Digitalization is so important in modern business. We live in a digital world, so businesses that aren’t up to speed could experience diminishing profits.
Resisting digitalization is a huge risk. But adopting it is a massive opportunity. You know the incredible benefits it can bring. But let me remind you.
- Increased speed and agility
- Cost savings
- Global reach
Digitalizing your organization can give you an advantage over your competitors. In short, it allows you to do things better, faster, and cheaper.
Resistance to digitalization
Despite these benefits, digitalization is often met with resistance. You may have experienced this yourself.
Take the Oil & Gas industry, for example. At Offshore Europe 2017, attendees were encouraged to embrace big data and automation. In fact, speakers presented digitalization as a way to save business in the North Sea. But companies were still reluctant to do it.
General Electric Chairman Jeff Immelt said it succinctly in an interview with McKinseys:
Industrial companies are in the information business whether they want to be or not.
Industrial businesses have never been early adopters of technology. But they’re not alone in their reluctance to change. Going digital involves the adoption of new systems, roles, and processes. And with that comes a fear of the unknown, regardless of sector.
Major business changes like digitalization are frequently perceived as threats, not opportunities. This can make the job more challenging for Change Managers. As well as managing the transition, they must persuade stakeholders it’s a positive thing.
That is no easy task. It’s a communications issue. And if Change Managers can’t communicate the benefits of digital to the bottom line, CEOs will not go ahead.
So how can CIOs present this mammoth undertaking in a way that is convincing and appealing?
Presenting digitalization to CEOs
The first step is to think like a CEO. You’ve got to know your audience and understand what they care about.
A massive 86% of global CEOs worry about the innovation shaping their company’s future. Not just the innovation, but the disruption. These two factors go hand in hand. You need to reassure your CEO that innovation is possible without disruption.
In fact, 85% of CEOs worry about how to integrate basic automated business processes. Your job is to ease this concern.
Those same CEOs identified technology as the biggest factor contributing to company growth. And 70% believe they need to improve their data and analytics capabilities. So it’s already on their minds. They know that digital is powerful. They want it, but they worry about it.
So to get buy in, Change Managers and CIOs need to make digitalization as easy as possible.
Having a strategy in place to make the transition seamless is key to getting support. Tools that make it a positive experience help to get cooperation from all parties.
How to win over other stakeholders
First, give employees and other stakeholders time to understand and accept the changes.
Secondly, people must be kept informed about the impending transition. Communication plays a vital role in this. From the moment it is approved, communication must be clear and regular.
Video can be a great way to communicate complex changes. But it must be distributed in a way that does not impact corporate network resources. It must be time-specific, accessible regardless of geography, and engaging in its message.
Thirdly, employees should be well trained in the new technologies, activities, and procedures. This is an ongoing process. Some may call it “hand-holding”. You can call it what you like, but it needs to happen if adoption is to be successful.
Making the transition seamless
Going digital can be a complex and lengthy process. But there’s no reason it needs to be. There are tools out there to make the transition easier.
To make it a seamless and positive experience, you should use a Digital Adoption Platform (DAP). A DAP can ease the transition in ways you can’t. It can also make stakeholders feel a lot more comfortable throughout the process.
Let’s say you need to onboard new Salesforce users in China. But you’re based in the US. Getting the new users up to speed is going to take a lot of time. Time zone differences and geographical separation can make the process frustrating and unpleasant.
A DAP like WalkMe allows your China users to get help right away. There’s no need to wait a whole day to hear back from US colleagues. It’s easy to create walk-throughs using a DAP. So the answers are right there within the platform. You can cut adoption time in half, if not more.
Using a DAP is our number 1 tip for a seamless and positive digitalization experience. It’s a strategy that will put your CEO’s mind at ease. And it will make the changes a lot easier to handle.
