After thousands of organizations were forced to digitally transform during the COVID-19 pandemic, many leaders are wondering what’s next. While the adoption of digital transformation accelerates, the pandemic also continues to present challenges to organizations’ digital transformation plans. As such, leaders should prepare to deal with the unexpected, embrace new processes and innovations, and let go of what’s no longer working.
How Will Digital Transformation Evolve?
While 2022 will be a year of the unexpected, there are some things you can anticipate. Below are eight expert insights on what leaders can expect on the digital transformation front, according to Enterprisers Projects:
- An increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) as companies seek to cut costs through automation
- Increased adoption of workflow automation
- Data will play an ever increasing role in business processes
- CIOs will have to determine how to “create transparency and guidelines around the application of AI”
- Machine learning will continue to mature and become an increasingly viable solution for organizations’ digital transformation needs
- Cloud technology will start to become an enabler, rather than a transporter, of innovation
- The transition to remote work and hybrid environments will become a permanent fixture for many companies, which will allow organizations to invest time and resources in other priorities
- Traditionally seen as an afterthought, cyber security will become an essential component of decision making
Three Ways to Build a Culture Around Digital Transformation
While the technical aspects of your organization’s digital transformation will play a big role in its success, the human element is equally fundamental, if not more so. Sonita Lontoh, an award-winning Fortune 100 executive, told Fast Company that leaders can create a culture of innovation at their organizations by:
Making innovation enjoyable:
Introduce fun, team-building exercises that give employees an opportunity to share perspectives and think of their own ideas. “For example, every quarter, you could have a ‘Shark Tank’-style meeting where people go into different groups to ideate and come back to present an innovative idea they’ve brainstormed,” suggests Lontoh.
Making innovations a part of daily life:
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that innovation is separate from your everyday operations. “Time and again, I have witnessed how people come up with all kinds of creative and innovative ideas when they are trying to solve everyday problems, or when there is a crisis,” Lontoh states.
Include people from different disciplines and backgrounds: By bringing employees together from different disciplines, you can create what Lontoh calls “value networks” that utilize the talents of the entire network instead of individuals.
Digital transformation is a new reality with no end in sight. Is your organization ready to handle the next wave of technical and cultural change this transformation will bring?
Prepare Your Organization for Digital Transformation
Get your organization ready for digital transformation. The IEEE five-course program, Digital Transformation: Moving Toward a Digital Society, aims to foster a discussion around how digital transformation can transform various industries while also providing the background knowledge needed to smartly implement digital tools into organizations.
Contact an IEEE Account Specialist to get organizational access, or check it out for yourself on the IEEE Learning Network.
Resources
Lontoh, Sonita. (31 January 2022.) Customer-centric innovation and digital transformation. Fast Company.
Overby, Stephanie. (25 January 2022). Digital transformation: 5 future and 3 fading trends for 2022. Enterprisers Project.
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