When it comes to launching digital transformation in the company, we often run into the problem that the organization is not ready to innovate. However, innovation is the key to carry out a true digital transformation that goes beyond the simple implementation of some technologies.
Promoting a culture of innovation in the company is a critical element to avoid the failure of digital initiatives. If you are going to undertake a digital transformation project, you must ensure that your company culture is innovative enough.
If this culture does not exist in your company, stop and work on this change first. Keep in mind that you are going to have to change behaviors that have settled over time, so you must arm yourself with patience and a suitable strategy to reach a successful conclusion.
Recognizing the importance of the existing culture and preserving its strengths will help you start the journey on a solid base on which, in addition, the entire organization will feel identified. Keep in mind that even the biggest flaws in your organization are nothing more than a flawed development of a vision that was initially as good as any other.
Look for the authentic pillars on which to develop the new culture within your organization. Identify those departments and employees that start from a position and a mindset more aligned with innovation and use them to germ to expand their culture throughout the company.
The management of the company must lead the cultural change towards innovation. If they do not display innovative behaviors and are not able to adequately communicate the strategy, how do they expect the organization to change?
However, they cannot carry out this task alone either. It is necessary that they involve all the leaders of the organization, ensuring their commitment and alignment with the new culture of innovation. Ultimately, it is the leaders who help transmit and develop this initiative to teams and individuals.
Nor should you forget to incorporate clients into the process, involving them and understanding the very important role they play in each innovative project, which is ultimately intended to satisfy their needs and improve their experience with our products and services.
If people do not understand why culture change is taking place, it is difficult for them to want to change, and that causes significant resistance to change. That is why it is important to communicate the objectives and the reasons for the change. They need to understand, for example, that the competition is one step ahead of us and we are losing the trust of our customers. Then we can motivate them to be part of the transformation we need.
People work harder if they recognize how their effort contributes to the organization's goals and if they feel rewarded for the value they bring to those goals. Therefore, it is important to connect the change with the mission of the company and how it contributes to benefit the organization itself, employees, and society. It also tries to get quick wins, small victories that quickly show the benefits of change.
Many organizations are comfortable and do not think about innovation when they reach a plateau in their development, delivering quality products and services that provide consistent income to the company. However, the emergence of digital allows its competitors to position themselves above them thanks to new ways of taking advantage of technology. If the company takes a long time to realize the need to innovate to remain competitive, it may be too late.
Digital transformation has more to do with the strategy and culture of the company than with the technology itself. This implies that when implementing the new culture, IT departments also have to change their way of thinking and stop being mere “executors” to understand the business needs at a high level and be able to propose truly differentiating solutions.
