The operating environment for organisations is changing rapidly. The only way in which a company can survive, stay relevant, and generate profits is by ensuring digital dexterity.
Digital dexterity is the ability to quickly overcome disruptions in the business environment by adopting digital solutions.
The business environment is encountering rapid and mammoth changes and that too, quite frequently. This is rendering certain businesses, practices, products and skill-sets redundant. So, how does a company ensure profit, customer-satisfaction and growth in these volatile times?
Continuous competition in business has forced companies to cut costs by re-structuring, removing obsolete practices and policies and improving the efficiency of resources.
But one thing is clearly established— there certainly is a need for companies to change, and change continuously to be able to stay fit in order and to survive. Humans have always been survivors, because we have adapted to change. That is precisely why our race continues to tread the Earth. We took to computers as easily as we took to apples. We are prepared to use robotics and artificial intelligence in every aspect of our lives.
Digital leaders understand that simply implementing certain technologies isn’t going to be enough to succeed in a world that is transforming every day, but need to implement learning interventions that will enable successful transformation. Get more insights and strategies from this webinar
So, the movement of companies towards digitisation and automation does not come as a surprise. The top management is harnessing digital dexterity to make their organisations future-proof with a competitive edge. These leaders are spending on technology to re-design their organisational structures to outperform their competitors. They are turning their organisations into digital organisations.
Advantages of digital dexterity
Research shows that organisations, which have redesigned themselves to adapt technology have reportedly outperformed their competitors on key performance indicators, such as customer satisfaction and innovation.
Digital capability is how companies achieve specific tactical objectives, such as providing services on a mobile application or facilitating customer self-service. Several organisations have developed digital capabilities to work in new ways.
Digital dexterity is the ability to rapidly adapt to change— new technologies, changing customer expectations, industry shifts, internally-driven resource allocation— to achieve high growth and performance.
Organisations that are high on digital dexterity are more responsive, better at finding talent, and able to fill gaps at speed. They also enjoy significant advantages in identifying and re-deploying expertise when required and are better at establishing partnerships.
The onus of making an organisation digital rests with the top management.
Digital mindset : The policy makers of an organisation need exemplary digital mindsets to be able to implement a culture of digital dexterity throughout the organisation. A digital mindset will lead to a digital first culture, where they seek digital solutions (first and foremost) at the onset of a problem.
Digitised practices: The top management prioritises the application of digital tools in operation, and decision-making is data driven. They encourage collaborative ways of working without regard to geography, function and hierarchy. Collaborative learning is very critical for digital organisations, as it embodies dexterity.
Empowered talent: The senior management perseveres towards raising the digital IQ of the organisation, developing key skills and increasing engagement. It puts a premium on building widespread digital skills, adopting behavioural approaches and practices that aim to involve, motivate and manage people’s potential in order to increase their level of digital aptitude and maturity.
Data access & collaboration tools: Digital dexterity helps access data and collaboration tools to drive innovation and share intelligence across the organisation. Digital organisations exhibit data-capability levels that are far more advanced than their peers. They use data to drive new levels of efficiency and customer responsiveness.
The top management is in a better position to green flag the digitisation and automation process in an organisation and monitor its progress. It needs to prioritise activities depending on the stage of evolution. Enterprises that have begun the process of digitisation have witnessed gains from cost cutting and improved employee capabilities.
‘Change’ is a certainty, driven by the top management and will result in a digital transformation. Technology will become the best friend to bother employers and employees—one that empowers them!