By Federico Grosso, Adobe vice president and general manager for Latin America
When talking about digital transformation - for some time now - the use and implementation of the technologies in vogue are quickly associated and taken as main steps. However, after the initial buzz phase around the theme has passed, companies have, more recently, been under pressure to effectively make the big turnaround and execute their transformation strategies. Many haven't even started yet. So many others were lost along the way.
It's past time to understand why. And I venture to say that a large part of the problem is the lack of understanding of the driving force behind any real transformation process: people. More precisely in the corporate world: the workforce.
However, this other half of the equation is quite complex. It consists of attracting the right people and preparing them for the future - something that, like investments in technological resources, should be high priorities for leaders. I am always surprised by the effort that brands make when investing in the choice of technologies, without weighing the impact of talent in the execution of the whole big plan.
The talent and business strategy: parallel and perpendicular
I use our own example here. Today’s Adobe didn’t exist seven years ago. Everyone remembers: we sold boxes with software, with updates every 12 or 18 months. We burn our own boats to make the turn. We were sincere with ourselves and with the market. We knew it would be a complex transformation and that required changes across the organization, involving structure, skills and competencies.
The figures for the evolution of the business came ahead of schedule. It was a cultural change. It was a change led by people and for people.
Often, following the path of transformation does not mean a correction of course, but rather the evolution in the face of current trends and a vision of the future. Your company's fiscal year may have ended the year with incredible numbers across all lines, but you can't turn a blind eye to what's to come. Or how what is to come may represent even more gains for the entire ecosystem of the company.
While an organization's technology decisions are generally IT or CTO decisions, the people who feel them most - the users - do not always have the clarity or vision of what is expected of them - since it is human nature to avoid change. Changing is difficult - albeit essential for the survival of many brands. It touches the company's culture. With the market. With people. And therein lies the real challenge of driving digital transformation.
Internally, we need to provide employees with the knowledge and skills necessary to bring the business strategy to life. As a team manager, it is necessary to continually show the complete scenario and the path to be followed until everyone, including the managers, asks themselves: "how am I working collectively to get there?"
The power of networks
People engage people, so identify who are the first supporters of transformation within the organization and give them a voice. An idea may even occur in silos, but the change is shaped and effective when spread across networks. They will help drive change and can show in practice what the overall organizational strategy means. In addition, be aware that a small percentage of “pessimistic” individuals can impair an organization's ability to follow a new direction. If you can get from 80% to 90% of the team supporting the change, great, but there is a part of your workforce that never gets there.
Storydoing> Storytelling
Recently, at our annual Digital Marketing event - the Adobe Summit - I was pleased to hear from Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, on stage, an inspiring phrase: “there is no other way to transform than to roll up your sleeves”. If, as stated above, 'people engage people', leaders are key players in this process.
They are the example
A recent study by Wunderman found that only 42% of people within organizations see themselves as transformative, which, in other words, means that only a smaller proportion of people feel comfortable experimenting with new things and taking risks. In addition, 72% from organizations do not sacrifice short-term benefits for long-term gains. So, this begs the question: “how do you keep employees involved? How do you lead them towards transformation? ”
Companies that have been on the market for some time, that have seen good days and bad days, are well positioned to see when and where change is needed. Generally, the way to keep employees engaged is to ensure that they are building a culture that can change, but the values remain the same, as companies that last a long time are really staying true to their core values.
Brands also need to build a culture that embraces diversity and inclusion, because bringing different perspectives will be the key to a company's success. As we have a wide variety of customers, we also need a wide variety of people, with diversity and inclusion affecting everyone. Everyone should feel that they have the opportunity to participate. And systems and processes are needed to allow everyone to participate.
Transforming is painful. Takes time. If the 'x' of the question is to discover the emerging technologies that best fit the business, the 'y' is the workforce. Without the human component, the account never closes.
Disclaimer: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies.
It's past time to understand why. And I venture to say that a large part of the problem is the lack of understanding of the driving force behind any real transformation process: people. More precisely in the corporate world: the workforce.
However, this other half of the equation is quite complex. It consists of attracting the right people and preparing them for the future - something that, like investments in technological resources, should be high priorities for leaders. I am always surprised by the effort that brands make when investing in the choice of technologies, without weighing the impact of talent in the execution of the whole big plan.
The talent and business strategy: parallel and perpendicular
I use our own example here. Today’s Adobe didn’t exist seven years ago. Everyone remembers: we sold boxes with software, with updates every 12 or 18 months. We burn our own boats to make the turn. We were sincere with ourselves and with the market. We knew it would be a complex transformation and that required changes across the organization, involving structure, skills and competencies.
The figures for the evolution of the business came ahead of schedule. It was a cultural change. It was a change led by people and for people.
Often, following the path of transformation does not mean a correction of course, but rather the evolution in the face of current trends and a vision of the future. Your company's fiscal year may have ended the year with incredible numbers across all lines, but you can't turn a blind eye to what's to come. Or how what is to come may represent even more gains for the entire ecosystem of the company.
While an organization's technology decisions are generally IT or CTO decisions, the people who feel them most - the users - do not always have the clarity or vision of what is expected of them - since it is human nature to avoid change. Changing is difficult - albeit essential for the survival of many brands. It touches the company's culture. With the market. With people. And therein lies the real challenge of driving digital transformation.
Internally, we need to provide employees with the knowledge and skills necessary to bring the business strategy to life. As a team manager, it is necessary to continually show the complete scenario and the path to be followed until everyone, including the managers, asks themselves: "how am I working collectively to get there?"
The power of networks
People engage people, so identify who are the first supporters of transformation within the organization and give them a voice. An idea may even occur in silos, but the change is shaped and effective when spread across networks. They will help drive change and can show in practice what the overall organizational strategy means. In addition, be aware that a small percentage of “pessimistic” individuals can impair an organization's ability to follow a new direction. If you can get from 80% to 90% of the team supporting the change, great, but there is a part of your workforce that never gets there.
Storydoing> Storytelling
Recently, at our annual Digital Marketing event - the Adobe Summit - I was pleased to hear from Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, on stage, an inspiring phrase: “there is no other way to transform than to roll up your sleeves”. If, as stated above, 'people engage people', leaders are key players in this process.
They are the example
A recent study by Wunderman found that only 42% of people within organizations see themselves as transformative, which, in other words, means that only a smaller proportion of people feel comfortable experimenting with new things and taking risks. In addition, 72% from organizations do not sacrifice short-term benefits for long-term gains. So, this begs the question: “how do you keep employees involved? How do you lead them towards transformation? ”
Companies that have been on the market for some time, that have seen good days and bad days, are well positioned to see when and where change is needed. Generally, the way to keep employees engaged is to ensure that they are building a culture that can change, but the values remain the same, as companies that last a long time are really staying true to their core values.
Brands also need to build a culture that embraces diversity and inclusion, because bringing different perspectives will be the key to a company's success. As we have a wide variety of customers, we also need a wide variety of people, with diversity and inclusion affecting everyone. Everyone should feel that they have the opportunity to participate. And systems and processes are needed to allow everyone to participate.
Transforming is painful. Takes time. If the 'x' of the question is to discover the emerging technologies that best fit the business, the 'y' is the workforce. Without the human component, the account never closes.
Disclaimer: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies.
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