Disruptors often come into a sector and create great pain, by being able to operate without legacy overheads. This doesn’t always mean that the established ways are null and void, far from it, it can often be a catalyst for change that needs to be embraced, nudging the established to review how they operate and understand their customers.
But the mental questions that quickly arise – where and how do we modernise our existing business? which area should we start on first? – can often feel daunting for the Executive teams or business leaders.
To succeed in answering the question, ‘how do I modernise my company?’ you must focus on having a clear direction with your ambition for the business.
— Jamie Dixon | Founder
For a while now my inbox has been full of emails with bold statements along the lines of ‘Buy this software and your business issues will be solved.’ However, the reality of this is far from the ‘silver bullet’ promised in the subject line of the email.
The truth requires a recognition that to evolve, the business must have a clear plan, a structure and objectives defined. But this requires expertise, just as you would need should you wish to learn something ‘new’ like skiing or learning to drive.
Often hidden in the business are vast amounts of data that when organised can create great insight.
Additionally, inside many businesses is often a passionate workforce, dedicated to the company’s mission. Many in the workforce often feel that they would like to service their customers more efficiently and have great ideas on how they’d like to improve their area of operation. Understanding how to survey their knowledge is key and the challenge is often the lack of documented ways of working between all the different areas of the company.
To succeed in answering the question, ‘how do I modernise my company?’ you must focus on having a clear direction with your ambition for the business. The business must become organised to highlight any areas that are inefficient or outdated. This ‘as is’ state must soon become ‘as was’ to ensure future success.
Nature is by far the greatest teacher with the importance of being adaptable to your environment. This ‘open to change’ mindset is the first event. Firstly, the company must have a clear focus, which can be as simple as ‘making my company more customer focused and empowering my workforce’.
Establishing then a powerful purpose for the company can create the all-important reaction from the workforce to buy into change, embracing the task that will come with implementation of new tools and technology.
There are four key areas that must be considered:
- The organisational design, often referred to as the Org Chart – do you have the right people, expertise, talent to drive digital success
- The assets in the company, what technology, data, capabilities exist within the company as is, how well is this all understood, how scalable is what is implemented
- The wider eco-system, what partnerships, suppliers are integrated into the business, what external systems now feed the company, what impact are they having, how are they reviewed
- The business priorities, these must be clearly understood from establishing a detailed review of what makes the business win and conversely where the gaps are
When these above four areas are established, you can set down a roadmap, a digital plan on which you can build focus to succeed in digital.
Do not rush out and waste money on technology you do not need, understand that to unlock value in your business you must start with a willingness to be open-minded about the journey that the whole company must undertake, as when carried out successfully the rewards are huge!
At ELLA we make it easier for businesses to embrace change with our ‘Digital Transformation as a Service’(DTaaS) framework, providing the solutions that guide and support our customers every step of the way, and the practical tools that make it a less daunting and more enjoyable journey.
Find out more about our solutions or contact ELLA.
