In today’s rapidly evolving world, organisational success hinges on resilience, agility and adaptability. Ongoing global events and the largest digital transformation in history have prompted unprecedented changes, underscoring the urgency of modernisation and innovation over the past two years.
Organisations were compelled by the pandemic to reimagine their services with greater creativity and ingenuity, relying on digital technology to help them remain resilient to future disruptions.
Technology, according to WalkMe’s The State of Digital Adoption Report 2022-2023, makes businesses more adaptable, productive and resilient.
But employees are hesitant to adopt technology for a variety of reasons, ranging from lack of understanding and training to fear of job loss or change. Regardless of the cause, businesses suffer millions of dollars in losses due to lost productivity, inefficient processes and poor user experience.
Digital transformation can only be fully realised through successful user adoption. By implementing a digital adoption strategy, users can fully utilise both old and new digital assets, maximising technology investments.
A successful digital transformation strategy should have essential components that are easy to implement, seamless and scalable. These components include selecting appropriate use cases, fostering a digital culture and placing a premium on the customer experience.
In addition to these essential components, a successful digital transformation also requires leadership, talent acquisition and data-driven decision-making. These elements play a critical role in ensuring the effective implementation and sustainability of digital transformation initiatives.
The OpenGov Breakfast Insight on 5 April 2023 held at the PARKROYAL COLLECTION, Marina Bay, Singapore provided the latest information and real-life perspectives on maximising technology investments for better outcomes.
Opening Remarks
Kicking off the session, Mohit Sagar, CEO & Editor-in-Chief, OpenGov Asia acknowledges that organisations must embrace a paradigm shift when it comes to digital transformation. “It needs a company-wide mental transition that begins with an appreciation of the relationships between your staff, your customers and the technology that drives their involvement.”
He recognises that the pandemic has raised the bar for organisations to adopt more agile and collaborative structures. It has compelled them to innovate and reinvent their services with greater creativity and reliance on digital technology to overcome future challenges.
Leveraging technology to drive change and disruption is essential in the current context. With businesses expected to invest trillions in digital transformation over the next few years, digital adoption can no longer be ignored. Against this backdrop, managing future change and uncertainty is a critical responsibility of a leader.
“To achieve excellence in digital transformation, it is necessary to have competent and confident employees,” Mohit stresses. “The objective is to enhance employee efficiency, productivity, innovation and collaboration while ensuring genuine tech adoption. Ensuring that employees are using resources as intended is vital to maximising organisational value.”
As technology continues to evolve, forward-thinking organisations will seize the chance to improve the performance of their staff. They can achieve this by adopting state-of-the-art digital solutions that foster the integration of technology and human skills. In doing so, businesses can uncover a vast array of opportunities for accelerating digital transformation initiatives.
Technology has the potential to make businesses more versatile, productive and resilient. However, persuading staff to embrace new technology can be challenging, resulting in substantial financial losses for businesses due to decreased productivity, ineffective procedures and poor user experience.
According to the State of Digital Adoption Study 2022-2023 by WalkMe, 67% of organisations feel compelled to expedite their digital transformation projects, while 55% think that their workforce lacks the required skills.
To remain competitive, businesses must prioritise people-first results through cutting-edge digital solutions that foster collaborative success between technology and human skills. It is absolutely essential to put human objectives at the top and leverage technology to enhance employee empowerment.
Corporate and IT leaders often overlook a critical element vital to exceptional customer experience (CX) and customer loyalty: having a digitally enabled and engaged workforce through a positive employee experience (EX). By ensuring a powerful EX, digital transformation initiatives may be advanced and made successful.
To remain competitive, there has to be a company-wide change in mindset: a people-centric approach that includes internal and external stakeholders. This conviction combined with advanced digital solutions empowers the workforce and ensures a positive employee experience, which can lead to successful digital transformation initiatives and improved customer experience.
“Ultimately, Long-term, genuine digital transformation is built on competent and confident employees that want to serve clients with excellence,” Mohit concludes.
In Conversation With: Accelerating and Maximising the Impact of Your Digital Transformation Strategy
In the face of complex challenges such as demand volatility, financial instability and the emergence of hybrid work, businesses must rely on technology to enhance their flexibility, productivity and resilience. Therefore, the capability of technology to drive change and disruption will be of paramount importance for organisations.
For Poh Kwee Heng, Vice President and Head of Transformation, Product, and Mobile Networks, StarHub, the implementation of a digital adoption strategy can help companies identify issues with their existing software and digital tools and devise solutions to improve the user experience.
“This may result in higher user satisfaction, which might encourage more people to use digital technologies,” says Kwee Heng.
