Before you take a read through 6 simple ways you can get involvement in Digital Transformation, you may want to check out our business strategy blogs on scenario planning, porters 5 force analysis or change management.

What is Digital Transformation?

When implemented correctly, digital transformation can forever change how a business does things. It can also open new ways of delivering value to customers, enhancing their experience with the company.

Digital transformation is defined as the use of technology to radically improve business performance or deliver value to customers. Therefore, businesses can strive to become operationally excellent and improve their efficiency by taking advantage of this concept. 

There are several ways to ensure successful digital transformation and avoid falling into the category of the 70% or more of digital transformation initiatives that are currently failing. The Key phrases or areas that need the most attention are communication, collaboration, and involvement.

This blog will focus on one of these areas and discuss how you can involve your customers or employees in a digital transformation project.

How to get people involved in Digital Transformation 

One of the most overlooked concepts within digital transformation is how the involvement of either your customers or employees can impact your likelihood of success.

Let’s take a look at the ways you can ensure involvement to your digital transformation project. 

Encouraging collaboration in Digital Transformation

One way to strategize for key involvement in your digital transformation initiative is to encourage collaboration with your senior leaders. These individuals are more likely to have a shared vision of the business’s future, and their input will help you align the digital transformation strategy with the company’s vision.

Because digital transformation will affect the company as a whole, this is going to be very important. Therefore, during the early stages of the transformation, you will need to set arrangements in place to encourage direction and input from management and ensure they buy into the vision as a whole. 

Questions you might ask yourself at this stage;

1. Do your key leaders have a clear understanding of your vision?
2. Do each of your management team buy into your overall plans?
3. Have you defined the roles and responsibilities of these individuals?

Communication in Digital Transformation

Communication will become one key to the smoothness of your digital transformation project. You will need to communicate extensively to ensure everyone clearly understands the process and how they can be involved with each stage. 

This will involve you setting up group meetings to create awareness and understanding of your overall vision. You will also want to set up group feedback sessions to receive informative feedback and analysis of the new technology being implemented. 

Questions you might ask yourself at this stage;

1. Have you opened clear and transparent communication channels?
2. Are your employees or customers clear of what your goals and objectives are?
3. Do they understand how their input can impact the likelihood of achieving these goals?

Building a culture of experimentation in Digital Transformation

During a digital transformation you want to be open to accepting there will be challenges and be prepared to overcome these. Building a culture of experimentation where employees are open to making mistakes and learning from them will be the best way to get the most out of the new technology being introduced.

Fail fast, learn fast is a concept in business strategy and culture and the more open your company can become to accepting this and embracing it, the higher your success rate.

1. Are your employees or customers open to facing challenges?
2. Do your employees or customers show an ability to adapt to a new culture?
3. Do you understand how to motivate these individuals to embrace the new ways of working?

Sharing progress at different stages in Digital Transformation

Sharing your progress and keeping everyone in line with how the project is performing will be key to the results you receive. Within this step you may also want to celebrate early wins to ensure you are keeping your teams motivated. Throughout the project also demonstrate success through using different individuals as positive examples. 

1. Can you identify those individuals acting in line with the process?
2. Can you create a rewards or incentive system?
3. Can you set up ways to recognise and praise positive behaviour?

Inspiring others in Digital Transformation

If you are in the position of directing a digital transformation project you should be in the position to inspire employees or customers to act in line with the desired outcome of the project.

You can do this by being enthusiastic, over emphasising the importance of the project for the business, and showing how the end outcome will have a positive impact on how people are currently doing things i.e. how it is making their job role easier. 

1. Do you employees or customers feel valued?
2. Have you made it clear what roles and responsibilities each individual should carry out?
3. Have you inspired others to share ideas, work in teams and enjoy the overall process?

Training and support in Digital Transformation

With the final step it’s important that your employees/customers have the resources in place to perform effectively in terms of the new ways of working. Therefore setting up training facilities, informative sessions or providing them with the access to tools will be key to the overall performance of the project. 

1. Do you employees of customers have a clear and transparent on how to use the new technology?
2. Do these stakeholders have the ability to communicate any problems?
3. Have you put the tools and facilities in place for ongoing support and guidance when technology has been implemented?

Involvement in Digital Transformation: Summary

That’s an overview of 6 different ways you can encourage involvement within a Digital Transformation initiative. If you would like some support and guidance in around this, or other areas within Digital Transformation, contact ProfileTree today and we would be happy to help. Don’t be afraid to check out our videos on our Youtube Channel too.