One thing is clear about digital transformation

It’s not about making the current, outdated processes faster!

The shift in thinking needs to be away from digital transformation and more towards transformation that is enabled through digital technology.

Where to start?

On the frontline. I was lucky enough to attend a week long course at IMD in Lausanne a few years ago, and as an alumni I get to see visiting professors from this great school who are travelling the world and sharing their knowledge. Last week was one of those occasions, I spent a few hours listening to Professor Donald A. Marchand, professor of strategy execution and information management at IMD. One of his key messages is that the changes need to start at the frontline of the business. This is where the magic can truly happen – yes of course back office efficiencies are important but the transformation, the step change in performance and an organisation’s future are going to be impacted most by changes at the customer interface.

Think like a start-up

That requires some openness and collaboration across many teams – IT, marketing and operations – everyone has to be prepared to think in a new way. And the structure of the business, the processes and service or products offered to customers are all on the table. I’ve found in my own role that it is pretty easy to get dragged into improving what’s already there. One thing I’ve used both for my own projects and in other people’s is to ask “if we were a start-up, how would we do things?” Certainly keeps the agility and creativity moving, plus it keeps an eye on what other people might think of developing, whether or not they consider themselves competitors; ideas – and threats – can come from any quarter.

The one key takeaway was that it’s not just about doing what you already do, only better – or putting lipstick on the pig! Yes, IT need to be agile and prepared to test and learn, marketing need to think about data driving decisions and operations need to ask customers what they’d really like. And yes you need the right leadership that is prepared to put the right talent (not easy to find) in the right roles to facilitate this change. But fundamentally it’s about re-thinking what your organisation does, why and how. Then using some excellent digital technology to help make the magic happen!

If you enjoyed the above blog then you might also find some of my other blogs interesting:

• Big Data – help or hype?
• 2016: The year of the ‘digital diviners’
• Forget B2B or B2C, it’s actually You2Me
• 1 thing you need to know about digital marketing
• You2Me – the sequel
• 3 things you need to know about careers in 2020

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Author

Jacky Carter

Customer Experience Director, Hays

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With more than 30 years of experience in the staffing industry, Jacky’s expertise spans many aspects of Hays’ business including operations, marketing, RPO and technology.  In her current role Jacky spearheads a number of strategically significant partnerships for Hays including LinkedIn, Xing, Google, GO1, Mya and StackOverflow. Her unique and invaluable remit is to make sense of emerging trends and technology in the HR and broader world, identifying, evaluating and implementing the tools that enable Hays to power the future world of work. Jacky is a well-respected and generous thought leader within the industry, regularly authoring articles and sharing her knowledge and expertise through multiple channels.