When technology advances so quickly, how can we make a smoothly administrative change through digital transformation? One thing is for sure: we should never make an administrative change abruptly, especially with a digital transformation that encompasses a lot of new technologies in the work environment.
Basically, a digital transformation aims to improve efficiency and provide greater innovation to a company's business, whether it is already consolidated in the market or just recently founded through maximizing the use of digital technologies.
On the other hand, change management is a structural process adopted by companies to remain competitive, especially in situations where there is a significant and unexpected change in the market share.
Key aspects of digital transformation
Change of procedures and business model: By optimizing old and creating new processes and business models.
Advance of innovative technical resources: Through implementation of new technologies by prioritizing management and security of company and customer data.
Rethinking of people and company culture: By widening company culture and adapting employees skills to learning and adoption of new technologies.
Improvement of customer experience: Through increasing of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Key aspects of change management
- Preparation: Setting the GAS (Goals, Assessment and Scope) plan.
- Communication: Opening the dialogue and feedback among all stakeholders.
- Commitment: Pursuing the IDEAL (Identification, Determination, Establishment, Addressing and Leading) stakeholder engagement.
- Progress: Developing and providing the appropriate training and skills needed to carry out the change management.
- Change: Accomplishing the needed change management by emphasizing, on a daily basis, the communication and commitment of all stakeholders.
- Observation: Monitoring the development of all stakeholders training and skills, and modifying it with the purpose to achieve the change management as previously planned.
Two questions should be asked to understand the strong binding between digital transformation and change management:
- Is digital transformation needed to make an efficient change management?
- Is change management needed to accomplish a full digital transformation?
A complete digital transformation involves a profound change in the way all stakeholders interact with each other within the work organization.
For a management change to happen smoothly and seamlessly, without the need for a course correction, a detailed explanation of each digital technology to be integrated into the work environment is essential.
Furthermore, it is recommended that several digital technologies should not be introduced into the company at the same time. The safest and most advisable thing to do is to introduce each one separately so that the change management is not negatively affected.
For example, imagine what would happen if big data analytics, cloud computing and artificial intelligence were introduced into the workplace at the same time.
Therefore, if we want a change management to be carried out correctly and quickly, then we must always bear in mind that any digital transformation cannot be done abruptly and imposed from the top down without the effective participation of all stakeholders within the workplace.