Why are Employees Vital for Digital Transformation Success
Research from Gartner recently revealed that 69% of boards of directors accelerated digital business initiatives in 2020 due to the pandemic. Given the expectation is that employees will continue to work from home, or in a hybrid environment, the digital transformation trend look set to continue to accelerate.
However, it is important to note that it is not always all plain sailing. Many digital transformation roadmaps do not reach the desired outcome, whether that’s reducing overhead expenses or improving operational efficiency due to delays, enablement issues, and critically – low adoption rates.
Creating the Right Mindset for Change
An article in the Harvard Business Review sums this up nicely, stating “most digital technologies provide possibilities for efficiency gains and customer intimacy but if people lack the right mindset to change and the current organisational practices are flawed, digital transformation will simply magnify those flaws.”
So, how can organisations ensure their IT investment is not wasted and that there is a high-level adoption of new IT services and solutions by all employees?
8 Ways to Drive Digital Transformation Adoption
- A clear digital strategy is paramount from the start. Businesses outcomes must be agreed with a defined plan for roll out, i.e., how do you want your employees to use new toolsets and technologies to reach your business goals.
- Put enablement and adoption at the centre of your digital transformation plan. New IT initiatives will fail if all your teams are not using the new solutions. User acceptance is imperative, and leaders must be at the forefront of this adoption by ensuring they are actively using them.
- Facilitate early-stage digital workshops with your user base and stakeholders to get on the ground insights. Identify champions and involve them right from the start of the transformation process. Value their feedback and find the solution that most fits their needs and in turn, this will benefit the business.
- Treat digital transformation like any other business change and follow the same principals. We follow the Prosci ADKAR® Model – which uses the acronym ADKAR to represent the five outcomes an individual needs to achieve for a change to be successful. These are: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement.
- Demonstrate to your managers and employees the business value that will be met by adopting new technologies, this needs to be quantifiable and realistic. If people can see and experience the value (e.g., time saving, better communication or improved processes), they are more likely to get on board.
- A clear communications strategy is essential to tie in with your digital roadmap roll out. Look at it from your user’s viewpoint, what do they need to know? what training can they receive? and how can you best reach them via your communications channels? They may need to be reminded of the individual and business benefits as part of your messaging, if it improves their day to day working life, they will be open to change and adoption.
- Monitor the roll out closely and have the right KPIs in place to measure against. Listen to employee feedback so you can identify any gaps and refine any training initiatives to get the most from your IT solutions.
- Think of it as an evolution of processes and transformation. Take small steps and get it right rather than rolling out a big change in one go which is harder to manage, more complex to communicate and takes longer to upskill for.
Digital Adoption and Advocacy
Digital transformation is not a project with an end date. Rather, it is a mindset of continuous improvement and re-invention of IT products and services. This in turn requires a workforce that is open to continuous learning, training, and development. Therefore, it is my firm belief that employees are the key pillar of any digital transformation project. Recognise the crucial part that your employees play, get them actively involved in driving your organisation forward and you will reap the benefits of their adoption and advocacy.
Digital Transformation Journey
We have extensive real-life experience with working with clients to design their tailored digital transformation roadmaps. With our award-winning expertise, we work in partnership with you to ensure that your whole IT operation and digital programmes securely supports your business goals and growth. As part of our service, we work with you to ensure your roll out is successful and adoption rates are high across your organisation. From our initial strategy design workshops via virtual whiteboards, to our ADKAR® change management approach, with our agile technology delivery, we are there to assist you all the way to ensure employees and customers engage and your business outcomes are achieved. Our end-to-end services and holistic approach can help deliver your modern workplace and bring customer engagement and adoption to the forefront of your organisation with a clear and effective communication strategy.
To learn more about our successes or to discuss how we can support you on your digital journey.
