By failing to involve more general staff, corporate leaders hinder progress of digital transformation
Though businesses are doubling down on digital transformation (DX), employees are often not included in the process. 94% of all employees would like to be more involved in digital transformation. Almost half (44%) say they simply don’t know how to help. This not only disenfranchises some employees, it can also slow the pace of successful digital transformation adoption.
“DX transformations are about culture as well as technology, and that means it’s essential that employees feel included in the process,” said Don Schuerman, CTO, Pegasystems. “Businesses should prioritize the tools and processes that break down operational silos and foster deeper collaboration to ensure all employees come along on this critical journey. By nurturing a vibrant DX culture powered by the right solutions, organizations can help ensure that no employee gets left behind.”
These are the findings of a global research from Futurum Research commissioned by Pegasystems, which surveyed executives, technology leaders, and general employees from over 500 enterprises in North America and Europe on the role company culture in driving DX success.
While businesses are accelerating the pace of digital transformation adoption in the wake of Covid-19, the research shows that many employees want to be part of the solution. However, this enthusiasm notwithstanding, only 10% of general staff strongly agree they know how to contribute to their company’s digital transformation efforts. Interestingly, there is also still confusion at the top: even 14% of CEOs report they don’t know how to get involved.
Holistic Approach to Barriers to Success
A majority of decision-makers (68%) believe that improving the customer experience is the main driver of digital transformation, followed closely by automating existing processes (67%) and improving or updating processes (65%).
Although most ultimately have the same goal, there are a wide variety of obstacles to reach them, such as a lack of adequate skills (42%), partnerships (36%) and budget (36%). These holistic operational issues must be addressed – starting with training or hiring for these skills – to ensure DX success at scale.
Effective digital transformation leadership drives top-down results
Who usually leads the DX charge? Only 18% of respondents believe it’s the CEO compared to 47% who identify the CTO or CIO. But when employees cite the CEO as the DX leader, employees report a more positive perception of DX, which can be helpful in building a stronger DX culture.
For example, 67% of respondents from organizations with CEO-led DX expect to be ‘very effective’ in technology leadership compared to only 51% in CIO-lead organizations and 34% when the CTO leads.
Digital transformation is a journey on which no one should be left behind
It is in the essential fitness of things that company leaders find ways to bring all employees on the digital transformation journey so they feel vested in the outcome
Wider employee participation helps the digital transformation culture permeate through an organization so that businesses can ultimately better serve their customers.