The Key To Digital Success: People And Adaptability

The Key To Digital Success: People And Adaptability

During a recent discussion, what was at once both a simple yet complex question was posed; what is the key to successful digital transformation?

The simplicity is that it is a fairly straightforward question. However, the complexity arises when you consider the findings of numerous surveys that suggest that for many organizations digital transformation remains an exciting yet elusive promise. In other words, most organizations recognize the need and for some the potential competitive threats if they don’t implement a digital strategy, but the realization of knowing how to execute is proving to be a challenge for many companies.

So what is the challenge?

Quite simply it is people, and more specifically people who possess the skill sets to not only set the strategic direction for digital transformation but deliver from the standpoint of tactical execution.

The Power Of The Team

In an earlier Activate Digital 2019 article Long View’s CEO Brent Allison commented on “the role that teamwork and role players play in winning and achieving success.” Very few would find disagreement with his statement. The fact is that the more technologically advanced we become, the greater the need for talented people to drive the promise and subsequent value of that technology. When it comes to the need for quality people, we are all operating on a level playing field. In this context, the competitive differentiator is not one of technological superiority but talent development and retention.

Healthy Lives, Prosperous Careers

Creating a healthy work environment in which people’s careers can thrive is a given if organizations hope to realize their objectives so no, this isn’t a recruiting article – although if you are looking for an exciting and rewarding career be sure to give us a call.

What this is about is the recognition that quality people working within a creative forward thinking environment will be able to deliver greater value to the end customer. It is this belief that is at the heart of Brent’s statement as well as a key tenet of the Long View digital perspective and mission statement.

Let’s face it, this is not a check the box and deliver a product world anymore. In the emerging digital age, a good deal of the work that we are doing with clients we are both doing for the first time. Industry experts such as Andy Akrouch refer to this as future sourcing. The challenge, of course, is that no one wants to be the first which is the reason why the surveys above seem to indicate that organizations are in a digital holding pattern. It is also the reason why having the right people or team is so important. Having a deeper understanding of the client business model provides the pathway to digital success, as does the ability for service providers to culturally integrate with their clients. And it is these last two capabilities that transcend nascent digital opportunities into realizable and tangible outcomes.

Adaptability = Digital Success

From an organizational standpoint, digital scalability it turns out is not solely technologically dependent, but reliant on the business experience and technical evolution of its people.

One of the most important areas of focus at Activate Digital 2019, is providing business know-how with digital insights to drive your success in what is becoming an increasingly complex and competitive marketplace.

While technology will continue to change and provide transformational opportunities, the foundation of consistent success is the ability to adapt to that changing reality. Having the right people in the right place at the right time means that you have a dynamic team that will understand your unique business challenges and will be able to adapt the technology to you rather than having you adapt to the technology. In the end, the ability to adapt is a reflection of your digital readiness. Therefore the real question that matters is simply this; is your organization and more importantly your people digital ready?

By attending Activate Digital 2019, you will get the answer to that question and more.

Use the following link to join us in Mississauga on February 28th, 2019 at Activate Digital 2019.