Digital TransformationPart 11

Often, organisations expect the CIO to completely transform the business, taking little responsibility themselves. The whole leadership team must take responsibility for that change. Culture kills innovation & business culture is usually the main inhibitor to change; so a good starting point is to ensure the organisation is change ready.

Another key ingredient that sits firmly with the CIO is effective stakeholder management. Get this wrong from the outset & the CIO risks becoming the scapegoat when the digital transformation is not achieved, so it is important to set clear expectations from the start.

Don’t just think IT, think; People, Process & Technology. If organisations are serious about digital transformation, then everyone needs to get on board. Organisations must reflect on its purpose. Why does it do what it does? What it is trying to achieve? What are the immediate end goals and what is the future goal? How does the organisation become more agile to cope with the unforeseen external impacts of social, political, economic and environmental issues? How does it ensure business continuity and longevity?

To address all these points, the organisation must fully understand how the current operating model works, where it works well and importantly where it needs to be improved. Only then can it begin to plan for its transformation, which will have an initial phase with clearly defined deliverables and subsequent phases which include continuous improvement as the operating model is refined, as new technologies are identified and embraced, and as client demands change.

Irrespective of where you or your organisation is with its business or digital transformation initiatives, we can support your transformation activities by conducting a discovery exercise, create proposals recommending actions, lead or help lead you through various stages of the initiative. Please contact us for more information or to arrange an initial conversation to discuss how we can help.