Driving Digital Transformation by Harnessing The Power of People

The pace of digitalisation is faster than ever, but rather than following the pack, you should be driving digital transformation to remain competitive and futureproof. But in the race to capitalise on emerging opportunities, you can’t afford to leave your people behind. This insight explores why.

In the 70s, Moore’s law observed that computational power would double every two years. Now, in the last two years alone, the advent of AI has vastly accelerated this concept; digitalisation is on a sprint, with computational power doubling approximately every six months. And this rapid growth is reshaping what’s possible for science, and therefore industry.

Understanding Moore’s Law, and how AI has accelerated this, demonstrates exactly why we need to grasp the opportunity of the moment. Organisations can’t just stop to admire the speed of progress; they have to recognise the need to actively engage with technologies now.

By doing so, you can ensure that as digital tools, including AI, continue to evolve, you’re not just keeping pace but leveraging these advancements to drive meaningful business impact.

But with all this talk of technology, it’s crucial to factor in the role your people will play in empowering you to harness this digital AI revolution, rather than follow in its footsteps.

Imagine being able to predict business needs before competitors do, streamline tedious tasks to focus on what really matters and uncover insights from your data that were previously hidden in plain sight. That’s the potential AI is bringing, and the rate at which it’s happening is nothing less than exponential. 

Organisations keen to get ahead of the pack are spending significant time and effort discussing their digital AI strategy and where they want to be, but few have spent as much time understanding where they currently are on their digital journey.

This tendency to focus on the future often leaves a critical element overlooked: the role of people. Digital transformation is not just about implementing technology; it’s about people. The success of any digital change relies heavily on the human component, because people are the ones who ultimately make change stick. Organisations that view transformation solely through a technology lens may miss out on building the essential skills, mindsets and cultures necessary for turning heavy financial and time investment into real business value.

So, read on to discover just why a ‘people lens of change’ is essential for successfully driving digital transformation and how you can align people, processes and technology to create a cohesive digital roadmap, incorporating key elements such as data capability, readiness for change and digital maturity.

At the heart of digital transformation lies the need for people to embrace, adopt, and sustain change. While processes and technology are crucial enablers, it is people who bring the vision to life.

In our rich experience of supporting digital transformation, we’ve seen time and time again that when change fails, it is often due to resistance or insufficient alignment between the transformation’s goals and the people it impacts.

Conversely, when employees feel empowered, supported, aware and knowledgeable about the changes happening, they are far more likely to sustain the change long-term.

Successful digital transformation requires a strategic balance between people, processes, and technology. Ignoring any one of these pillars can lead to incomplete or unsustainable outcomes.

Focusing on the people lens of change means putting individuals at the heart of the digital strategy. This can be achieved through active leadership and engagement, delivering learning that encourages a mindset-shift followed by specific training as well as clear communications.

Beyond this crucial people element, efficient, adaptable and futureproof processes must be in place to support the new technologies and ways of working.

Technology is the enabler, but it cannot be the sole driver of change. The right digital tools can only thrive in an environment where people are ready for change and processes are aligned with the organisation’s overall goals.

Your chosen technology, whether an existing but new tool for your business or the big epoch shift that AI promises to be, should support your strategy and roadmap for delivery and not define it.

Many organisations skip a vital step in their digital journey: assessing their current digital maturity. Knowing where you stand is crucial for building a successful roadmap. A digital maturity model can help evaluate your organisation’s readiness across several dimensions:

Once you understand where you are, the next step is to design a digital strategy that ensures people are at the heart of your transformation efforts.

A successful digital strategy involves fostering data citizenship across your workforce. This means everyone understands the importance of data and their role (empowered by leaders) in using it for decision-making. When employees see themselves as active participants in the data journey, they become key drivers of your transformation.

Another key component of a successful digital transformation strategy is building a digital culture within your organisation. This requires creating an environment where change is embraced and where employees are supported to build the skills needed for a digital future. Leaders should prioritise building this culture and promoting innovation, risk-taking and continuous learning.

The final step in your digital transformation strategy is developing your roadmap for delivery. This strategic roadmap should outline how you will evolve your people, processes and technology over time to reach your desired digital maturity.

Your roadmap should include clear milestones for:

The most successful digital transformations don’t happen by focusing on technology alone. They happen when organisations align their people, processes and technology in a way that fosters a digital culture that allows them to maximise opportunity and minimise risk. By assessing your digital maturity and focusing on your people as the drivers of change, you will be well-positioned to achieve your long-term digital goals.

Planning or undergoing a digital transformation? Ask yourself:

Visit our Digital Transformation Consulting Hub for key insights and case studies that will help you answer ‘yes’ to all of the above and double the value of your change.

In our next insight in our digital transformation series, Afiniti’s digital strategy and transformation director Jamie Campbell will address the challenges of driving your digital strategy to help you course correct and improve your success rate.