A digital transformation is a monumental change that impacts your entire organization. It is a proactive shift in an organization’s operating model that helps lay out what is needed for long-term growth and success. Sometimes, organizations confuse digital transformation work with traditional IT change management tactics. It’s important to understand the differences in the two.

In Brief:

1. Digital transformations encompass elements of IT change management, but have a larger purpose of proactively shifting an organization's operating model for long-term growth and success.
2. IT change management is reactive and focuses on isolated changes to an organization's standard operating environment, while digital transformation involves fundamental changes to the entire organization.
3. Digital transformation requires top-down change and can include cultural, structural, workflow, business process, and vendor changes, while IT change management is driven by IT strategy.

Digital transformations encompass elements of IT change management, but have a larger purpose of proactively shifting an organization's operating model for long-term growth and success.2.IT change management is reactive and focuses on isolated changes to an organization's standard operating environment, while digital transformation involves fundamental changes to the entire organization.3.Digital transformation requires top-down change and can include cultural, structural, workflow, business process, and vendor changes, while IT change management is driven by IT strategy.

IT change management can be defined by any addition or change in an organization’s standard operating environment, no matter of big or small that change is. It is often isolated and does not impact the entire core of the organization in the same way a digital transformation will.

The name might lead you to think that digital transformation is simply about technology. Often, business leaders think a digital transformation is simply upgrading technological infrastructure or allocating money toward a new hire or additional IT resources. Digital Transformation is a lever for Business Strategy whereas IT Change Management is often driven by IT strategy.

Digital transformation movements are not about just technology. It’s important to understand that the the purpose of digital transformation is to drive the entire organization towards a digital mindset and shifting the way people within the organization’s ecosystem think and operate.

According to McKinsey, simply getting projects off the drawing board doesn’t guarantee that the organization is increasing revenue, profitability, market share, efficiency, or competitive moats as a result. Organizations undergoing a digital transformation need a fully engaged CEO to take charge and drive actual performance gains from digital investment.

Digital transformations blend the evolution of people with the advances in technology. The two pieces work together to successfully drive change. Simply hiring the right people won’t help if the systems and processes don’t support digital change across the organization. Acquiring state-of-the-art technology programs will do nothing for your business without complete support from those leading and working inside the organization.

A digital transformation movement can follow IT change management efforts and can even include them as part of the transformation, but it’s critical to understand that they are not the same thing. The nature of a digital business transformation is different because it combines high levels of scale, interdependence, and dynamism with the need to make fundamental changes to the entire organization. Using data-driven methodologies, it is, ultimately, providing a new strategic direction for your organization.

Much more than traditional IT change management tactics, digital transformations require change to be driven from the top down to prove successful. Within your digital transformation, you will likely embrace the need for cultural changes, structural changes within your organizational hierarchy, workflow changes, business process changes, and even vendor and product/service changes. We will help you structure your digital transformation as a full circle, all in strategic shift that will set your business up for scalable success for the future. Working with our team of experts, you’ll be covered from all angles.