Accelerating Digital Transformation in Uncertain Times
2021 was a year that will define how organisations will operate in the future.
Consumer behaviour changed due to staying at home during the pandemic. The use of digital services and applications rose during that time. Employees who previously worked in the office adopted a hybrid model or worked from home entirely. Organisations that previously invested in modernising their technology and upskilled their employees could adapt to the changing environment within weeks.
These Organisations distinguished themselves from their peers in the following areas:
Open Leadership:
An Open Leadership style is defined where managers let go of their authority and encourage teams to make decisions about work autonomously, allowing organisations to quickly adapt to the changing environment. This style is in contrast to the traditional, autocratic “command and control” approach. Teams which operate in an ‘Open’ environment experience freedom during their work, are motivated and develop a higher commitment to the organisation.
Practices:
True agility occurs when Business & IT are working together as one team. Product Owners from the Business work with IT teams daily to embrace agile and lean practices. This approach promotes fast feedback, removes unnecessary process steps, assists in pivoting quickly, and allows the organisation to respond fast to changing market conditions. Lean and Agile approaches are embraced in Operations, not just in IT.
Technology:
Organisations that invested in modern IT technologies were able to provide a flexible work environment to their employees during the pandemic. Employees were able to work from home using remote working capabilities, 5G, and Big Data, just to name a few.
Employees:
Continues learning plays a big part when the environment is consistently changing. Organisations that invested in upskilling their employees in modern technologies, software development best practices, and customer-centricity were able to embrace change better than their peers.
Digital Products & Services:
Adopting a customer-centric approach is critical in challenging times. Organisations who understand their customers and envision their customers’ wants and needs experienced loyalty from their customers.
Work Environment:
Companies that already supported flexible working arrangements for their staff had advantages during the pandemic. Video conferencing tools, digital whiteboards, instant messaging applications, and asynchronous working allowed employees to work from home.