A successful digital transformation starts at the workplace
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, digital transformation has become a top priority for many companies. Digital working and collaboration via a modern workplace are becoming the new norm. But how do you achieve this as an organization?
The way we work is continuously evolving. For instance, AI was long associated with machine learning and automating routine tasks through Robotic Process Automation (RPA) — and now there is Generative AI like ChatGPT. Microsoft will soon introduce the Dutch version of Copilot for Microsoft 365, which takes minutes of meetings, lists tasks, and schedules appointments. This gives AI a permanent role in the workplace.
When a technological innovation makes work easier, its practical application becomes inevitable. Keeping up with this continuous stream of innovations is crucial to remain relevant to your customers. They now expect you to have a website, respond to emails and social media messages, process digital orders, and display invoices online. Soon, they will also expect you to use AI effectively for faster customer service.
Digitalizing work processes is called digital transformation. As a broad concept, digital transformation can be confusing: it encompasses IT, the organization, and the way of working. All three need to be aligned to reap the benefits of digital transformation. This article explains how to successfully implement digital transformation in practice.
ICT as a business enabler
The driving force behind digital transformation is technological innovation, whose ultimate application and impact often only become clear in the long term. Take, for example, the first iPhone, which Steve Jobs presented as the ideal combination of a phone and an iPod. Initially, the device was not seen as the groundbreaking smartphone that, through innovative apps from the App Store, would provide access to internet information and simplify global communication. That came later.
The same happened with Facebook (intended as an online directory for students), Airbnb (started as a website for renting air mattresses), and YouTube (a video platform for online resumes). Ultimately, these companies grew into disruptors in their industries thanks to their ability to innovate. The key that these companies understand well is that ICT is not a cost but an essential part of the organization for delivering products and services. If you fall behind in this regard while your competitors do not, you will eventually lose relevance.
Make digital transformation a priority
Digital transformation should always support the business. This enables customers to find information more quickly and receive assistance, representatives to create tailored quotes more efficiently, and managers to gain unique insights for data-driven decisions. Leadership plays a crucial role in successfully implementing digital transformation. Without vision at the highest level, digital transformation will never receive the strategic attention it needs.
To realize your strategic ambitions and objectives, you also need people. At the tactical level, digital transformation involves attracting and retaining the right people and knowledge within the organization. ICT is a field with a scarcity of talent, making the use of external specialists an important consideration.
Ensure organizational buy-in
Successful digital transformation involves not only technology and infrastructure but also adoption and applicability within the organization. This depends on organizational buy-in. Therefore, involve business people when developing business processes.
At the operational level, digital transformation means changing business processes to improve them. This requires thorough communication with employees: How do you currently do things? What do we think of that? How can we improve? What changes as a result? Only by involving people on the shop floor can you change the organization.
The modern workplace
Digital transformation in the workplace can be reduced to a device that provides access to data and applications and the way you collaborate. This applies whether you offer insurance or sell potatoes worldwide. The choice of device — be it a Windows PC, an iPhone, or an Android tablet — is not so critical. What matters more is what you do on the device: Does it increase productivity? Is company data well protected? And does it facilitate efficient collaboration with colleagues, other departments, or external partners?
By enabling the modern workplace through the cloud, you can work securely and effectively, regardless of location or device. Microsoft Office 365 offers the essential tools and productivity apps that help shape the modern workplace. But here, too, the focus should not be on technology but on business.
DIGITAL365 for digital transformation in practice
Office 365 is a suite with many possibilities. For its setup, Microsoft relies on partners like Digital Survival Company. We noticed that organizations often struggled to streamline their new work processes in Office 365 and, therefore, did not fully benefit from it. This hinders successful digital transformation. That’s why we designed Digital365.
With Digital365, we translate all Microsoft tools and capabilities into the daily reality of users. This process begins by identifying any friction and stumbling blocks on the shop floor. Every organization is different, so the way digital transformation takes shape also varies.
The business must always lead, not the technology. Otherwise, you fall into the doorman fallacy: eliminating an apparently redundant function, such as a doorman, does not lead to efficiency improvement and cost savings. The doorman does much more than just open the door for guests, such as security, reception, and customer service. Replacing the doorman with an automatic door results in a deterioration of service.
Productive and secure digital transformation
The journey to digital transformation is unique for every company. The challenge lies in aligning technical capabilities with business needs. For example, for Stichting BKR, the organization that registers loans and credits, securing personal data is essential. BKR plays an important role in the stability of financial transactions in the Netherlands — optimal security must not disrupt the efficiency of financial markets. We helped BKR ensure these pillars and realize the modern workplace so that BKR can continue to fulfill its role optimally in the future. Ultimately, digital transformation begins at the workplace.
