’s because technology is constantly changing the way we do business, to the point that those who can’t adapt inevitably fall behind.
To ensure future growth, your business needs to keep up with the changes by implementing the right technologies and processes.
But it’s not all about the technology – the key to digital success is to bring your people and processes along the transformation journey.
People play a big part in the successful transformation of your business. One of the biggest challenges faced when trying to implement digital transformation is employee resistance. Employees want to understand why change needs to happen, be part of the journey, and ensure they experience the resulting benefits (such as increased work productivity, flexibility and efficiency).
So, how you can adjust your company environment and culture to deliver a successful digital transformation strategy? In this post we will outline the ways in which you can better align people, processes and technology to enable ongoing business growth.
Communicate a clear vision
It all starts with a clear understanding of the overall company vision – for you and your employees.
- What do you want to achieve?
- What needs to change or improve within the organisation?
- How will these new technologies or innovations drive your vision?
- How can you inspire trust and support for the initiative?
These are some of the questions that need to be addressed so you have a clear and inspiring vision for the business. Also, try to break down the strategic vision and understand how each department and employee can contribute and be part of this journey. Remember, people will be more engaged if they feel that there is purpose or meaning in their work.
The next step is to communicate this vision through all internal channels – company conferences, presentations, intranet and email. You can even put up posters and signs around the office to remind people of the overall vision and mission of the company.
Align people, processes and technology
“For the next 10 years at least, work will still revolve around human beings” (Gartner)
It’s important to understand the current business environment – how employees use and interact with existing technologies – to decide what they need to be more effective at work. Any changes or improvements in the workplace should make people more comfortable, productive and even happier at their jobs.
Also, before investing in a new technology or device, make sure it integrates seamlessly with the existing systems and processes you currently use. This will make it easier for staff members to learn the new technology and apply it in their daily work lives, while avoiding unnecessary delays.
Provide easy access to information
Easy and secure access to critical business information is probably the most important aspect of your digital transformation strategy. Employees need to have quick access to data, files and other documents to effectively perform their daily tasks.
An enterprise content management (ECM) solution is a worthwhile investment to achieve this goal, as it will allow you to share, utilise, and manage all of your organisation’s data from multiple departments in a centralised location. Metadata can then help to cross-reference information and draw inferences that would otherwise have not been possible.
Enable flexible working
Does your business offer flexible or remote working? According to a recent Sydney Morning Herald article, flexible working is now becoming the norm in many workplaces in Australia. With congested roads and crowded public buses and trains, it makes sense for people to adjust their work times or work from home.
To enable flexible working, you need to make sure that your office employees and remote workers are always connected to the business, with everything accessible via a laptop or mobile. As mentioned above, investing in a secure and stable cloud storage provider is a great place to start.
You can also allow the use of mobile devices for work like tablets and smartphones. This not only increases freedom and flexibility but enables employees to be productive when they’re outside the office, at home or at a remote location.
For added security, you can implement a virtual private network (VPN) for mobile workers to access the company network. That way, you can ensure that your critical business data is secure.
Enhance collaboration
With a mix of onsite and remote workers plus people working across different time zones – it can be difficult to coordinate with a team or manage a project. Enhancing collaboration within teams by breaking down silos is a sure-fire way to boost productivity within your business.
Collaboration tools like Slack and Basecamp, or video conferencing tools like GoToMeeting and Zoom, encourage employees to communicate more regularly with each other, coordinate tasks and report on ongoing results. These tools can help you and your management team to monitor the progress and performance of projects and key objectives.
Once you’ve implemented these collaboration tools and established flexible working and mobile access, it will be a lot easier to align your people, processes and technology. This alignment would not only boost workplace productivity and efficiency but build the environment that you need to adapt and succeed in the digital economy.
Want to learn more on how collaboration can drive your digital transformation journey? Download the Breaking Down Silos ebook today!
