As every organization faces a new kind of transformation in the digital age, we see the need for more focus and strategy to drive the digital revolution.

In brief: 

1. A dedicated senior executive, such as a Chief Digital Officer, is necessary for successful digital transformation in a company.
2. In the absence of a dedicated executive, current leaders can speed up decision-making, simplify work, and eliminate unnecessary tasks to drive progress in digital business.
3. Outsourcing digital transformation leadership can help fill gaps and ensure processes are governed and regulated without adding headcount or restructuring existing leadership.

Some large companies have blindly invested money to fund this digital transformation, with little to no pulse on the data or ROI behind the initiatives. Other organizations have shifted responsibility of digital initiatives to other senior level executives with the expectation that they will be able to pivot and learn new skills. Many businesses, small and large, believe that investing in new technology will simply get them the leg up they need to survive and thrive to meet the demands of the emerging digital world. According to the Harvard Business Journal, “Even the best technology will go to waste if you don’t have the right processes, culture, or talent in place to take advantage of it.”

Where so many organizations are falling short is in the leadership of their digital transformation. To influence change, company-wide, digital transformation needs to be drive from the top. Without a dedicated senior leader driving innovation, adoption of new ways of thinking will suffer, leading a business to remain stagnant in a time where they should be transforming.

Your digital transformation shouldn’t be another item added to the daily to-do list of a standing executive. If structured correctly, your senior management team should be focused on core priorities and functioning to influence change in their respective business sectors. Your digital transformation journey is so important that it warrants its own role in the C-Suite, often called a Chief Digital Officer. This individual is responsible for moving your business forward to match the demands of the quickly changing digital space.

Simply put, without somebody overseeing your digital transformation, your business will fail. According to McKinsey, it’s critical to be able to look past your current business to reimagine where transformative value is possible.

Unfortunately, adding a senior level executive to a company isn’t a turnkey solution. Not only do you have to identify your individual needs in a quickly changing landscape, but you must spend the time recruiting, vetting, and hiring that individual. This process could take months, if not years. This timeline is not conducive to the agile needs of a company’s digital strategy.

In the interim, Gartner recommends three steps current executive leaders can take to make faster and more effective decisions that influence digital business progress:

1. Speed up the decision-making process
2. Simplify work
3. Eliminate unnecessary tasks

Even with the executive leadership team on board, you still need somebody managing your digital transformation and creating buy-in from the top down. Without this level of accountability, initiatives will fizzle, and you will remain in the same place you were before.

The largest challenge organizations seem to be facing, even with a dedicated senior executive overseeing their digital business processes, is keeping up with the ever-changing landscape and making sure all pieces of the process are considered to continue driving growth.

This is where we come into play. Our team is stacked with digital leaders who can help drive organizational change. From strategy to measurement, we will work with you to implement data-driven actionable changes to elevate your business in this digital revolutionary age.

With over 20 years of industry experience, we fill the gaps to help you move your business forward without adding incremental headcount or restructuring your existing leadership team. We are your partner, from start to finish, serving as the liaison between the customer and the vendor. When you outsource your digital transformation leadership needs to us, we will do the heavy lifting to ensure your processes are governed and regulated, minimizing the probability of risk with your digital transformation. Together, we will formulate action plans using the most up-to-date technology, data-based solutions, and our industry leading expertise.