In the process of digital transformation, people are just as important as the technologies, processes, and infrastructure.
Investing in the future of its employees is an important aspect of digital transformation, not only to drive digital maturity but to demonstrate a commitment to its culture.
The pressure to improve learning and development opportunities across industries continues to increase, so those in charge of skills progression need to find new ways to empower employees and provide them with opportunities to grow.
LinkedIn's Workplace Learning Report reveals 94% of working professionals are loyal to their current employer if it invests in their continuous learning.
Why is it so important for businesses to drive the 'people' part of digital transformation? To answer that question, we must examine three essential elements: mindset, skillset, and toolset.
1.Mindset
Digital transformation is about leadership, strategy, and culture at the mindset stage. Ultimately, the business wants to adopt a digital culture.
Senior executives were once blamed for slow digital transformation progression, but it now appears that frontline staff are causing the problem.
It is true that CEOs are heavily involved in (and committed to) transformational change, but many frontline employees find the process to be more challenging. Although this is true, McKinsey & Company studies demonstrate that many organizations have difficulty attracting and training tech-savvy executives.
Upskilling talent
For a seamless digital transformation process to succeed, communication and empowerment are the key components.
Communication – Companies that communicate effectively with employees across all levels are more likely to succeed with transformation compared with those that don't use it.
Business owners and managers who implement effective communication programs and receive support outperform their competitors 3.5 times more often. What is seen to work in terms of communication is:
Communicate clearly about transformation goals
Engagement of the CEO in the transformation process
Data and information are regularly accessible
Visible engagement of senior leaders
The ability of frontline employees to see visible changes in their work environment
Continual commitment to employee training, learning, and development
Communication can be greatly aided by digital technologies, such as social media channels, change management apps, or games, and live feedback tools.
Empowerment – Many frontline staff members find it challenging to understand where their role fits in a transformation process. Providing employees with the opportunity to see how their involvement can help advance the transformation not only engages them in the process but also helps them understand how it affects the business's success.
Human Resources (HR) can assist in leading this process as they have the best understanding of the capabilities of employees and where skill gaps exist. Talent development can benefit employees, while recruitment can be used when employees in-house lack the required skills.
Investing in employees is empowerment, since satisfied employees feel valued and recognized by their employers. It was discovered by Deloitte that organizations with recognition have 14 percent higher employee engagement, productivity, and performance, and that a 15 percent increase in engagement results in a 2 percent increase in margins.
2.Skillset
Digital skills are unaffordable across industries due to a lack of workers.
A widening digital skills gap
There is still a substantial gap in the skillsets of organizations, despite digital natives and millennials entering the workforce. Currently, 70 percent of the current workforce (including young digital natives) feels they lack the skills they need to succeed. It's alarming, especially since today's businesses rely on millennials and Gen Zers to fill job openings.
In order to harness the evolution of digital technologies, it is necessary to continually boost the skills required to filter out platforms or initiatives that may not work and focus on those that do.
In PwC's U.S. Remote Work 2021 survey. It is anticipated that 72% of executives will invest in tools to improve virtual collaboration to aid in their digital transformation efforts.
Investing in internal talent is a must for modern businesses
Corporations face a huge problem because those with the skills can choose where to work and are in high demand across industries and sectors.
Therefore, many highly skilled professionals in the market are in control and will choose companies offering the best salary package as well as learning and development opportunities.
An employee engagement survey conducted by Quantum Workplace found that 79 percent of employees are attracted to companies that provide continuous learning and development.
Rather than hiring to address the skills shortage issue, forward-thinking organizations are developing in-house talent to fill the gap.
Some corporations have learning and development initiatives, but scale and standardization are often issues, especially for those with large and global workforces. Digital skills are no longer limited to marketing departments, as digital is integrated throughout a company.
It is essential to provide certifications and accreditations that employees need to adhere to. The skills of the individual must be at a particular level in order for them to be accredited through a certification program. By applying these skills, they can drive the digital transformation of your organization by ensuring the same standards of capabilities across the entire workforce.
A number of HR department heads feel that having professionally certified employees has a positive impact on their organization's profitability.
The benefits of certification offer employees both in their current roles and as they move into the future, and future hires look for this as part of an organization's learning and development program.
3.Toolset
Different people learn in different ways. While some people still learn best through classroom settings or workshops, others learn best through online learning at their own pace and in their own environment. Combining the two works well for some, incorporating online learning into a classroom or workshop setting.
With the development of digital technologies, professionals seeking upskilling have turned to online learning. Having access to content whenever and wherever you need it is becoming more important as our lives become busier and time becomes more precious.
Knowledge retention and skills increase by 25 to 60 percent through online learning. Flexible online learning models are a testament to their value.
In comparison to face-to-face training, online learning also improves retention. Individuals are able to learn at their own pace and refer back to materials whenever necessary. Providing videos and webinars with a live Q&A at the end can bring great value to the program, as well as providing support networks that allow learners to interact with one another.
Reengage employees by monitoring
A major benefit of using digital tools for many organizations is that they can track how and what their employees learn. Resource popularity can be used to determine which resources are most effective.
Individual progress can also be tracked, and any lagging behind or struggling participants can receive a simple email to motivate them to reengage. Those making progress can be congratulated for their progress and encouraged to keep learning using a similar approach.
The success of digital transformation depends on employees. Creating and cultivating a culture of digital maturity will enable an organization's workforce to drive its digital maturity and elevate it to the ranks of a digital leader.
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Source: Digital Marketing Institute