Infographic created using Canva by Rodriguez, 2022.
Digital change is a priority issue for many companies. Technologies and customers are transforming businesses and customers have become the center of everything. Through their interactions, customers decide how to obtain information, how to buy, or how to communicate with businesses. Biech (2007) claimed that “the increased amount of information and speed at which we can access information have placed organizations on ever-accelerating paths of change”. This has led many companies to rethink their model and begin the shift towards digitization.
One of the most important challenges that companies have had in recent years is to adopt and renew old styles of leadership to the new digital reality. As noted by Christina Jones, managing change “can be championed by anybody at any level of any organization” (Jones, 2022, 04:51). Thanks to new technologies, leadership has been transformed and leaders have found it necessary to adopt a new mentality that allows them to maintain unity and a good environment in their workgroups. Therefore, the new generation of leaders, in addition to having the fundamental skills of a leader, must integrate the new technological solutions into their leadership style.
My digital change infographic above is a representation of my personal views, professional experience, an interview with a colleague and mentor who has been in the auto industry for over 30 years, a reflection of the unit readings, and the “voices” interviews provided on this unit. The model identifies three main elements that influence digital change in any organization: transformational technology, people, and process.
Technology
Technology has become the focal point of our existence, highlighted by our growing reliance on digital media to communicate, shop, and essentially live our lives. This reliance on technology highlights the need to embrace and integrate digital transformation as a strategy. This process is essential to ensure the future growth of any organization, as well as to maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty. I believe that digital leadership is not only the responsibility of the IT department. For a company to completely transform, technology must involve all processes and departments, from sales, marketing, operations, accounting, and even human resources, all can benefit from a new digital mindset.
People
There is no doubt that changes affect people, the simple idea of getting out of the comfort zone brings out insecurities in any individual, thus the importance of a change in corporate culture and a change in attitude for the digital transformation of people. In my context, such changes have allowed our employees to:
- Commit to a new digital environment.
- Understand the impact of new technologies and continuous changes in the organization.
- Understand the new ways of working in the organization.
- Be open to new processes of innovation and continuous reinvention.
- Respond to current business needs.
Process:
There are many operations and activities that are connected in order to achieve specific business objectives and where the management, optimization, and automation of business processes come into play. Antwi & Kale (2014) state that in Pettigrew’s Context/Content/Process Model “the process of change includes the operational activities undertaken to materialize change “. Optimizing business processes is essential in digital change strategies and is essentially customer-oriented. To achieve the digital transformation of processes, new facilitating technologies were used to allow the automation of operations in my organization: online training programs became mandatory for the sales department, marketing efforts were entirely shifted to online platforms, remote work for some key positions became a priority, and all departments have undergone systems upgrading to keep up with requirements and specifications to be compliant with the automaker’s demands.
In closing, we all have a notion about leadership and the traits that distinguish a good leader: respect, tolerance, vision, innovation, and encouragement of teamwork. During a crisis, like the one we have experienced for over two years with the pandemic, leadership is more important than ever. In the most difficult times, the leaders who excel are those who communicate clearly, remain calm and strong, show empathy, think long-term, and courageously take the right decisive actions. For a company or organization to be successful, it is essential that a leader apply positive values and attitudes that inspire their employees to grow.
After reflecting on this activity, I believe that digital change enables organizations to better compete in an economic environment that is constantly changing as technology evolves. With a mindset that correctly understands the advantages and benefits of technological innovation, it is much easier to carry out processes that companies seek to carry out such as digital change, and to understand that technology is not just a computer or a tablet, but a transformative tool that gives way to innovation and success.
References
Al-Haddad, S., & Kotnour, T. (2015). Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), 234–262. https://doi.org/10.1108/jocm-11-2013-0215
Antwi, M., & Kale, M. (2014). Change Management in Healthcare: Literature Review, pp. 1–35.
Biech, E. (2007). Models for change. In Thriving through change: A leader’s practical guide to change mastery. Association for Talent Development. https://royalroads.skillport.com/skillportfe/assetSummaryPage.action?assetid=RW$1544:_ss_book:22651#summary/BOOKS/RW$1544:_ss_book:22651
Jones, C. (2022). Voices of leadership: Interview with Christina Jones. [Audio]. Royal Roads University MALAT Course Site. https://malat-coursesite.royalroads.ca/lrnt525/schedule/voices/