TECHNOLOGYBUSINESS ....................................................................................................................................................................
TECHNOLOGYBUSINESS ....................................................................................................................................................................
5 steps to making digital transformation a business reality
How businesses can identify and overcome the barriers to digital transformation
For more information contact : ben . grinnell @ northhighland . com or alex . bombeck @ northhighland . com
“ At its core , a digital organisation is just an organisation that ’ s free from silos and is eager to rise to new technological challenges ”
According to research conducted by North Highland , 84 % of company leaders think digital innovation is important to their business today while 86 % think it ’ s important to their future .
However only one quarter feel like they are leading their industry when it comes to digital strategy . And a recent study found that two-thirds of C-suite executives say their enterprises have a weak digital-physical strategy or no digital-physical strategy at all .
Despite the critical role of digital , many businesses are clearly still struggling with how to move forward . This is likely because there is a lack of meaningful “ how to ” guides that show the step-by-step process of making digital work in practice .
This is especially relevant because , unfortunately , when an organisation falls behind the digital curve , it ’ s often C-suite leaders who take the blame . Digital transformation is the process all companies must go through to operate effectively in today ’ s rapidly changing environment .
Digital transformation isn ’ t about the individual channel customers can use to interact with a brand . At its core , a digital organisation is simply an organisation that ’ s free from silos and that is eager to rise to new technological challenges .
Customers deserve a consistent brand experience in-store and online , which means there must be one version of the truth across all platforms .
Forrester research found that companies that made customer-centric investments saw increased efficiencies from simplifying processes , breaking down silos and empowering customers .
Digital transformation is a process in which businesses make iterative changes that require a smaller investment – and produce faster results – each time .
The key steps to making digital transformation a reality for a company include assessing and aligning the organisation , mapping the customer journey , building an agile environment and removing barriers to entry .
Companies know that they need to head in this direction , but many get hung up along the way . How can they identify and overcome the barriers to becoming digital ? There are five steps to follow to make digital transformation a reality at your company :
26 CIO Magazine Autumn 2015 Issue