What Going Digital Means

Amidst a growing trend advocating business digitisation in recent years, everyone is talking about going digital. Companies already riding atop the digital wave are continuing to build out winning capabilities at an accelerating pace every day. With many more companies today diving head first into digital territories, one cannot help but wonder: what does going digital really mean?

Not Just a Buzzword

Organisations approaching the topic of going digital should look beyond the buzz to get a deeper understanding of what digital really means in order to apply it effectively. Within the technology industry, there is a tendency to equivocate frequently discussed topics as buzzwords that come and go with time. But the notion of going digital has proven to be more than a passing fad. With its ever-growing appeal in boardroom agendas, the imperative to become digital has transcended the industry to achieve mainstream status.

No Smoke Without Fire

Beyond the hype surrounding its popularity, the motivation behind going digital is well-grounded. A 2018 International Data Group report found that 89% of organisations surveyed have adopted or already have plans to adopt digital strategies. The high level of digital adoption rates highlights the rising significance of digital technology and its implications for businesses today.

Having a Shared Goal

Without a common understanding of what digital means, companies implementing digital strategies may find their efforts misdirected as initiatives and employees lack alignment. It is difficult to paint a shared vision of a digital workplace across the organisation when people have different interpretations of what digital means. Being able to define what digital is and what it is not will help companies approach and apply change in the right direction.

All in the Mind

While going digital invokes a myriad of definitions, it is fundamentally a shift in mindset in the way business is carried out in an organisation. This mindset shift describes the change process in which a company’s approach to work, culture, and its offerings are reinvented with the help of technology in order to create new or greater value for customers and itself. Promoting a digital mindset means embracing cultural change within the organisation.

Final Word

Recognising that going digital refers to a process rather than an outcome is a crucial step in defining what it means. Businesses should view digital as a way of doing things rather than a thing in itself. Going digital itself is a means to an end, where the end goal is to derive the most value from the process of change.