CIO OPINION
Key takeaways
• Digital transformation has become that thing we do so that we are not left behind in a digital economy .
• In the longer journey , we should look for acceleration rather than transformation .
• More than half , 54 % of Middle East organisations reported wasted digital investments .
• To deploy technology in the hope that it will fix employees ’ daily issues is to put the cart before the horse .
• Transformation should happen in carefully designed steps .
• Define what success looks like for each step and judge outcomes accordingly .
• It is difficult to envisage a digital solution that does not require human talent for at least part of its operation .
• Upskilling can be part of the programme from the beginning .
• Continuous learning , note , not just once a year , allows people to be part of the solution .
• People-centric transformation resolves through upskilling .
• Popular targets for adoption , simply cannot be rolled out in isolation .
• A list of skills deficiencies to address them should be part of the digitisation step .
• Every business in the region is in a constant struggle to attract the best talent .
• Frontline employees are closer to the gears of business and they see them turn and they see them stick .
• People-centric transformation is a way of involving every employee , to ensure your people are part of the solution .
Success by stages
To deploy technology in the hope that it will fix employees ’ daily issues is to put the cart before the horse . Just as you would approach customer engagement by trying to empathise with customers first , by observation , push polls , social listening , or feedback , companies must consult employees to learn their pain points and design a transformation process that can deliver genuinely useful digital tools into their hands .
Every stakeholder should be part of the process so KPIs can reflect the concerns , biases , and comfort levels of everyone who may be impacted by the change . Timelines should be realistic , and expectations should be aired and managed . Goals should be mutual and clearly understood by all . But most importantly , all this should be subject to change .
Transformation should happen in carefully designed steps . That way lessons can be learned , and the direction of the programme can be adjusted . In the longer journey , we should look for acceleration rather than transformation . Define what success looks like for each step and judge outcomes accordingly .
Today , we have DevSecFinOps . These formal , multi disciplined approaches are attempts to pre-empt interdepartmental conflict over the results of digitisation .
Human talent
If you are after human-centricity , then professional development should be top of mind . Digitisation has many forms , and each business is different . But it is difficult to envisage a digital solution that does not require human talent for at least part of its operation . Upskilling can be part of the programme from the beginning . Continuous learning , note , not just once a year , allows people to be part of the solution .
Remember , these are the same people who have already shared their pain points . You can now empower them by letting them learn new skills that will support the operation of enabling technology , which demonstrates that the tech is not there to replace them but to augment them .
IDC tells us that more than half , 56 % of organisations anticipate negative revenue impact from skills shortages . People-centric transformation resolves this through upskilling . A list of skills deficiencies and strategies to address them should be part of every digitisation step .
The needs of each user should be baked into the design of each step and the overall program . A glance at history will show us the progress we have made from the days when coders and sysadmins occupied different spaces . We then saw the emergence of DevOps followed by DevSecOps .
Popular targets for adoption , FOMO technology if you like , simply cannot be rolled out in isolation . Retraining will be critical in reaping their full potential , especially when it comes to AI , which brings with it an array of issues , from responsible utilisation to compliance .
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