Key Points

• Change management for digital transformation is a continual process.
• Digital transformation can be a difficult process for older organizations.
• Letting leadership and C-suite executives embody digital transformation is a great way to get everyone on board.

Is change management important for digital transformation? We’re present for an interesting time in the business landscape. Many traditional organizations are modernizing, joining with the times as it were. In part this is thanks to the advent of more advanced technological developments. Some companies embrace them as a matter of their foundation, but that isn’t the case for many of the legacy organizations still operating.

As such, managing the migration to a wholly digital workplace can be difficult. However, there are some solid reasons as to why you want to undergo digital transformation at your place. If you’ve been on the fence, now is as good a time as any. That said, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind before you make a permanent switch.

What Is Digital Transformation?

In a nutshell, digital transformation is using technology and digital tools to better manage and coordinate aspects of a business’s operations. The first glimmers of this notion were seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many organizations switched to digital means of handling things like logistics, employee management, and other apsects of business.

Digital transformation isn’t just using computers and software to deal with things, however. It is a complete transformative experience for any business. This isn’t as simple as using Microsoft Office or something of the like, but rather a comprehensive and total transformation on an organization’s part to better keep with the times.

It does have some net benefits, such as stability, security, and the ability to adapt to changes as they occur. However, there are a few notions and myths surrounding the process. It is by no means and easy process, as there multiple tough choices any company’s leadership will have to make to enact lasting and effective change.

Why Are Companies Making the Switch?

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated many shortcomings in the way some businesses approached their day-to-day operations.

Microsoft, a leading figure in software and hardware for computers, is quoted as saying, “Disruptions have always been a catalyst for business transformation. To lead on the forefront, we’re becoming more agile, efficient, and innovative.”

During the height of the pandemic, many organizations faced difficult choices. It was time to adapt or fall by the wayside. Some companies wouldn’t come out of the other side, or others would languish and struggle as they tried to quickly adapt.

The organizations that made the switch understood the hard work necessary to enact lasting change in their approach to business. As such, they leverage and continue to use change management for digital transformation.

At its core, many organizations began embracing digital transformation simply to survive the changing landscape. When your workforce and clients aren’t showing up to physical locations, something has to change. Change was also sorely needed when things like raw materials and other parts of your supply chain aren’t showing up in a timely manner.

The core message behind this was simple: adapt or get left behind.

Understanding Change Management for Digital Transformation

Change management for digital transformation is a bit of a misnomer at first glance. We typically think of change management as a means of enacting lasting internal changes to an organization. While embracing the use of technology to improve processes, employee management, and customer satisfaction is a change, it’s only part of the equation.

As such, leadership looking to use change management for digital transformation need to change up their mindset. This is an exhaustive and comprehensive means of changing your organization for the better. Further, a report by ProSci postulates that leadership needs to combine the approaches of change and project management to better integrate digital transformation in the workplace.

This is a process called the Unified Value Proposition. No matter, the approach you take, however, you’ll find there are some considerations you’ll need to keep in mind. There are numerous approaches in change management for digital transformation, and finding the right one for your organization is paramount for the long-term survival and success of any business.

Adaptability

When it comes to digital transformation, there is no proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. You aren’t going to be done with the process, but rather the transformative process is always happening. Things happen daily that require the need to adapt by any organization.

As such, when approaching change management for digital transformation, it is important to keep the notion of adaptability in mind. Having a modern business requires fluid and rapid changes to the challenges that the day holds.

It can be too easy to fall into a rut of sorts with the way things run in an organization. You get senior members entrenched in a certain mindset, and changing is difficult. However, it is critical to open the door to adaptability, provided you want your organization to survive and flourish in this volatile landscape.

Innovation

It isn’t enough to adapt, but you need to innovate when approach change management for digital transformation. As such, you’ll want to be proactive when enacting any lasting changes. It isn’t enough to keep with the times, but rather you have to get outside the box to come to lasting solutions. This is something some organizations have struggled with.

Linda Boff, the CMO of General Electric, has remarked, “The hard part is deciding what you want to be,” in regard to GE’s embracing of digital transformation. This is a difficult question to ask in the context of any organization. If you’ve been in operation for years or decades, you might think the answer is clearly outlined.

