What does it mean to have a digital mindset in 2023?

Best practices in an evolving industry

If you ask three people ‘what is a digital mindset’, you’ll get three different answers…?

This is because the term ‘digital mindset’ is always changing, and as we look ahead to 2023 and 2024, a new definition is required.?

What is a digital mindset???

In a modern organisation, the word ‘digital’ takes on new meaning. Digital was a word that evolved and to this day still confuses people.?

I’ve been a technology leader for most of my career, and ten years ago, the word ‘digital’ didn’t exist. Back then, it was an IT strategy, a technology strategy. It was thinking about how much to invest in tech year over year.??

In some organisations, a digital mindset is a marketing role and technology and digital get mixed up together, but I see it as a wider technology strategy that’s dynamic.??

Today, a digital mindset is a technology mindset that never stops evolving.??

It encompasses the end-to-end technology platforms that exist in an organisation and serves to support the organisation at every level of operation, from the twinkle in a client’s eye when they are about to buy, to how that organisation gets cash into the bank on the other end.??

My definition includes that marketing role, but it goes much deeper; it’s aligning every part of the technology ecosystem that delivers value for the organisation, and improves experience across the board.??

The mindset of digital mindset is nuanced

For me, it's an attitude, a behaviour and a belief that a technology strategy is a living breathing thing that continuously evolves and requires ongoing investment.

Depending on what side of the table you sit, this can mean economic buy in, or for those strategising and implementing, an open minded and objective creativity around what’s needed today and what will be needed tomorrow.??

There is a mental shift that happens when leaders realise that their technology approach is an on-going evolution that goes well beyond the technology itself. It’s just as much about the data, the advancing technology, like A.I. and augmented reality, and how these new technologies influence consumer expectations and can – if leveraged strategically - differentiate organisations from their competitors.??

For example, a travel organisation might be focused on revenue growth. It could strategically leverage advancing technology, in this case augmented reality, to create a meaningful consumer experience, inspire buying decisions and enhance long-term brand loyalty, edging out competitors and supporting those revenue growth targets.?

Why digital mindset is a differentiator in itself?

Vidatec works with a diverse client base, and the difference between having or not having a digital mindset is often made clear at the start.??

Keeping with the travel example, we worked with a client who approached us about creating an experience to support their tourist attraction by way of an app.??

With a better understanding of their goals, we suggested augmented reality – something that was absolutely not on the agenda to start. This client could have stuck with their initial plan and would have had a solid app for a few years, but by investing in augmented reality, they developed a much longer-term plan to increase visitors to their attraction and stand out amongst heavy competition. Rather than taking a static and contained approach to technology, they embraced new ideas and were open minded about how to best leverage change. In my mind, this is the perfect example of a digital mindset.??

On the other end of the spectrum, we work with clients who choose to embrace machine learning to increase efficiency and reduce cost. The point is not what the business objective is, rather, an understanding that the technology is there to align with the business goals.??

Digital mindset best practices for 2023?

Long term programmes instead of stand alone projects?

It's imperative that organisations stop seeing technology ‘projects’ as stand alone efforts.??

Technology efforts shouldn’t be seen as a project at all. It’s about a programme of work that encompasses multi-year continuous improvement. It’s about technical change and renewal.??

Just because we design & develop an app for a client doesn’t mean that’s the end of the engagement. Every year, customers demand change, markets change, UI/UX trends change. Technology will never stand still. Every year requires a fresh approach and the willingness to transform that app accordingly. It sometimes feels as though we are starting again, but this is absolutely part of modernising your technological state year over year.??

APIs are critical?

When it comes to connectivity, the bar has been raised.??

In the past, closed systems were preferred; there was no expectation around plugging into other products or connecting data sources.??

But today, it’s mandatory to build that connectivity layer into products. In 2023 and 2024, a product will not succeed unless it has an API.??

I would go as far as saying that this is has become a standard expectation, yet it can be hard for clients to understand and embrace that open approach, that modern digital mindset.??

Think about service design before digitising the process?

As we navigate new financial uncertainty, we’re seeing an emphasis on digitisation to achieve operational efficiencies.??

There’s a lot of people under pressure because their business expects them to digitise processes, but they haven’t looked at the processes themselves, which may be inherently flawed to start.??

It’s important for organisations to look at their processes first before putting a digital solution in place.??

Analysing and developing service design should precede user experience and product design. Technology leaders must test their thinking and ask, ‘is this the right and most efficient service we’re offering in the way we’ve designed our process’.??

Often the answer to this question is ‘no’, and digitalising a bad process won’t make it better.?

Start with your people??

Technological transformation and adopting a digital mindset is never about the technology itself; it's always about the people. It's important we meet people where they're at and build on that.

It’s fashionable for organisations to speak about their digital mindset, but in reality, it’s not about the company, it’s about the individuals who work there.??

It’s not as though a company gets a new CIO, and can therefore adopt a digital mindset overnight; you can’t force people to think a certain way. It’s clearly a big part of culture and education.??

This kind of shift requires an engagement programme centred around supporting people, and is often tied to a larger change agenda. For a company to have a truly digital mindset, it must be integrated at a strategic and leadership level which is naturally tied to organisational goals.?

Organisations that are committed to bringing their people along on that journey are, in my opinion, more likely to succeed.??