The building blocks of culture

Many organisations are investing in technologies to digitalise their processes and optimise their performance. These efforts aim to steer the organisation in the direction of the promised benefits of digital transformation. IT leaders are currently being held accountable for delivering the promise of a connected customer experience.

Selecting the right technologies for digital transformation initiatives is important. It’s also important to make sure that the people and the culture are aligned with the new direction. Failure to change the culture when an organisation undertakes digital initiatives will inevitably lead to an unsuccessful transformation.

Culture in the workplace

Every person or group has a culture. Even if it’s not defined and articulated, an organisation also has a culture. It’s the beliefs, behaviours, attitudes, values and traditions of an organisation that define its leadership, management and employees. Culture influences how people make decisions and interact with each other and the outside world.

Cultural misalignment has a negative impact on productivity

When digital transformation initiatives are misaligned with the culture of an organisation this often leads to slow adoption and a loss of productivity. At Joomieq, we have found that a non-inclusive culture always hinders digital transformation initiatives. It’s important to understand employees and how they work.

We have also found that organisations that build a culture around openness, communication, collaboration, transparency and accountability always yield teams that are willing to experiment. When these characteristics are positioned as core values, they reduce the fear of failure and promote a culture of innovation.

The importance of changes in culture for digital transformation

Digital transformation does not reside in the IT department

While the IT leader plays a key role in digital transformation, it must be driven from the top and by all the leaders across the organisation. By working together, the mindset of the organisation shifts, making it easier to identify and solve its unique challenges.

It must be inclusive

Leaders should value all ideas, opinions and insights from across the organisation. This can be achieved by implementing a system to formally collect ideas in team and one-to-one meetings. This system should also help leaders to nurture ideas and guide them on when it makes sense to act on specific suggestions.

Innovative thinking should be rewarded

Employees should be free to share ideas and this should be encouraged. To ignite enthusiasm among staff, leaders could publicly thank employees and teams for their ideas to encourage all employees to participate. Different perks or financial rewards could also be introduced to entice employees.

Engage and educate staff

A change in culture is necessary when an organisation embarks on a digital transformation journey. Fear of the unknown is the main contributor to resistance to change. It’s important that employees learn and understand the direct benefits for them of the digital transformation in order to reduce that fear.

Eliminate the fear of automation

Employees often fear being replaced and losing their livelihoods whenever they hear about digital transformation. Before leaders introduce any digital technologies, they must explain how employees are an important part of the process and share how digital technologies will help them rather than replace them.

Open communication

Communication should be open among all leaders and employees across the organisation. Everyone should be able to see how a particular team has been more successful because of the outcome of an initiative. This should promote and keep everyone excited about future initiatives that impact them directly.

Measure every milestone

When a digital transformation initiative has started, it’s important for leaders to measure success continuously along the way. This should inform them of when to move ahead or pivot, without sticking with an initiative at all costs.

Final thoughts

All digital transformation initiatives should begin with a culture change. For an organisation to succeed, it must understand what changes need to be made in their culture. This should create a positive environment for success and give everyone a voice in the process.

If you’re looking to move from where you are to where you need to be, get in touch with our consultants today to see how we can help you navigate your digital transformation journey.