There's no place for "we've always done it that way" in business anymore. That's why digital transformation has to be a strategic priority for organizations of all sizes.

What is Digital Transformation?

Digital transformation is the process of adapting existing business practices to new digital methods to increase efficiency and keep up with rapidly-changing market demands.

This means integrating new technologies—big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things—into every area of the business. It’s imperative to not just implement new technology for the sake of innovation, but to fundamentally change the company culture and increase operational efficiency by using agile project management methodologies and modern business collaboration tools and techniques.

Successful digital transformation requires a collection of coordinated, scalable change efforts diffused throughout all aspects of the business. More and more, technology will be used as a means to a cultural end, blurring the line between the technical and business sides of your organization. 



Everyone from the C-level leaders to the individuals throughout the workforce must commit to innovation in pursuit of key digital transformation objectives.

Importance of Digital Transformation?

It's easy for IT and business leaders to get caught up in the high-level goals of a digital transformation strategy. Businesses pursue digital transformation to gain the ability to innovate rapidly, unlock new levels of revenue growth, reduce costs across the organization and increase workforce productivity. 



However, the digital transformation objectives that lead to these benefits can vary between different sides of an organization. A successful digital transformation strategy aligns the objectives of both line-of-business (LOB) owners and IT teams to pursue organizational goals. Objectives often depend on strategic maturity, but these examples below can help guide initial planning.

Objectives for LOB owners and IT leaders tend to overlap. That's because the foundation of a digital transformation strategy is alignment between these two sides of the organization. Once IT and LOB owners are aligned, technology can be used to unlock new business models that are better-suited for modern markets. These new business models emerge as a result of new tools enabling innovation, streamlined development, and a deeper understanding of customers.

There's just one roadblock that stands in the way of achieving these objectives and maximizing the potential of digital transformation-talent in the digital workplace.

Digital Transformation Objectives for Line-of-Business Owners

Your LOB owners must focus on the front-end of digital transformation strategy. This means focusing on objectives such as:
 

  • Enhancing the Customer Experience: Digital innovation offers new ways of attracting and retaining customers. LOB owners committed to transformative ideas can dictate what the organization needs to do to meet the ever-increasing demands of modern customers.
     
  • Modernizing Operational Processes: Digital transformation is often attributed only to enterprises in the context of combatting disruption. However, LOB owners in organizations of all sizes should aim to reduce friction in any processes to reduce costs and make it easier to act on innovative ideas.
     
  • Becoming More Data-Driven: In a digital workplace, LOB owners can't leave data collection and analytics to the technical side of the organization. Finding new ways to derive insights and improve decision making is critical to digital transformation success.

Digital Transformation Objectives for IT Leaders

The IT leaders focus on the backend of digital transformation, optimizing the engine that provides the "how" for LOB owners. Objectives can include:
 

  • Optimizing IT Infrastructure and Operation: LOB owners dictate which new technologies are necessary and it's up to IT leaders to deploy those services most efficiently. Integration with existing systems, ensuring security, and optimizing costs are all important to digital transformation success.
     
  • Simplifying Cloud Management: Shadow IT inhibits digital transformation, so the portfolio of cloud services on the LOB side must be kept in check. Centralized control can lead to faster, smarter use of cloud services with maximum availability. IT leaders bridge the gap between demand for new services and the need to keep them running smoothly.
     
  • Facilitating Access to Data: It's easier than ever for organizations to collect mass amounts of data. One objective for IT leaders is to make that data as accessible as possible for LOB owners so they can derive insights that drive digital transformation.

What is the ROI of Digital Transformation?

The ROI of digital transformation technologies depends on your workforce having appropriate levels of digital literacy while also being able to collaborate effectively and adapt to new situations rapidly. However, the ideal employees for your digital workplace may seem more like unicorns than available talent.

Especially in large enterprises, it's unlikely that you'll be able to completely overhaul your workforce with new hires. It's costly, inefficient, and unfeasible. 

That's why it's so important to create a culture of continuous learning. Rather than hunting down droves of new talent, your digital transformation strategy should include plans to increase the digital literacy of your existing workforce. Cultivate a collaborative environment in which employees are empowered to learn what's necessary to make your digital transformation strategy succeed.

Digital Transformation Training

Our Digital Transformation course provides an overview of digital transformation that benefits everyone in your organization. It explains the critical factors for any organization to consider as well as the four steps to developing a digital transformation strategy.

Enabling digital transformation throughout your organization requires more than a general understanding of digital transformation, though. Business leaders, IT leaders, and the general workforce require uniquely tailored information to ensure they're building the right skillsets. That's why we've created these three initial digital transformation learning paths:

Digital Transformation Courses & Learning Paths

Understand the larger context for digital transformation efforts, identify your maturity level, and learn how best to keep a digital strategy on track for the long term.

Dive deep into the technologies that are driving digital innovation-cloud computing, big data and data science, machine learning and AI, blockchain, and IoT. Learn how to adapt software project management and security policies to support a digital transformation strategy. 

Strategy is critical, but digital transformation also relies on mindset shifts at organizational and individual levels. Increase digital literacy and learn how to work and collaborate in new, more productive ways.

These three learning paths lay the groundwork to help your organization align and implement the digital transformation strategy. We complement these learning paths with numerous other courses related to digital transformation, including agile project management, change management, design thinking, and how-to courses on today’s digital collaboration tools. Our curriculum improves digital literacy and helps foster a culture that excels at rapidly turning ideas into real market solutions.

Talent is the heart of digital transformation and a culture of continuous learning is what will help your company adapt to any external forces.

Courses in Digital Transformation Strategy

Meet a few of LinkedIn Learning's expert instructors

Anil K. Gupta

Michael Dingman Chair in Strategy, Globalization, & Entrepreneurship, Smith B-School, Univ of Maryland

Haiyan Wang

Managing Partner at China India Institute; Co-author of Getting China and India Right, The Quest for Global Dominance

John Mancini

Chief Evangelist at AIIM International

Peter High

President of Metis Strategy, a technology strategy firm

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