To build the digital culture throughout an organization in this next era requires a two-part strategy: communication and engagement. Both require careful planning and intricate implementation.
Let’s examine them one at a time.
Speaking the Language
The sooner and the more people speak the language that reflects the new culture, the sooner and the more completely the culture is realized. This does not mean merely throwing around the buzzwords and catch phrases that advertise digital transformation.
It means using the language that expresses the culture: its components, its processes, its benefits, its values, its constraints. Certainly, using the language includes explaining it at every point where it is necessary to ensure that every person understands. Explaining it with the intention that everyone grasp the culture requires taking one’s time to communicate clearly and completely.
Approach the communication with both attention to message (what to say) and to messenger (who will say it) and to frequency (how many times to say it).
The message may best be developed by asking and answering (finding the answers to) questions. A well-written blog post by Jim Reznicek and titled Preparing Your Workforce for a Digital Transformation appeared on the Jabil blog in March 2018. The recommendation is that these specific questions be addressed with employees:
- What is digital transformation?
- Why is our company undergoing a digital transformation? What are the new technologies that will be introduced to our daily work?
- What impact will the digital transformation have on our employees?
- What is the timeline for the digital transformation?
- How will the company prepare employees for upcoming changes?
To those above, I would add this question: what will such transformation enable me to do better than I do it today?
Communication surrounding these questions can be presented in a number of ways. First, it is essential that the business’s leadership team has an active role in communicating from their perspective the how’s and why’s and when’s of digital transformation happening to the business. Members of the business want to hear the CEO’s answers to such questions. Then they want to compare them to the answers from CFO, COO, CIO, CCO…all the way to their immediate managers and team leaders. It is almost impossible for employees to hear too much about the full meaning of becoming a true digital culture.