Do I Really Need to Strive Towards Digital Maturity Level 5?
Our clients frequently ask us, "Do we need to improve our digital maturity to achieve the highest level?" Or, "How do I score a 5?" With our Digital Maturity Index service, you'll learn where you are, you will define where you would like to be, and we will help you to decide how to get there.
No matter how you spin it, some version of this question lingers in the minds of industry leaders. However, no organisation can simply snap its fingers and become digitally transformed. The reality is, unsurprisingly, that success is not universal.
Of course, digital transformation is about much more than replicating old practices with a digitised version. In fact, what we’ve determined, from assessing the digital maturity of many different organisations, is that there are 6 core areas to focus on when undergoing any form of digital transformation. These make up the six dimensions in our Digital Maturity Index (DMI).
If you’re familiar with the DMI, you’ll know that these areas are:
- Customer
- Operations
- People
- Technology
- Innovation
- Governance
Covering the whole gamut from customer experience to operational excellence, from culture to innovation, and from leadership to technology, a DMI review provides you with a holistic overview of your organisation’s journey towards digital success.
So, what is the outcome you are seeking from your digital transformation? Which of the 6 dimensions will be your chief concern?
Counterintuitively, technology is of the least of concern since vendors and start-ups will flood you with solutions, often only complicating things further.
Yet who would not want to provide the best possible customer experience, powered by the best possible analytics, displayed on expertly designed digital channels, and at the lowest possible marketing cost? If this doesn’t sound appealing to you, then you’re what is it that’s driving your digital transformation?
Seamless value chains, frictionless processes, the highest possible product quality, the lowest possible energy consumption; no waste, no leakages, end-to-end traceability, real-time dashboard functionality, preventive maintenance, super-intelligent demand forecast, and supply planning. Ring a bell?
To be able to capture all the above value, you do need very strong technological capabilities. But to pursue these capabilities, you also need to attract and retain the best talent. Good people will only come – and stay – if you are an employer of choice who provides and fosters a culture of openness, innovation, growth, and purpose. Much easier said than done!
Company leadership is crucial to your digital success. If the company leaders are products of the 20th century, it will be difficult to achieve 21st-century motivation. The chances are you won’t be able to perform accordingly. Instead, you’ll eventually lose your competitive edge and fall behind. Something that I’m confident you don’t want to happen!
You’d Better Know Your Score.
Back to the question posed at the beginning of this article – Do you need to achieve the highest possible maturity score?
Truth be told, I don’t know and you probably don’t either! You might have an idea, of course. What’s evident is that digital maturity is much more than just a series of technological projects. It’s more than a mobile app or an automated warehouse.
As the poet, Maya Angelou, said: If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.
And, as author, Lewis Carroll, said: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”
The way to determine both where you are and where you are going with your digital transformation, there is no better way than to undergo an independent assessment. The outcome of which provides the basis for your vision, or what we call the, “The Roadmap.”
To focus your activities, you’d better have priorities, which we call, “The Strategy.”
With our Digital Maturity Index service, you’ll learn where you are, you will define where you would like to be, and we will help you to decide how to get there. Having all relevant stakeholders in the same room (nowadays, in front of the same screen) will help you to:
- Align your vision
- Monitor your ‘score’ to assure your progress.
- And identify the opportunities to accelerate your journey.
Learn more about our DMI service here.
