Is There a Highway Leading to Digital Transformation Destination?

By Sangeeta Krishnan, Data Solutions Lead @ Daugherty Business Solutions

Have you made fewer trips to the grocery shop in recent years?

Consumer purchasing habits have evolved dramatically in the past few years of COVID, with consumers purchasing items online in unprecedented numbers. This necessitated making digital transformation a priority rather than a wish list item. Every company, regardless of industry, must have digitally accessible products and services. According to Forbes, despite a strong focus on digital transformation, the majority of digital transformation projects fail.

The Digital Transformation Challenge:

• Most digital transformation initiatives strive to integrate technology into all aspects of a company’s operations to improve anything from customer happiness to new revenue opportunities.
• This has created a data minefield that must be decoded in order to realize the benefits of digital transformation.
• Company culture and lack of data literacy are two important factors that contribute to failure.
• As the famous saying by management consultant Peter Drucker goes “Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast”, any digital transformation strategy will miserably fail without cultural change. Investing in the most cutting-edge tools for digital transformation will provide no results unless the organization’s employees understand and accept the change.
• Digital transformation will be a waste of money unless there is a certain level of data literacy and a data-driven culture.

Is there a way to succeed in digital transformation, despite the different causes for failure?

• Data Literacy is the highway that can lead to a successful digital transformation destination.
• Think “Data as a product instead of byproduct” during your digital journey.
• Provide opportunities for individuals to upskill or reskill to develop data competency.
• Not everyone wants to move outside of their comfort zone to use data, and it’s important to recognize that and provide training to help such people along the way.
• To encourage people to try to gain data literacy, communicate and appreciate little victories.