Our world is more connected now and in ways that few could foresee. In a matter of weeks, health foundations can attract more than $100 million in donations from an ice-bucket challenge. Overnight, singing sensations are discovered on YouTube. And in a few seconds, citizens in repressive regimes can report on real news—temporarily bypassing censors to reveal the truth.
The digital age is transforming individuals, organizations, economic and political relations, and so much more. Yet when associations attempt to traverse the digital space, they often hit speed bumps. They routinely stall in pursuit of their missions and operations.
Associations cannot ignore the importance and benefits of a digital transformation in fueling and accelerating their work. It has vital implications both in the workplace and in customer value. People expect effective technology in the workplace and constituents expect easy access to information and transactions with their organizations.
So, how can associations use technology to transform their organizations? It requires big picture priorities and supporting structures and processes.
• Create a digital culture. The foundation for digital excellence begins with a digital culture. Fostering an organizational culture that recognizes the role of IT as a strategic business partner for the enterprise is imperative. This type of employee culture will drive productivity and improve customer engagement. Culture must be treated as a competitive advantage rather than an afterthought.
• Provide strategic direction, oversight and alignment. Formulate a single, organized list of agreed-upon strategic priorities, and the technical requirement needs to accomplish each priority
• Ensure an enterprise-wide perspective when prioritizing digital initiatives. Include a cross-section of leaders from throughout the organization to increase collaboration. This should be a combination of traditional development, support, analytics and customer experience teams. Explore training needs to ensure distribution of skill sets matches needs.
• Establish an environment for innovation. Strong digital platforms are essential for operational transformation. Are there products and/or services that need to be replaced with newer versions if present versions are under digital threat?
• Develop a timeline. Assess the feasibility of timing relative to IT and overall organizational capabilities, e.g. vendors, systems and staff.
• Manage implementation. Assign lead responsibilities and team members.
• Evaluate results. Continual data analysis is crucial for the success of the plan.
Just as important as the aforementioned strategies and tactics is to recognize that digital strategy is an ongoing process. Moreover, the customer experience—both internal and external—should remain at the heart of the digital strategy.
How will your organization answer the digital transformation challenge? For assistance, call upon .orgSource (www.orgsource.com), leaders in IT and digital strategies for more than 10 years.