Digital Transformation is the hot topic on everyone's lips, says Anton Cabral, LRMG Performance Agency Digital. Cabral will be speaking at the ITWeb Digital Economy Summit at the Focus Rooms, Sunninghill, on 7 and 8 November.
While many organisations are succumbing to corporate FOMO (fear of missing out) and chasing every digital fad to try and keep ahead of the pack, Cabal says they're often forgetting the most essential factor in realising true digital maturity: their employees, and the employee experience (Ex) they deliver.
ITWeb Events: As the head of a digital agency what role do you play in assisting incumbent business when it comes to them getting ahead in a digital world?
Cabral: Firstly, I believe that people are the most important asset in a business and as such, any drive towards digital has to be with the end-user in mind. They should preferably be involved in determining the essential 'must-have' digital deliverables from the get-go.
Digital for the sake of digital simply does not work. We have been managing tech-FOMO and helping companies determine where they need to transform, and how to effectively transform their businesses to make the most of what digital technology has to offer for years.
Many organisations focus considerable effort on catering to the needs of their clients and customers, but we remind businesses that the first point of successful digital transformation starts with enabling employees at the frontline.
We work with companies to determine where their employees need to be in order to achieve the goals of the business, by articulating what they already have "as is", and then developing a solution to get them from A to digital, where the outcomes are clear and measurable.
ITWeb Events: What role does the employee, company culture etc play in an organisation's journey into the digital age?
Cabral: Employees are central - at least in progressive, forward-thinking organisations - where businesses are setting themselves up for effective digital transformation.
What we do constantly exposes us to real and raw organisational cultures. We've noticed an increasing shift from environments with a siloed internal structure to those that are adopting a philosophy of collaboration between business units, employees and IT.
A collaborative culture leads to organisational agility where employees are able to provide direct feedback that can benefit business decisions. When these inputs are given a voice in refining the digital strategy, digital projects can be delivered in the right context with relevance and optimal functionality, and ultimately elevate organisational performance.
ITWeb Events: Why are businesses being disrupted or having to transition to digital environments? What is the first thing that every business should do before they embark on the digitisation journey?
Cabral: The first thing every business should do is determine a well-defined path to digital transformation.
Transformation is as essential as breathing if businesses want to remain buoyant in a fast-paced Web-enabled economy where people are able to transact and run enterprises from a tablet or cell-phone.
A well-defined digital strategy must be the starting point. It should define future business requirements, new software models, functional architecture, and ultimately present a high-level implementation roadmap to keep the business on-track and focussed.
ITWeb: You mention that an organisation can enhance performance through digital technology?
Cabral: Absolutely. Today's performance eco-system must address three issues that provide intrinsic motivation for humans to up their game and perform better: the ability to display mastery; to be able to execute their responsibilities with purpose; and be equipped to make informed decisions with autonomy and confidence.
Before the introduction of the Web, it might have taken an employee months to attain any of those three 'skills', never mind all of them. But technology now allows businesses to engage with employees quicker, and provide on-demand training and automated digital support that can be accessed from a mobile device - wherever a project may require its workforce to be.
ITWeb Events: Which three technological advances do you think will impact on the way we 'currently' do business?
Cabral: The Internet has opened up so many opportunities for performance enhancement. On the back of this, social media and mobile (which basically go hand-in-hand nowadays) along with the ability to draw immediate analytics on performance and efficiency, allow organisations to make the right decisions at the right time.
Cloud technology also makes information readily available to those that need to be in-the-know wherever they may be. It's essentially the rise of the SMAC stack that's going to give savvy organisations opportunities to innovate more, and drive performance beyond what they achieved in an analogue world.
Many marketers are using the SMAC model to plan campaigns that reach their customer base, but the same should similarly be applied within organisations to engage employees effectively. When it comes to technology, the ability to treat employees as if they were customers and ensure that they have a heightened employee experience (Ex) at every touch point, will dramatically change how companies do business and aim for longevity.
ITWeb Events: Why did you say yes to presenting at the upcoming Digital Economy Summit? What is it that you bring to the table and what do you want attendees to take away with them after your presentation?
The summit provides a platform for like-minded individuals to discuss and share learnings on digital transformation, specifically in the South African context.
In today's highly competitive economy, businesses are not only trying to gain the currency of consumers, they're also fighting to keep their workforce motivated and efficient, staff turnover low, and optimise performance under tight budgets.
Technology creates an opportunity for businesses to engage their workforce like never before, if they know how to use it effectively and if they're empowered with the expertise and tools to do digital transformation well.
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