How to effectively enable digital transformation within an organization

Global spending on digital transformation is expected to reach $2.4 trillion by 2024. As new technologies are introduced daily, businesses are capitalizing on the benefits to achieve results — such as increasing operational efficiency.

How do you go about enabling digital transformation within your organization? In this blog, we’ll take you through what digital transformation is, how to achieve success and the role learning and development plays in the process.

• What is digital transformation?
• What are the success factors for digital transformation?
• The role of learning and development in digital transformation
• Start your journey with a digital skills provider

What is digital transformation?

So, what exactly is digital transformation? It’s using digital technologies such as IoT devices to enhance, modify or create new businesses, processes, customer experiences and much more.

While digital transformation has been gaining momentum for a while, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need to adopt new technologies and digital tools. Digital transformation should be at the top of the agenda to ensure your organization doesn’t get left behind.

What are the success factors for digital transformation?

Several factors can contribute to successful digital transformation within your organization. In a survey conducted by McKinsey, a total of 81 factors were identified, with the top four being:

• Having the right leaders at the forefront -Your organization can only achieve effective digital transformation with clear, directional and inspirational leadership guiding the way.

• Investing in the right digital tools - It goes without saying that innovative technology is the driving force enabling digital transformation.
• Effective communication - As with most business processes, success relies upon effective communication. Consider investing in training to improve communication within your organization and identify ways to facilitate the flow of information.
• Empowering people to work in new ways - Give people the tools, skills and training they need to drive digital transformation and capitalize on its benefits.

The role of learning and development in digital transformation

Learning and development has a fundamental role in advancing digital transformation within any organization. To avoid being left behind, start thinking about your strategy moving forward and how it’ll support the overall success of your business. 

Here’s how learning and development can help:

• Digital upskilling - As the world continues to digitally develop, new skills and knowledge will be required. Training can provide these attributes and offer new career opportunities for your employees.

• Fosters new ways of working - Training doesn’t just cover digital skills. It can cover a wide range of topics such as enhancing communication and team-building, offering the opportunity for better ways of working in the digital workplace.
• The rise of digital training solutions - Learning no longer has to happen in a classroom or workshop. The rise of digital training providers makes content more accessible and opens up new opportunities for learners.
• The people are just as important as the technology - Digital transformation doesn’t mean it’s all robots, AI and machine learning. Human skill sets will still be required to support the enabling of digital transformation.

Start your journey with a digital skills provider

If you’re ready to begin enabling digital transformation but you’re unsure where to start, you’ve come to the right place. Developing an effective learning and development program can take time, effort and money. With its increased complexity, you might not have all the answers in-house. 

You can access all the support, strategies and courses you need by partnering with the right digital skills provider. They’ll help you audit your systems, provide tailored content, ensure learner engagement and measure the results. 

To help you find the right partner, we’ve got the guide you need. Choosing the right digital skills provider takes you through the different types of platforms and their benefits, as well as the Circus Street offering. Access your copy below.