How to navigate the impact of digital transformation with your employees

Few organizations are immune to the pressure of digital transformation through the adoption of new technologies in the workplace. The changing demands of customers and the rapid evolution of technology requires companies to adapt quickly or risk irrelevance. These changes can either motivate employees or disengage them. Digital transformation requires a clear vision, solid strategy and employees who are willing to embrace the effort and bring the vision to fruition.

Leaders must recognize areas of emotional and mental dissonance that accompanies digital transformation within their teams. For some, digital transformation may create feelings of anxiety, insecurity and inadequacy. For others, it may be energized and exciting and they may feel a deep sense of purpose or significance. You may even find the same user vacillating between these two spectrums at different times throughout the process. 

A few of the positive impacts of digital transformation include:

• New opportunities for organizational and personal growth
• Freedom from antiquated processes and technology
• Freedom from the shackles of “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”
• A renewed sense of possibility, curiosity and feeling of momentum
• Improvement to efficiency, service and “how we work”
• Stronger relationships outside of the traditional silos as digital transformation typically spans the entire organization

  Some of the perceived negative impacts include:

• Employee disengagement, as many deal with anxiety and burnout
• Confusion of roles, responsibility and procedures
• Skill deficiencies with little time to improve them
• Support overload, as it is rare that older systems are replaced 1:1 with new systems
• Losing the sense of community within your own department or team

In Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, Chip and Dan Heath provide a framework for managing change that I have referenced throughout my career.  They use the image of an elephant and a rider, where the rider represents logic and the elephant represents emotions.  Together, they must make the journey down the path (the situation) to transformation. 

As a leader, you must appeal to both the logic and emotions of your employees while helping to shape the path to the goal. 

Using the “Switch” framework, here are a few suggestions for leaders embarking on a digital transformation effort. 

Direct the Rider (logic)

• Clarify the purpose and goal of the digital transformation.
• Clearly articulate the value and benefits of the change. The value should be meaningful to the organization and the individual employee.
• Embrace questions and open discussion about the effort to further clarify the goal for your employees.
• Solicit employee input and ideas on how to make the change happen successfully.
• Highlight progress and emphasize the “bright spots” or the behaviors and activities that positively contribute toward the desired change.

Motivate the Elephant (emotions)

• Find ways to generate excitement about the change through incentives, celebrations, group challenges and individual challenges.
• Highlight the significance of each individual in the process. Recognition of the small changes and achievements often propels growth and adoption.
• Don’t overlook individuals who may not be impacted or involved in the specific transformation effort. Be sure they still feel seen and valued, as they may be the biggest cultural cheerleaders (or detractors) in this effort.
• Recognize the feelings of anxiety, confusion and fear. Give them space to talk through the change honestly and openly. Respond with encouragement and celebrate the small victories.
• Find ways to “shrink the change” into smaller steps so that the tasks are not as overwhelming.

Shape the Path (the situation)

• Provide the right resources to help them succeed. This includes training opportunities, coaching and additional support and feedback along the way.
• Help build habits that reinforce the transformation.
• Make the right behaviors easier than persisting in the wrong ones. Determine ways to structure current processes or responsibilities in a way that support the digital transformation effort.

 Digital transformation takes a significant amount of energy to implement and adopt throughout an organization. Understanding and navigating the emotional environment and identifying ways to help support and celebrate your teams through the change is critical to success. 

As reflected in the quote, “culture eats strategy for breakfast,” even the most well-built strategy and plan for digital transformation will be threatened if you fail to recognize and address the impact to your employees and your organizational culture.