However, it isn’t enough in the modern era to reach toward continuing the same trajectory. Instead, reinvention, innovation, and fluidity is the way forward for many organizations. When looking at change management for digital transformation, what do you want your company to be?

Empathy

The digital age has brought the advent of open communications between clients and companies. You’ve likely seen people grousing over the likes of a misplaced item or something on Twitter. If the company responds, then they’re embracing the tools provided by digital transformation. That said, approaching customers, employees, and more with empathy has been one of the characteristics of enacting change management for digital transformation.

This isn’t just a principle or a concept, but rather a skill that needs active practice by organizations to excel. You want to understand and comprehend problems between team members and with clients alike. After all, these are the backbone of your organization’s success.

Digital transformation isn’t just about buying things off the shelf, but rather finding how they readily can improve your odds when navigating the modern landscape. Companies that enacting change management for digital transformation without empathy are organizations that aren’t going to survive for very long.

Communication

One of the big lynchpins of the modern organization is maintaining clear and effective communication along all strata of your organization. Changes communicated to team members are crucial, but so is communication in the opposite direction. It is possible to overcommit to communication, but that won’t be a consideration in the early stages of your transformation.

Clear channels of communication are vital for the modern organization, especially one looking to embrace change management for digital transformation. The tools are in place to allow for this transformation to take place.

There needs to be a clear understanding of the need to communicate, to openly and clearly get ideas, concerns, and thoughts across. When this is done, you can see lasting changes enacted on your organization while also retaining the flexiblity and fluidity of a digital organization.

Make the Tough Choices

When you shake up an organization with something like digital transformation, some difficult situations are going to arise. Positions might be made redundant, employee skills don’t translate, and so forth. Now, in an ideal world, we could maintain the status quo while embracing new technologies.

However, this isn’t going to be the case when looking into change management for digital transformation. You’re going to have people that simply don’t fit into the greater fabric of your organization’s goals. That isn’t a slight against these people, but rather just the reality of the situation.

This goes back to communication as well. You’ll want to let your workforce know the pros and cons of the process. You’ll want to stick with these difficult situations to make the most of the changes being enacted on an organization-wide level. This part isn’t easy, but it is crucial to guarantee your company’s survival.

Resiliency

Enacting digital transformation can be a difficult task. At times, you might see profits sinking, employee turnover, and so forth, and it can be difficult to reconcile the task at hand. These are just natural changes as you embrace a new paradigm, however. If you’re willing to stick things out, that’s where the true test of the effectiveness of your digital transformations can be seen.

Ostensibly, you’ll take far more time to enact these changes, allowing for subtle and gradual bits of transformation, piece by piece. Compare this to the pandemic, when companies were undergoing digital transformation in a matter of months rather than years.

You can walk in with a solid gameplan, but be prepared to take a few lumps before it is said and done. It isn’t an overnight process, setbacks can be overcome. This is where leadership needs to grit their teeth and navigate the difficult parts as much as possible to enact solid change management.

Start from the Top

One of the best ways to integrate change management for digital transformation is to start at the very top. Often when making any sort of changes to an organization’s methods of operation, lasting change starts with leadership and echoes throughout the rest of the workforce.

It might seem counterintuitive, but digital transformation isn’t just a means of improving processes. It is a complete and total change of the very fabric of a company. You’re going to be shaking up the status quo in regard to the likes of corporate culture, daily operations, and even the way your employees are working.

Getting the leadership off on the right foot in enacting change management for digital transformation is going to be a winning strategy for many organizations. You have to walk the walk, before you can talk the talk, essentially.

Other Useful Tools and Concepts

Looking for some other tips and tricks to supercharge your organization? You might want to look into the best tools for remote teams. Enacting lasting digital transformation in your organization means embracing things like remote work. With the right tools in place, you can make this a painless effort.

Additionally, you might want to take a look at the future of remote work. Remote work is here to stay, but staying abreast of the trends and predictions that it holds is a great way to make sure you’re staying on track with your own efforts.

Conclusion

Change management for digital transformation is a continual process. There is no easy solution or way out of doing what needs to be done. However, with the right sort of leadership at the helm, you’ll see fantastic results when the transformation is completed.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Golden Dayz/Shutterstock.com.