As part of our Learning Unlocked webinar series, we sat down with global changemakers and experts to evaluate some of the most critical challenges affecting an organization’s learning and development objectives. Scroll to the bottom to watch those free discussions.
At some point, you’ve heard it: Digital transformation is changing the way we work. Maybe action steps have been delayed due to other competing priorities. Maybe small changes have been made by leadership, but have not been fully developed. Or, maybe embracing digital transformation has more to do with money, time, resistance to change, or lack of knowledge around how it can work for you. Let’s take a minute to examine each of these factors.
When it comes to money, yes, digital technologies tend to come with a hefty price tag. However, studies show that investing in digital technologies actually ends up producing cost savings in the end. Don’t have the time? Technology is continuing to evolve and with this change, so are the necessary skills required to take advantage of it, so the longer you wait, the bigger the skills gap will grow within your workforce. Don’t take it from me though, experts have been addressing the rapid technology shift via TED talks for years. Don’t worry, it’s not too late, at least 90% of companies believe they are going to have a meaningful skills gap in the coming years, and only 16% believe they are actually prepared to meet those skills gaps.
So what does digital transformation mean? To put it simply, “it’s the creation, implementation, and operation of new best practices and business models, enabled by digital technologies.” Does that mean that you only need to address your technology? Well, yes and no. Making adjustments to your technology is always important and something every organization has done since we transitioned away from abacuses and typewriters. Adjustments are helpful actions that work in the moment, but what we’re talking about is going further, we’re talking about committing to transformation, which is more about embracing possibilities and creating a culture that is open to change in order to help your organization have a sustainable future.
What are some ways you can embrace change? It starts with strong leadership driving impactful initiatives:
- Develop plans and lean on strategic partners to mitigate disruption
- Build support for sustainability
- Make a commitment to engage in everyone’s potential
Change isn’t easy. But even though we are creatures of habit, we have made, even recently, dramatic adaptations in order to thrive.
But our recent experiences make now the perfect time to embrace new digital technologies and take action. It showed us that it is more effective to prepare rather than being in a reactive position. Digital transformation is not only a way to boost your company’s bottom line, it’s a way to empower your workforce to try new things and work in new ways. But don’t just take it from me, hear from some of the top experts. As part of our Learning Unlocked webinar series, we sat down with Abbey Lewis and Ryan Kehr from Harvard Business Publishing, as well as Pam Conway and Davis Smith from Intellezy for in-depth conversations around best practices and strategies to help you and your organization embrace and utilize digital transformation in order to achieve organizational growth.