In my previous post, we looked at what needs to change to foster a digitally agile culture (hiring, managing and leading talent). In this post, I want to take a quick look at a plan to manage the vast changes that are needed to achieve digital agility, a vital component in the journey towards successful digital transformation.
For change to be successful, you need everyone to buy into the process and to move along the path as fast as possible.
When it comes to change you need:
- clearly defined goals – where do you want to be?
- a solid strategy – how will we make this journey?
- the tools to help you get there – what do we need to succeed?
Achieving digital agility – change management process:
Planning
- Identify risks
- Detail implementation steps
- Define the change impact for all stakeholders
Explaining why the change is required
- Make the need for change clear and explain the vision
- Define the urgency
- Provide the benefits
- Establish trust
Addressing concerns
- Have empathy when you encounter staff with concerns
- Instill feelings of ownership and commitment among staff
Engaging
- Involve employees and be honest
- Communicate every step of the way
- Encourage employees to share concerns and ideas for improvement throughout the change process
- Have routine check-ins
- Make it clear that employees are accountable for the success of the change
Providing resources
- Provide sufficient resources to implement
- Provide training and mentorship
- Support the change
Measuring
- Include metrics for assessing the success of the change
- Have milestones that demonstrate that success is being achieved
- Celebrate success
Improving continuously
- Once a change has rolled out, don’t stop there. The workers in the trenches often have the most valuable input.
Linda Misauer
Vice President, Global Solutions at Striata, a Doxim company.
Linda Misauer is the Head of Global Solutions at Striata and is responsible for technical Research and Development, Operations and Project Management for global initiatives.
Linda previously led the Product Management of the Striata Application Platform before moving across to Striata North America as Chief Technical Officer (CTO). As Product Manager, her responsibilities included internal project management of the product development team, market research & product feature design, as well as the product lifecycle management and quality control. As CTO, Linda was responsible for all technical operations for North, Central and South America, including the Project Management, Support, Production and Data Engineering.
Linda has over 10 years of experience in the IT industry, ranging from video streaming solutions and website application development to electronic billing and messaging. Prior to joining Striata in 2002, Linda held the positions of Chief Information Officer at AfriCam, and was IT project manager at Dimension Data.
Linda studied at the University of Natal – Pietermaritzburg and holds a degree in BSc, Majoring in Computer Science and Economics. Linda also has a Diploma in Project Management.
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