On May 29th, in the Alaquás Castle, we had the opportunity to listen to Susana Luna who gave us a reflection on the digitalization process and the challenges that companies must face in the Conference: Creating digital strategies or a digital transformation plan?
Susana, an expert and consultant in digital strategy for large companies, poses one of the questions that companies are currently asking most: Digitalization or Digital Transformation?
Digitalization involves the transformation of the processes that support the business today. It involves the incorporation of ICTs and results in improvements in efficiency – in terms of resource utilization – and effectiveness – in terms of better customer experiences.
Today, most of our companies (not born digital) are immersed in the digitalization process. At this stage, Susana pointed out some challenges that companies must address if they do not want to get stuck in the process:
- Management awareness: Management teams must be trained to be aware of the possibilities for process reengineering that digitalisation opens up. Unite concepts, vocabulary and visions.
- CEO commitment and leadership: Organizational change processes are complex and cannot be successfully completed without the unequivocal commitment and leadership of the company's top executive.
- Systemic view of the process. A complete analysis of the organization and a master plan are required to avoid the acquisition of non-integrated technologies and applications that will require an excessive commitment of resources for their maintenance in the future.
- Training people in digital skills: This is currently one of the main obstacles to digitalisation processes. Before starting the process, the company's management must make a diagnosis and a realistic plan to equip itself with a team that is competent in the use and exploitation of the technologies that are incorporated into the organisation.
Regarding digital transformation, it is the last phase of the process and involves the innovation of the business model, which sometimes leads to the disruption of the industry or the creation of a market focused on a previously unmet need. The challenges associated with digital transformation are more far-reaching, including:
- The change in the management team's mentality to look at reality differently, explore opportunities and create new value propositions for users.
- Data-driven decision-making orientation: Requires investment in Big Data capabilities and a change in decision-making processes.
- An agile organization that decentralizes decision-making to those departments and teams that have the right information and skills, but without losing the necessary coordination and unity of purpose of the organization.
- An agile organization requires a clear vision and a strongly shared culture that inspires and engages the most capable members of the organization.
As a final corollary, Susana Lluna insisted on the importance of making a correct diagnosis of the situation of each organization and adapting the investments and the pace of the process to the company's capabilities.
