General staff want to take part of digital transformation, but fear they are being left behind.
While businesses are doubling down on digital transformation (DX), new research from Futurum Research found that organisational leaders are leaving many of their employees behind in the process.
The study revealed that 94 per cent of all employees want to be more involved in DX, and almost half (44 per cent) of the general staff say they simply don’t know how to help. This not only disenfranchises some employees, but it can also slow the pace of DX success.
The global study, sponsored by Pegasystems, showed as company leaders accelerate the pace of DX in the wake of the pandemic, however many employees are eager to be part of the solution.
But despite this enthusiasm, only 10 per cent of general staff strongly agree they know how to contribute to their company’s digital transformation efforts. Interestingly, there is also still confusion at the top: even 14 per cent of CEOs report they don’t know how to get involved.
The research also uncovered three additional insights on how leaders should infuse DX into the fabric of their business:
- Barriers to success must be addressed holistically: A majority of business decision makers (68 per cent) believe improving customer experience is the most important DX driver, followed closely by automating existing processes (67 per cent) and improving or updating processes (65 per cent). While most agree on the ultimate goals, decision makers face a wider variety of roadblocks to reaching them, namely a lack of adequate skills (42 per cent), partnerships (36 per cent), and budget (36 per cent). These holistic operational issues must be addressed – starting with training or hiring for these skills – to ensure DX success at scale.
- Effective DX leadership drives top-down results: Who usually leads the DX charge? Only 18 per cent of respondents believe it’s the CEO compared to 47 per cent who identify the CTO or CIO. But when employees cite the CEO as the DX leader, employees report a more positive perception of DX, which can be helpful in building a stronger DX culture. For example, 67 per cent of respondents from organisations with CEO-led DX expect to be ‘very effective’ in technology leadership compared to only 51 per cent in CIO-lead organisations and 34 per cent when the CTO leads.
- Digital transformation is a journey on which no one should be left behind: Leaders need to find ways to bring all employees on the DX journey so they feel vested in the outcome – even in the smallest of ways. Respondents cite helping to train others on new technology (50 per cent), being open minded about using new tools (40 per cent), and voicing positivity about DX (35 per cent) as the top ways they believe they can help – which are all relatively achievable. Broader employee participation at any level helps the DX culture permeate through an organisation so businesses can ultimately better serve their customers.
Shelly Kramer, founding partner and senior analyst at Futurum Research said the pandemic continued to cause unparalleled uncertainty and disruption, businesses must examine every aspect of digital transformation to ensure they can keep pace and stay competitive.
“While culture is an often-overlooked aspect of DX, our research demonstrates employee engagement should be top of mind from the start to ensure sustainable success. Change is more successful when employees at all levels feel vested, not just the leaders at the top,” she said.
