It is fair to say that the pandemic shook the very foundations and principles over which businesses were established and have been run successfully for centuries. From business closures, remote work, virtual collaboration, and revamped operational models, the corporate world has undergone a mammoth shift in the last one and a half year. Among the chaos and unrest, Digital Transformation catapulted to the top of CXO agenda to pull the businesses out of the rungs and sustain meaningfully. As Satya Nadela rightly put it, “We’ve seen two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months.”
While Digital Transformation manifested the belief of businesses in a brighter tomorrow, the real daunting question still unanswered is the ability of businesses to successfully implement transformation programs. McKinsey states that 70% of Digital Transformations programs fail, mostly due to resistance from employees who struggle to timely ramp up capabilities, align expectations from digital tools, and most importantly scale the adoption of digital technologies across the enterprise. More often or not, the inability of the end users to fully understand the potential of digital technologies is the innate downfall of Digital Transformation programs.
What have businesses been missing? Why do end users resist transformation and how can they quickly bridge the widening digital skills gap?
All hail Digital Enablement, the glue that holds the Digital Transformation projects from falling apart, the oil that keeps the machine running, and the true driver of transformation at scale. Digital Enablement is the lever that unlocks the true potential of Digital Transformation by empowering workforce to leverage the digital technologies effectively. When all transformation projects are focused on radically reinventing models, enablement creates the environment that ensures successful implementation.
- Enhanced focus on digitization of processes: 84% of global enterprises have accelerated the digitization of work processes by using digital tools, video conferencing, etc.
- Accelerated automation of tasks: 50% global businesses are attempting to automate repetitive tasks Rampant need to upskill/reskill workforce: 35% global businesses are trying to quickly implement upskilling/reskilling programs
The above measures go on to prove that enterprises are seeking operational efficiencies, trying to cut down bottom-line pressures, and at the same time ensure a more productive environment for all stakeholders. Of these, the third measure which certainly raises the most eyebrows as this has been attempted multiple times in the past. Until the pandemic, majority of the reskilling efforts were focused on Digital Literacy (the knowledge of digital tools) but now it is quickly progressing towards Digital Fluency (the ability to create with digital tools).
Now let us get back to why is Digital Enablement important. Digital Enablement is focused on the most critical element in the Digital Transformation program – humans. Gartner states, “45.6% of employees experienced information overload during a change, and 35.6% faced challenges adapting to digital trends and new technologies.” So how does Digital Enablement help overcome this challenge? Well, it does so by tapping into the most powerful resource known to mankind, the ability to learn, unlearn, and re-learn. Here are a few areas where Digital Enablement plays a critical role –
- Fostering a digital culture in the enterprise: Building a digital-first mindset for the workforce empowers them to overcome operational challenges and dedicate efforts towards innovation which in turn gives the organization a long-term competitive advantage
- Advocating digital fluency: Digital Enablement ensures the workforce takes a pragmatic approach towards digital tools and views them as companions in the growth journey. For this, it’s imperative they augment their ability to leverage them effectively
- Adoption of digital tools: On an average, a large enterprise uses 788 applications, which makes it nearly impossible for employees to learn and master them all. Digital Enablement ensures that employees use the digital applications at disposal and focus on more meaningful valuable work
- Amplifying experiences: Enhanced customer experience has been a focal area of interest for enterprises for a long time now. But the Future of Work, driven by Digital Enablement, advocates a renewed lens of viewing experience through a 3-dimensional model of – Employee Experience, Partner Experience, and Customer Experience. Digital Enablement creates better experiences for all stakeholders
The power and reach of Digital Enablement well exceed the premise of an enterprise. The speed at which digital technologies have taken over day-to-day lives of humans is far above our ability to comprehend them and leverage them effectively. There are close to 5 Mn applications available for download across Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Digital Enablement is the means to an end for all students, freelancers, and others to make head and toe of these applications, accurately assess the benefits, and then create meaningful work out of such applications.
Thus, Digital Enablement is a new state of mind that needs to percolate across businesses, societies, classrooms and households alike. It is the means to achieve higher efficiency and build a more resilient future in the face of unforeseeable adversities. Digital Enablement is taking over the world where prime focus is on augmenting experiences, boosting capabilities, and bolstering skills of workforce to unlock new realms of efficiency and productivity.