Q + A + Q + A + Q + A + Q + A + Q + A + Q + A + Q + A +
ANNA COLLARD, MD
KNOWBE4 AFRICA
EDITOR’S QUESTION
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Nothing drives change better than a crisis. A large South
African retailer implemented a companywide VPN project
(planned to be rolled out over 18 months) within literally
four days. The COVID-19 pandemic has driven many traditionally
office bound companies to work from home within record times. And
without much resistance too. It is just happening because we don’t
have a choice.
People are often cited to be one of the greatest barriers to Digital
Transformation. Humans are wired in very specific ways. We don’t
like to do things that are difficult, awkward or that require change. So
our resistance to change is just part of our human nature.
To succeed, we have to work with, not against human nature and
apply persuasive communication techniques.
CIOs are hence not only responsible for technology but for culture
change as well. This means tight collaboration with HR and change
management and a lot of communication to end-users, leadership
and customers alike.
Communication skills require listening and a focus on what people
are saying. Feedback loops and two-way communication channels
encourage collaboration and gives people a voice. Also creating
creative, short and personally relevant information is key.
Another barrier to Digital Transformation is
the inability to completely imagine an entire
new process instead of just digitising existing
steps. Before automating a business process,
the number one question to ask is: ‘Why do
we need this process and which steps can be
eliminated or improved upon?’
The best Digital Transformation comes from
a leader imagining a process in a ‘green field’
environment, before it became the standard
way of doing things. Often this requires a
level of boldness as it means questioning the
status quo. But taking one big step back can
be a lot of progress forward and ensure we
are not digitising the wrong things.
Here are our three tips for successful Digital Transformation:
“
1. Bring someone with skills and experience
in change management to the table right
from the start. Engaging the people early and
ensuring they are heard is key to success.
2. Include a senior business analyst to review
and question processes before automating
them. Be bold and question if the current way
of doing things is the right way.
3. Communicate, discuss, revise, repeat.
Unless there is a pandemic, people won’t
necessarily collaborate as quickly as we’d like
them to. But when done properly, your people
will understand the what, why, how, when and
most importantly the ‘what’s in it for me?’ to
support your Digital Transformation. •
CIOS ARE HENCE
NOT ONLY
RESPONSIBLE
FOR TECHNOLOGY
BUT FOR CULTURE
CHANGE AS WELL.
www.intelligentcio.com
INTELLIGENTCIO
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