DigiTech Magazine - UK CIO2020 - Spring 2015 | Page 14

BUSINESS ....................................................................................................................................................................
TECHNOLOGY
Chasing the Digital Train
The Digital train has left the station.
Its pace has increased exponentially
in the last 5 years. The stations of
eCommerce and big data are well
in the past, as the train ploughs on
– disrupting industry after industry,
building momentum all the time.
For large scale enterprises with
traditional technology systems, who
missed the train, its progress can be
disconcerting and even the concept
of “Digital” appears increasingly
illusive.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
TO GET GOING QUICKLY, SET UP A
SEPARATE DIGITAL FUNCTION
Digital, in this context, is technology that connects
and supports the interaction between businesses
and customers to exchange information. Beyond
that, Digital is about understanding users, building
interactive and engaging products that meet their
needs and being able to respond to their changing
demands. It includes all those things that are
required to create and take a digital product to
market and keep it competitive; from concept to
delivery, operation and continuous improvement.
It requires a team accountable, responsible, and
empowered to improve the product. The companies
that grew out of Digital, like Spotify, Google or
Amazon, can adapt and change at speed to delight
their users. However, most traditional organisations
are not nimble enough to make that change,
allowing organisations like Netflix to fill the voids left
by those such as Blockbuster. • It is easier and quicker to start from scratch
when you need to be radical rather than trying to
change existing ways of working and mind-sets
• This will allow you to experiment and
demonstrate ‘what good looks like’ quickly to the
rest of the organisation
• Digital departments will often require inputs
from different areas of the business, which could
include IT, Marketing, Customer Experience and
Business Operations
• The need to create an artificial divide between
Digital and the rest of the organisation becomes
obsolete once your new function has been
incubated
This article will offer practical tips on how to
successfully build sustainable digital capability in
your organisation. To catch the train and stay ahead
of competitors, you must start with the goal in mind
– deliver quick wins, but make changes that will be
viable in the long term. • Over time, “traditional IT” can evolve to embed
new skills and ways of working
• Marketing will become increasingly reliant on
Digital channels so the need for a division will
become obsolete
LONGER TERM, DIGITAL SHOULD MERGE
WITH EXISTING DEPARTMENTS
START WITH THE GOAL IN MIND