6 considerations for new IT leaders in digital transformation

The process of digital transformation can be daunting, even for experienced IT professionals. For the new IT leader of the enterprise, it is necessary to obtain some advice and take measures to get the company's digital transformation plan on track.

In recent years, digital transformation has become more and more common among large enterprises, and the spreading coronavirus epidemic has accelerated digital transformation plans in small vertical sectors. Under normal circumstances, implementing digital transformation is also very stressful and complicated for enterprises. Because the epidemic has changed the way consumers behave and puts pressure on companies to adapt quickly to survive, new IT leaders are more likely to make mistakes that may adversely affect business operations.

If they are committed to leading the implementation of digital transformation to overcome the crisis brought about by the epidemic, then the following six precautions can provide help and guidance.

3 situations to avoid in the process of digital transformation

(1) No people-oriented

Many leaders believe that digital transformation is driven by emerging technologies, but employees and customers are also deciding factors. Therefore, people must always be at the center of the company's digital transformation plan. After all, operating a business, using technology and innovating is inseparable from the joint efforts of people.

Amazon and Apple are two companies that have done a good job in implementing customer-centric strategies. When planning a vision for change, an enterprise must put people first.

(2) Can't blindly follow suit

Although emerging technologies should not drive the digital transformation needs of enterprises, they should choose technologies that contribute to digital transformation. Don’t make the mistake of blindly following the trend—for example, just because conversational artificial intelligence is the latest technology trend does not mean that this technology is helpful to the business or its customers. Let the development team focus on the technology that the company needs, rather than the latest trends.

(3) Unbalanced team composition

The more people who participate in the enterprise's digital transformation plan, the more support it will receive. The more talents a company has, the more professional knowledge and skills it will acquire in the process of digital transformation.

IT leaders integrate existing teams into the digital transformation process in order to make full use of everyone's knowledge and skills. When the participants of a digital transformation plan include people who offer different perspectives and areas of expertise, success will usually be achieved. It is important to ensure that the experts in the team exhibit specific attributes that support the ultimate goal of the company. For example, IT experts, chief information officers, third-party suppliers, human resources personnel, and middle and senior managers in the digital transformation team.

3 key issues that need to be implemented in the digital transformation process

(1) Clearly communicate the goals of digital transformation

Digital transformation can be daunting, especially when it comes to automation. Employees may feel uncertain about the process and frustrated because of information overload, and some may even feel that their jobs are threatened by emerging technologies​​. As a leader, his job is to prevent this fear and burnout from employees by implementing a strong communication plan that outlines clear goals.

In order to achieve this, leaders need to:

• Communicate digital transformation goals as early as possible.

• By providing information about the benefits of digital transformation, anticipate problems and resistances encountered and resolve them quickly.

• Not only explain what the digital transformation is doing, but also why it is doing it.

(2) Prioritize employee experience

Employees are the company's greatest asset. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize the employee experience during the digital transformation process, as this may greatly promote the success of the digital transformation. Employees who benefit from the change will support the change and contribute to a better working environment.

Improving the employee experience can:

• Maximize employee engagement.

•Help employees develop their careers.

• Carry out education and training to improve employee skills.

(3) Define success goals and benchmarks

IT leaders leading the digital transformation have to ask themselves some questions: Why do you want to make this transformation? What do you want from the digital transformation? How to measure success in the end?

Answering these questions will enable it to track progress and communicate with the team on improvements. Setting goals and benchmarks will help develop strategies to guide the implementation of new technologies.

Some indicators to pay attention to include training results (the number of people trained in the organization), project results (the number of projects that use design thinking), and customer satisfaction (response to specific tasks, usability indicators, etc.).

It is undeniable that the way many companies manage their daily work processes has now undergone a transformation, which is a true digital transformation. Digital transformation brings huge competitive advantages to enterprises that fully implement digitalization. For leaders entering the field of digital transformation for the first time, the above suggestions will help guide their teams to implement digital transformation.

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