Digital Transformation

Having the right, digital-savvy leaders – having such a leader is one of the keys to transformation success, the McKinsey team says. Another key is adding transformation-specific roles, such as leaders of individual initiatives and leaders of the program-management or transformation office who will dedicate their full attention and time to the transformation initiatives.

Building capabilities for the workforce of the future – McKinsey's recent survey showed that developing talent and skills throughout the organization is one of the most important factors for implementing a digital change. "Two other keys relate to engaging the specific roles of integrators and technology-innovation managers, who bridge potential gaps between the traditional and digital parts of the business," the experts say. 

Empowering people to work in new ways – encouraging employees to embrace cultural and behavioral changes – calculated risk taking, increased collaboration and customer centricity – is a recommended approach to efficient digital transformation. 

Giving day-to-day tools a digital upgrade – digitizing tools and processes supports success. McKinsey's survey revealed that adopting digital tools to make information more accessible across the organization, implementing digital self-serve technologies for employees and business partners and modifying standard operating procedures to include new technologies are all necessary parts of digital transition.

Communicating frequently via traditional and digital methods – clear communication is critical during a digital transformation. What's even more important, the experts say, is communicating a change story to help the staff to understand the direction, the reasons and the importance of the shifts. 

Looking ahead – the survey results suggest the steps companies can take to increase their chances of success during a transformation include reimagining workplace, upgrading the organization's "hard wiring" and changing the ways they communicate.