Digital transformation is the radical overhaul of business processes, strategies, and customer experiences through the integration of technologies. Here are 10 things you need to know.

In this episode we answer questions such as:

• What is Digital Transformation?
• What are the critical factors in a successful transformation?
• What should a practitioner be doing to ensure successful transformation?

Key Highlights:

• Digital transformation is a big, abstract concept that can mean different things to different people (2:00-3:00)
• It’s important to move past the consultant-speak and get to the core idea of shifting culture to use digital technology to provide business value, rather than just mechanical processes (3:00-4:00)
• Different executives care about different aspects – CEOs care about digital business models, CMOs care about digital experience, COOs care about automation and operations (9:00-11:00)
• True digital transformation requires changing leadership, culture, technology landscape, and business models together (11:00-13:00)
• Companies are past asking “why” do digital transformation and are now asking “how” to make it real (17:00-18:00)
• Digital transformation is not just a “thing” but a set of practices and methodologies to achieve outcomes – it’s more of a verb than a noun (26:00-27:00)
• Opportunities for digital transformation include finding ways to deliver better information and transparency to customers (28:00-29:00)
• To drive change, you have to be the change agent and get out of your comfort zone (31:00-32:00)
• Digital transformation requires commitment from top to bottom to see it through (32:00-33:00)

10 Takeaways:

1. Digital transformation is a big, abstract concept that can mean different things to different people. It’s important to define it and “dispel the consultant speak.”
2. Pre-digital world, we interacted with companies in limited ways but didn’t know any better. Now our expectations are shaped by digital-first companies like Google, Amazon, etc.
3. For large enterprises, their processes, technology, people, and culture were built for the pre-digital world. Transforming all those things together is truly digital transformation.
4. To the C-suite, digital transformation is about new digital business models to avoid disruption. To the CMO, it’s about digital experience. To the COO, it’s using technologies like AI for operations.
5. Consulting companies need to actually invest in capabilities and change behaviors, not just talk, to make digital transformation happen.
6. It’s largely a cultural shift to using digital human-computer interaction to provide business value instead of just mechanical interactions.
7. Companies need to re-examine their business models, culture, leadership, etc. on an ongoing basis – digital is just the latest wave enabling transformation.
8. Practitioners should view digital transformation as a verb, not a noun – a means to an end of delivering business value. Become the change agent.
9. Identify what your company excels at and ask “what if we’re wrong?” Look for blind spots and opportunities for disruption.
10. It requires becoming both a people person and technical expert. Orbit the organizational “hairball” to drive change.

Check out the Audio-only version of this episode!
Episode 02 – Audio Only