A digital adoption strategy enables businesses to determine the most suitable digital tools and processes for their workflows while ensuring that employees possess the necessary skills and training to utilise them efficiently. This streamlined approach minimises errors and enhances productivity across the organisation.
A digital adoption plan can assist companies in ensuring that they are investing in the appropriate digital technologies and processes and that those investments are being fully utilised. Organisations can obtain a higher return on investment and greater efficiency advantages by optimising the usage of digital tools and processes.
Even before COVID-19, technology was rapidly advancing and reshaping various industries. Many businesses were already deploying digital transformation strategies to boost efficiency and competitiveness. Examples of such initiatives include cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and automation.
Without a doubt, the pandemic has accelerated the pace of digital transformation and highlighted the relevance of technology in both personal and professional realms. Remote and hybrid work has become the new norm, compelling businesses to rapidly adapt to changes in consumer behaviour and preferences.
Indeed, the pandemic has underscored the importance for businesses to be adaptable and resilient, and to leverage technology to stay competitive and meet the evolving demands of customers.
Despite considerable investments in digital transformation, business leaders are concerned that a significant part of digital transformation expenditures are on projects that do not accomplish their objectives because end users – either workers or customers – struggle to use the technology as intended.
Ang Lee Yen, Director, Asia, WalkMe, suggests that a digital adoption strategy can aid organisations in achieving their digital transformation goals and expectations in several ways. It can help in establishing clear objectives, developing comprehensive planning, enhancing communication, making data-driven decisions and pursuing continuous improvement.
A well-executed digital adoption strategy can help organisations achieve their digital transformation goals and expectations by providing a disciplined approach to planning, deploying, and optimising digital tools and processes, Lee Yen explains.
Ensuring that everyone in the organisation is on board and motivated to drive change, a digital adoption strategy can help improve the chances of success and deliver maximum value from digital investments.
According to Lee Yen, cultural barriers such as competing corporate agendas, reluctance to change and legacy mindsets are some of the most significant impediments to successful digital transformation.
When different departments or teams have conflicting goals or foci that are not aligned with the overall digital transformation objectives of the organisation, contradictory business priorities can arise. This can lead to silos and a lack of collaboration, which can impede progress.
Change management resistance can be another significant hurdle to digital transformation as it is natural for people to reject change and stick to traditional ways of doing things. Legacy mindsets, which are deeply embedded methods of thinking and working that may no longer be relevant in today’s digital economy, might exacerbate this.
Reluctance could be due to a fear of job displacement, misunderstanding and uncertainty about the outcomes of the change. This can be manifested as a hesitant uptake of new technologies or processes, a lack of motivation, scepticism or even outright opposition, which can significantly impede or even derail digital transformation efforts.
Kwee Heng has identified several other cultural concerns that can obstruct transformation efforts. These include a lack of digital skills and expertise, a lack of trust in new technology and reluctance to adopt new ways of working. In some cases, concerns about data privacy and security may also limit the adoption of certain digital technologies and processes.
“To overcome these challenges, firms must prioritise cultural change as an intrinsic component of their digital transformation plan,” says Kwee Heng. “This could include programmes like employee training and upskilling, effective change management methods and fostering an environment of innovation and experimentation.”
Clear communication and alignment across the company on digital transformation goals and priorities are essential, and management’s active involvement and support of the transformation process are equally important.
Closing Remarks
Lee Yen reiterates that a digital adoption strategy includes training, support and change management for the adoption of new digital tools and procedures. “This can ensure that staff have the requisite skills and knowledge to operate new digital technologies successfully, which is essential for fulfilling these tools’ full potential.”
The significance of communication is emphasised in a digital adoption plan, as it plays a crucial role in ensuring that all members of the organisation are aware of the benefits of digital transformation and motivated to adopt new digital tools and procedures.
Mohit highlights the importance of continuous improvement in a digital adoption plan. This means that organisations should always be looking for ways to optimise their use of digital tools and processes.
By regularly assessing performance and making necessary modifications, organisations can ensure that they stay ahead of the curve and utilise the latest technologies to remain competitive.
Collaboration is key when it comes to building long-term technology systems – two heads are better than one. One must recognise that while the technical partner brings valuable domain knowledge, it is important not to overlook the value that business acumen can offer in return.
“Combining and pooling resources can be a highly successful means of accelerating innovation and success for both parties,” Mohit concludes. “This collaborative approach can help reduce costs, mitigate risks and create new opportunities for growth and development – gaining a competitive edge in the market and staying on top of industry trends and developments.”