Today, it is important to design a digital change strategy – not just an organizational change program.
As most of us are aware, the digital age isn’t stopping or slowing down.
In fact, digital changes are coming faster than ever before.
To keep up, organizations need to develop a digital change strategy that:
- Equips them with cutting-edge digital technology
- Modernizes business practices
- Makes operations more effective and efficient
- Helps the organization meet and exceed its strategic objectives
These are just a few benefits of developing a digital change program.
Below, we’ll cover a few essential keys that can help you design an effective digital change strategy.
How to Design a Digital Change Strategy
When developing your digital change strategy, it is important to keep your objectives clear.
This may take some research – into competitors, technology, and more.
1. Digital Awareness
The first step towards developing a digital strategy is increasing digital awareness.
Digital awareness will go a long way towards:
- Decreasing resistance
- Helping people embrace change
- Developing a culture that is innovative and digital
Regardless of your role in the change process, it is important to make digital awareness a priority in your communication plan.
2. A Technology Strategy
Technology, of course, is the driving force behind digital change.
Although digital change is not restricted to technological change, technology is the bedrock.
Rather than just adopting the latest, trendiest software, develop a strategic approach.
One that:
- Gives the organization a competitive edge
- Improves workflows within the organization
- Generates real results and ROI across business areas
The technology strategy, as mentioned, should be a cornerstone of your program.
As change professionals know, though, people resist change.
This is why the next step is so crucial…
3. Align Stakeholders and Obtain Buy-In
Everyone – from the top to the bottom of the organization – should be aligned.
This is easier said than done, of course. There are entire schools of thought devoted to the people side of change.
Obtaining support can mean the difference between success and failure.
You should proactively communicate with frontline employees, executives, and everyone in between.
They will be the ones enacting change, so it is unwise to ignore them.
4. Adaptive Communication
A communication strategy is fundamental to achieving the goal mentioned above.
Your strategy should be focused on a few things:
- Communicating the change vision
- Ensuring everyone understands the change program inside and out
- Communicating constantly pre- and post-change
- Transparency and openness
However, an adaptive communication strategy goes further, by:
- Actively obtaining feedback
- Establishing two-way communication with employees and stakeholders
- Responding to and adapting to input
This approach will make your digital change program more “user friendly.”
As a result, people will be more open and less resistant.
5. Personalized Training
Digital adoption is a fundamental part of any digital transformation agenda.
However, traditional training methods are not suitable for teaching digital skills – there are simply too many digital tools today.
The fractured digital landscape can be difficult to keep up with.
But fortunately, in this case, digital technology also comes to the rescue.
Today’s digital learning platforms make it possible to personalize training, which improves knowledge retention, employee engagement, and productivity.
For better results from your employee training, look to software such as:
- E-learning platforms
- Learning management platforms
- Learning experience platforms
- Digital adoption platforms
These types of platforms offer very customized learning experiences, cutting down on learning time and decreasing employee frustration.
Digital adoption platforms (DAPs), for instance, offer in-app guidance and tutorials for any software tool.
Evaluation of the available tools can significantly improve your training program, an essential part of any digital change strategy.
6. An Agile Change Program
Digital change management needs speed.
Agility, responsiveness, and adaptability are key assets for any change program.
Today’s marketplace fluctuates constantly, so change programs must be able to adapt.
Being agile means:
- Staying open to change instead of adhering to a static plan
- Creating a system for proactively receiving feedback
- Using that feedback to continuously adapt to change
This agility will help you create a program that stays relevant, even in the facing of changing circumstances.
It will also improve your program results, by keeping you focused on real-time data … instead of goals created before beginning the program.
7. Digital Culture
Digital culture is another key asset of any successful digital change strategy.
As mentioned above, digital change is not just about technological adoption.
It is also about mindset, workflows, and workplaces.
If an organization is to truly transform, its workforce should embrace digital culture.
This means:
- Adopting digital workflows, such as online collaboration and remote working
- Using technology to its fullest extent
- Being open to change
- Becoming more innovative and forward-thinking
Adopting a digital culture will help employees embrace digital technology, streamline workflows, and make for a better workplace.
Conclusion
A digital change strategy is not just a luxury in today’s marketplace.
It is a matter of survival.
Every organization undergoing digital change can benefit from a thorough strategy.
Including these 7 ingredients can help you develop a well-rounded plan that meets – or even exceeds – your target objectives.
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WalkMe Team
WalkMe spearheaded the Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) for associations to use the maximum capacity of their advanced resources. Utilizing man-made consciousness, AI, and context-oriented direction, WalkMe adds a powerful UI layer to raise the computerized proficiency, everything being equal.