The concept of Digital Transformation has been around for over 20 years. It's outdated. It’s time to stop thinking of digital as a ‘job to be done’ & start embracing digital as a ‘way of being’. Here's why:
Digital transformations typically happen to you, are driven by others, using outside resources, vendors, advisors, new teams & new structures. They usually occur distinctly from business-as-usual, with the BAU team over here & the Transformation team over there. Accountability gaps, conflicts & competing priorities inevitably emerge. Transformations bring a fixed mindset, with big plans, big teams, promising amazing benefits - at the end. Transformation also implies that there is a beginning, a middle & an end. There is no “end” for digital – it’s a way of being, thinking & operating.
Digital is a state of being for an organisation. It’s not a destination. It is a commitment from the top to the bottom. It involves big decisions & lots of small ones. It involves big initiatives, medium-sized initiatives & small ones. Digital involves thinking differently. It’s not about solving an ‘old world’ problem & then applying digital to it. Digital presents new ways to solve old problems. Digital is a mindset, a culture. Digital is a way of operating. Digital is exponential, not linear. Digital is modular, like LEGO blocks, able to be assembled in interdependent parts, building momentum & lifting performance over time.
Digital leaders are different too. They understand & embrace experimentation & the power to adapt from the outside in & the inside out. They understand the returns from empowering their team to experiment, learn new tools & own the outcomes. They recognise the outsized improvements that can be delivered through smart investments & innovative approaches. Digital leaders are corporate mechanics, always tinkering, improving, solving. They see the cost of doing nothing and have the courage & ability to resist the temptation to play it safe. They don’t over-analyse or hide behind indecision, governance & imagined risks. Digital leaders focus on the actions required, the outcomes sought & most importantly, for whom & why. They accept the occasional failure as a reality of shooting for big results & pushing hard.
Digital leaders also know that digital brings the opportunity for asymmetric rewards. They have the vision for what’s possible & realise the power of disciplined commitment, accountability & continual improvement. Digital leaders trust their teams to get things done, to get after it. Digital leaders know there is no magical transformation team coming to save them. They bring a growth mindset, are always learning by doing, adapting, being open to new ideas & investing in their people.
World-class sports teams are world-class because of leadership, mindset, courage, skills, accountability, commitment & discipline. Not transformation. Digital organisations are the same.
Stop ‘Transforming’ - Start Being Digital: Why Digital is a Mindset, Not a Project
