Business owners and managers receive many messages about digitalization on a daily basis, as shown in the following examples:
"We advise you on defining the right digital strategy"
"We are your best technology partner, hire our services"
"Train your employees to become digitally savvy"
"Ask us for funding for your digitization"
"We can analyze your current level of digitization."
"We manage your digital innovation grants for you"
...
But these messages become ineffective because they run up against a wall, built over many years, that is difficult to tear down. That wall hinders the progress of the digital transformation, at least for 5 reasons which we list here:
1. Lack of awareness of digital challenges becomes a hindrance to developing an appropriate strategy.
Business owners and managers lack the skills to see the impact of a digital strategy on their companies' competitiveness, and they delay decisions until it is sometimes too late.
2. Organizational culture hinders transformation.
As Drucker, the father of management, said: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." An excellent digitalization strategy can end up gathering dust in a drawer because the organization rejects it; the culture expels it like a foreign body.
3. Dissatisfaction with key suppliers.
Although strategic, digitalization is not the company's core business, and it's essential to have various providers, including technology providers, consultants, training specialists, and human resources specialists. Identifying, contracting, and monitoring these key providers is crucial to the success of the digital transformation.
4. Difficulty in attracting, training and retaining talent.
Once the strategy is defined and digitalization has begun, it is the people within the organization who must embrace the changes. To do this, they must be properly recruited, trained, and retained to prevent talent drain.
5. Weaknesses in the management and direction of digital transformation.
This is the true missing link in digital transformation. We can call it many names: systems director, IT director, chief information officer, CTO, CIO, CDO (chief data officer)... but the entire process must be directed and managed by a professional with the right skills, who can ensure costs and deadlines are met, and of course, guarantee the expected result. Quite a task.
Companies that already have this professional are in luck. If they don't have someone on their management team capable of leading change, they're fortunate: they can count on a interim manager who is responsible for directing and managing the digital transformation, for the strictly necessary time and with previously defined objectives.