FACT CHECKED
Have you ever thought to yourself:
I wish we could just try something new out and see if it works?
Or: If only we could all just work together a bit better, instead of team by team.
Or even: Why, or why, can’t updates be exactly the same to legacy systems?!
If you answered yes to any of the above, you’re in dire need of a smart digital adoption solution.
Because it’s your digital adoption that’s hindering your digital transformation.
3 common issues faced by enterprises attempting digital transformation
In 2017, Harvard Business Review revealed a list of the top challenges enterprises face in their digital transformation efforts.
1. Inability to experiment quickly
Experimentation is easier for young businesses. Take start-ups, for example. They’re still testing the waters. They’re not afraid to “fail fast” and find out what works.
Larger businesses tend to avoid experimentation. Reams of red tape and employee resistance makes it too hard for change to happen quickly on an organizational level.
“Businesses tend to struggle with flexibility, which creates a real barrier for immediacy and ultimately impedes digital transformation.” Alex Yakubovich, CEO of Scout RFP
2. Legacy systems
The dreaded system updates. The transition from old to upgraded systems causes headaches for CIOs everywhere, as applications and programs are constantly evolving.
But worse still are the legacy systems you still have to use because their data can’t be changed to newer formats, or the applications can’t be upgraded.
Out-of-date technology poses a serious threat to enterprises. Productivity can nose-dive, frustration permeates culture, and targets fail to be met.
“Culture is organizational ‘dark matter’ — you can’t see it, but its effects are obvious.” Marcus Blosch, Gartner research vice president
3. Difficulties working across silos
This issues ties in seamlessly with the last one.
“Because enterprises tend be siloed, they often leverage existing legacy systems that were once transformational but now, just work.
“Silos, in turn, make it difficult to work with IT in order to implement the right technology quickly. Without the expertise of IT, change becomes a mammoth task when implementing an innovative idea or a new solution.” Alex Yakubovich
Silos are an outdated characteristic of enterprises that may have been successful long ago. They do not belong in the digital age.
“Digital innovation requires…collaborative cross-functional and self-directed teams that are not afraid of uncertain outcomes.” Marcus Blosch, Gartner research vice president
A shocking discovery
While these barriers to digital transformation are common and relatable, there is a shocking truth behind them.
A 2017 TechRepublic “CIO Jury” poll revealed that more than half of tech leaders don’t have a formal digital transformation plan.
David Wilson, director of IT services at VectorCSP, explained his company’s approach:
“We embrace opportunities for digital transformation when they present themselves, but would not have a clear path for such a formal plan overall.”
And yet we know that digital transformation is critical to a company’s success. Dan Lee, Director of NextDesk, predicts the extinction of enterprises that don’t transform fast enough. He said:
“Companies that were able to prosper by moving at a deliberate and slow pace will be extinct within as little as five years. Those companies that stay on the cutting edge of innovation will direct where we are going.”
A genius digital adoption solution
Large-scale, traditional enterprises need to adapt fast to survive and thrive in the digital-first business world.
The challenges outlined above can actually be overcome by incorporating one simple digital adoption solution into your digital transformation strategy.
That solution is a Digital Adoption Platform. In fact, it’s tipped to be the top asset in organizational development in 2019.
A Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) is an algorithmic layer of contextual guidance that can be applied to digital systems.
Whether they’re new applications or legacy systems, it doesn’t matter. Similarly, the users can be both employees and customers.
It uses automation, machine learning, and insights to accelerate adoption and digital integration, while improving user experience.
And this could be make or break for your bottom line.
Some final words of advice
56% of CEOs said digital improvements they’ve made successfully have already increased profits. (source: TechRepublic)
So it’s worth investing in a digital adoption solution.
Employees are changing positions more frequently (the average tenure for a Millennial in one job is less than 3.5 years). And companies are using more cloud-based software that requires frequent system updates.
Contemporary, real-time training methods are required to keep up with these — and countless other — changes in the business landscape.
“…we need to move to more agile and contextual training methods to support the digital employee experience.” Learning Solutions magazine
Growth still tops the list of CEO business priorities in 2018 and 2019, according to Gartner. But CEOs are concentrating on changing and upgrading the structure of their companies in order to achieve it.
This includes making digital business a priority. If this sounds like you, consider a DAP the digital adoption solution to ensure you get results.
