Building blocks of digital transformation: the interplay of tech and talent

Digital transformation is the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business. It results in fundamental changes to how the organisation operates and delivers value to its customers. Beyond just a simple adoption of digital technology, digital transformation is a cultural shift encouraging organisations to continually challenge the status quo, experiment, and be comfortable with failure. This sometimes involves walking away from long-standing business processes that companies were built upon in favour of relatively newer practices that are still being defined.

In this blog, we’ll look at the importance of digital transformation and explore the critical role of building the right team to drive digital transformation initiatives. From understanding the key skills required, to the importance of creating diverse teams, we will provide insights on how to navigate through the complexities of assembling a digital transformation team, especially in light of the ongoing tech skills shortage.

The importance of digital transformation

In today's fast-paced business environment, digital transformation is crucial. It isn't merely about introducing more modern systems, it's about reshaping the entire organisation to be more resilient, agile, and innovative.

Customers demand seamless online experiences, and competitors are always one innovation away from disrupting markets. An agile organisation can adapt quickly to market changes, respond swiftly to customer demands, and embrace change as an opportunity for growth. It is not enough to simply implement new technologies; organisations must also be able to pivot quickly and make strategic decisions based on real-time data and insights.

By prioritising agility, businesses can use digital transformation to create more value, better serve their customers, and ultimately achieve sustainable growth.

Building a team for digital transformation

In our previous blog, we covered some of the key challenges of digital transformation, such as strategy and internal buy-in, however in this blog we will focus on how to build a digital transformation team to drive your initiatives forward.

Assembling the right team is of the utmost importance – digital transformation isn't just about technology; it's about people and how they use that technology to create value. The right team can foster a digital culture within the organisation, ensuring that every member understands and embraces the changes.

You also need people with specific skill sets across technology, data, process, and people, so that the project is successfully executed to meet the needs of different stakeholders and is effectively adopted. Here are some key skills to look for when building your digital transformation team:

1. Business acumen: a strong understanding of your organisation’s industry, market trends, and customer needs is critical to ensure that digital transformation initiatives align with your business goals and objectives
2. Digital strategy and innovation: an ability to think strategically and creatively is essential for identifying and evaluating emerging technologies and digital solutions that can drive business value and competitive advantage
3. Data and analytics: analytics and data are at the heart of digital transformation. You will need people on your team who can identify and access relevant data sources, as well as analyse and interpret that data to make informed decisions
4. Technical skills: digital transformation initiatives often require technical expertise in areas such as software development, cloud computing, cyber security, and infrastructure management
5. Change management: digital transformation often requires significant organisational changes. Your team should include experts in change management who can help navigate these changes and ensure that the initiative is embraced by the organisation
6. Project management: effective project management is critical to ensure that digital transformation initiatives are delivered on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards
7. Communication and collaboration: effective communication and collaboration skills are essential to engage stakeholders across the organisation and build a shared vision for digital transformation
8. Diversity: it’s important to look for people with a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. A mix of technical and non-technical skills will be essential for success. Additionally, consider hiring external experts or partnering with technology vendors to supplement your team’s skills and expertise

However, building, attracting and retaining the right teams is no easy task, particularly with the ongoing tech skills shortage. Advanced’s new trends report, featuring insights from 6,600 senior decision makers from UK organisations, found that the number one challenge experienced (41% of organisations), was attracting and retaining talent.

On 2nd November (also available on-demand), we are hosting a panel discussion ‘Navigating the talent maze: how can you build effective and diverse tech teams?’, where we will be hearing from leaders in a variety of different industries about their perspective of the current tech talent problem, the importance of diversity in tech, strategies for attracting talent, and how to foster innovation in teams.

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