Have you heard or know what digital transformation is? This topic has become increasingly relevant and has become even more evident due to the pandemic caused by Covid-19.
Basically, digital transformation is about restructuring the processes of companies, which are dedicated to developing a digital culture in order to increase their earnings and productivity.
Digital transformation in companies is a way to take advantage of what the digital environment has to offer! So, if you want to know what digital transformation is, what its advantages are and how to apply it in companies, keep reading this post!
What is digital transformation?
Carrying out a digital transformation implies the restructuring of a company’s processes. To do so, it needs to make structural changes, positioning technology as a central element. The company undergoing digital transformation implements a digital mindset in all its areas and sectors.
The fact that your company is already present on the internet and social networks, for example, and uses technological resources such as the cloud, does not necessarily mean that it has undergone digital transformation, as the transformation requires a more radical type of change, which can be longer and require higher investments. It is necessary to remember that every company can undergo digital transformation, not just large companies with a lot of capital or technology companies.
Transformation is not only a technological issue but also a management issue. Therefore, it is necessary that it happen from the top of the company, and not from the IT sector since it requires investment and planning that covers the company in general.
Pillars of digital transformation
Regardless of the product or service offered, the company undergoing digital transformation has production and marketing processes that follow a digital logic. Below, we list the pillars of digital transformation that meet this logic. Check out:
Consumer Focus: Knowing the tastes and preferences of consumers is becoming easier, and the company needs to work based on this information;
Feedback: It is important that companies pay attention to the feedback offered by consumers to reduce their mistakes and invest in what they are doing right;
Agility: All processes – such as studying, producing and launching a product, getting feedback, correcting errors, etc
Adaptation to change: Processes need to be agile because contexts are constantly changing. The company needs to be resilient to adapt to new contexts and make the necessary changes.
Difficulties and challenges
It is not always easy to carry out a process of digital transformation in companies, as it is common for difficulties and challenges to arise along the way. One of the biggest challenges is precisely the lack of initiative. Many companies even want to carry out digital transformation, but do not take the process seriously. Sometimes they leave the process behind, even with the transformation already taking place.
Other difficulties that can arise are the lack of people to lead the transformation, lack of technical skills to meet the demand, and employees having difficulty dealing with the necessary technology. To resolve these issues, it is essential that the company invests in qualified people and in training for those who already work.
Do you want to find out how to adopt digital transformation in companies and circumvent the difficulties involved in the process? Check it out below!
How to adopt digital transformation in companies?
- Rethink the business
As the change comes from above and encompasses all sectors of the company, it is a structural change, not an operational one. Therefore, the first step is to redefine the company’s strategy by turning to the digital world.
Conduct a market analysis and understand how new technologies can impact the business. By understanding the context, possibilities, and problems, it is easier to define where the company wants and can go. In short, this step is about imagining a future scenario and drawing up a plan to achieve that goal.
- Make a cultural change
The company that really wants to make the digital transformation cannot just make plans, it needs those involved to buy into its idea. Therefore, the company culture must be changed. It may not seem necessary, but digital transformation and all planned goals can be completely frustrated if there is no buy-in on the part of those involved.
Also, just because it’s a digital revolution doesn’t mean you should just target the IT sector. The company as a whole, including all areas, sectors, and teams, must be engaged and united in favor of digital transformation. Everyone needs to be a part of this transformation. For this, it is essential that the IT sector talks with the other departments, so that they can plan together the strategies to digitize the processes and meet the demands of each sector.
- Help employees develop their skills
Being able to implement an innovation implies technical training. Therefore, when a company wants to start a new approach, it needs to promote the development of the skills of its employees.
Observe the demand for skills and invest in training and qualification of teams so that they are able to meet the new needs of the company.
- Reevaluate the processes
It is very likely that your company has processes that have been going on in the same way for a long time. However, it is necessary to reassess these processes. Analyze products, services, launches, studies, etc. Are they really adequate to the current reality of the company? Check that any process cannot be modified and thus increase productivity and business gains.
- Test new options
How about implementing something based on user experience? While digital transformation doesn’t stop there, it’s a great way to start the transformation. After reassessing and rethinking processes, choose one and test options that use technology to improve it.
Keep testing possibilities and evaluating their impact on processes. This analysis will serve as the basis for provoking greater and more significant innovations.
- Switch offline processes to digital processes
Invest in digital processes and migrate from offline to online. For example, instead of scheduling regular meetings, use process management tools like Trello and Slack. These tools allow monitoring the progress of projects, facilitating communication between employees and managers and streamlining processes.
- Use technology wisely
For many years, technology was seen only as a means. Today, it is already known that technology can be applied with much more intelligence and seen not only as an aid, but as a fundamental part of management and decision-making.
Management-based management, for example, is a methodology that has been adopted for years, but it is prone to errors. Currently, there are Big Data and Business Intelligence tools that process a large volume of internal and external data and are capable of designing scenarios, predicting trends, and anticipating market behavior. Management based on this data, for example, uses technology intelligently and can change the company’s direction.
In addition, there are many ways a business can benefit from the nuances offered by technology.
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